MetaCrawler [MC]
These are the major multi-search services.
Click on the name to access the service directly.
Click on the code to jump to the descriptions and links to the individual search engines they access.
Click on the search engines below each description to jump to that search engine's description.
NEW all-4-one [A4]
All In One [AI]
Best Search [BS]
c|net's search.com [SC]
Explore [MS]
Find-It! [FI]
MetaCrawler [MC]
Savvy Search [SS]
Starting Point [SP]
MetaCrawler [MC]
MetaCrawler Multi-Threaded Web Search Service by Erik Selberg and Oren Etzioni. "The MetaCrawler is a free World Wide Web search service. The MetaCrawler differs from other services in that it doesn't maintain any internal database. Rather, it relies on the databases of ... nine different services: Lycos, Open Text, Alta Vista, WebCrawler, InfoSeek, Excite, Inktomi, Yahoo, and Galaxy."
c|net recommends: "If you already know what you're looking for on the Net, the place to find it is MetaCrawler. This metasearch engine can simultaneously query a variety of sites, including Yahoo, Lycos, Alta Vista, Open Text, and others. With such wide coverage, it's hard to come up empty-handed. But you won't be overwhelmed, either, because MetaCrawler eliminates duplicate entries. MetaCrawler's interface is easy to use and lets you restrict your searches to particular geographical areas or Internet domains(.gov, .com, and so forth)--and you can set a time limit, too."
This is a very convenient and easy-to-use search service. You only enter your query once, and it searches all its engines. However, I've had the experience that querying the same search engines by other services or directly, sometimes results in additional hits which were not listed by MetaCrawler. Check their "examples" page for syntax.
MetaCrawler accesses the nine major search engines.
Starting Point (MetaSearch) [SP]
"Starting Point is designed to make your daily Web experience more productive. Starting Point helps you manage Web resources by combining a powerful, centralized Web searching tool with quality, subject-oriented Web resources you need every day -- all combined in an easy-to-use, comprehensive, and well organized starting point. We recommend setting your browser start-up page to Starting Point. This enables you to access Starting Point automatically when you load your browser, or by simpling clicking your browser's 'Home' icon."
Starting Point permits you to enter your query once, then presents you with it's list of search engines which you poll one at a time. You don't have to enter a new request each time, just click the search engine. Returning from the search results, you can choose the next engine. They give you the chance to directly access the various engines, and provide instructions for setting up Starting Point as your Home Page.
Starting Point accesses all of the nine major services except Galaxy, but includes two of the other general services, Savvy Search and MetaCrawler, which do. It also has Archie, AliWeb, DejaNews, Magellan, URLWeb, W3 Com, and WebCrawler.
Find-It!
[FI]
Find-It! is part of i-Tools, which include Research-It! and Promote-It!, accessible from the Find-It! page.
Find-It! first brings you to its "Quick Page", a chart of categories: WWW, Software Libraries, Usenet Groups, and People. You have to enter your query separately for each search engine. Additional search engines are available in each category by clicking "Advanced Search".
Promote-It! allows you to submit URL links simultaneously to multiple lists, and includes additional links.
Find-It! accesses all of the nine major search engines except Inktomi and WebCrawler, but includes Starting Point, which does. It also has Archie and shareware.com for Software Library access, DejaNews and FAQ Archive for UseNet Groups, and for People, IAF, Four11, Finger, Whois, and NetFind.
Savvy Search [SS]
"Welcome to SavvySearch, an experimental search system designed to query multiple internet search engines simultaneously. ... When you submit your query, a Search Plan is created wherein the nineteen search engines are
ranked and divided into groups. Ranking factors include:
The text of your query,
Sources and types of information selected,
Estimated Internet traffic,
Anticipated response time of remote search engines, and
The load on our computer.
A parallel search is performed when a group of search engines is selected from the search plan. The groups are displayed in order of anticipated usefulness from left to right... While SavvySearch provides a convenient interface, you are encouraged to visit them directly, as each provides a unique and powerful service."
Savvy Search will poll a set of its search engines with a single request, and display the results as a single list, or separate the results by search engine. When the results are displayed, you can chooose another set of engines to search. It also provides direct access to each engine.
Savvy Search is unique in providing multiple language versions of its search pages: English | Français | Deutsch | Italiano | Português | Español | Nederlands | Norsk | Hangul | Russian | Suomi | Esperanto | Svenska | Nihongo | Dansk | Slovensky.
Savvy Search accesses all nine of the major search engines, plus AliWeb, CSTR, DejaNews, FTPSearch95, Internet Movie Database, LookUp, OKRA, Point Search, SIFT, Tribal Voice, Virtual Software Library (=shareware.com), WhoWhere?, and the Internet Yellow Pages.
Best Search
[BS]
"by Soprano Connections"
Best Search provides access to the greatest number of search engines and datasets of a variety of types. The Best Search page opens with a set of category choices. (A Spanish language interface is also available.)
Clicking on "General" (or anywhere in the "Best Search" border) brings up the entry forms for the main search engines. The first page displays the "Top Ten" (as rated by users of Best Search, who can vote for their favorites). Queries must be entered separately for each engine. An additional set of eight are listed on the next page.
Most of the catgories directly access data searches from the "Handy Internet Services" at Microsoft's "Explore the Internet" site. (Business, Home Reference, Movies & Music, Publications, Travel, Writer's Reference, and Phones & Addresses. )
"UseNet Newsgroups" is the link to searching DejaNews, and "Software" searches the CICA Windows Archives, which provides access to software downloading from various sites.
Best Search "Soprano Links" are categorized links to over 2,000 additional sites.
Best Search provides access to the nine major general search engines, plus Aqui, AliWeb, DejaNews, Four11, Global Online Directory, LookUP, Magellan, NetMall, Tribal Voice, W3 Catalog, and WWW Worm.
All-In-One [AI]
"This page is a compilation of various forms-based search tools found on the Internet. They have been combined here to form a consistent interface and convenient ALL-IN-ONE search point."
This site is loaded! It seems to have interfaces for everything here and more!
all-4-one [A4]
Submits a search to Alta Vista, Lycos, Yahoo, and Webcrawler at the same time. It presents the search results from these four search engines in four windows on the same page, with clickable selection and movable frames. Fast.
c|net search.com [SC]
Quick access to Alta Vista, Excite, Yahoo, shareware.com, Lycos, InfoSeek, Magellan and AT&T 800 Directory, with an Index to many, many more...
| MetaCrawler | |
 | Alta Vista, Excite, Galaxy, Inktomi, InfoSeek, Lycos, Open Text, WebCrawler, Yahoo |
| Starting Point | |
| Archie, Alta Vista, AliWeb, DejaNews, Excite, Inktomi, InfoSeek, Lycos, Magellan, MetaCrawler, NetFind, Open Text, Savvy Search, URLSearch, W3 Catalog, WebCrawler, Yahoo |
| MicroSoft's Explore | |
|
Excite, Four11, InfoSeek, LookUp!, Lycos, Magellan, Pathfinder, Yahoo |