What Is the Difference Between the Surface Internet and the Deep Internet?
In 2024, the World Wide Web contained 149 zettabytes of data . That’s 149 trillion gigabytes or 149 billion terabytes—however you prefer to visualize this gigantic number. Suffice it to say, the internet is a vast space. So vast that you can’t access it all in the same way. In fact, the internet has different layers, and depending on which layer the content you’re looking for resides on, you may or may not be able to view it—even if you know where to find it.
This is the essence of the difference between the “surface” and “deep” web. They are two distinct parts of the internet that are also part of the larger World Wide Web. While these two layers are quite distinct, you’ve already visited content on both. In fact, you’ve probably visited both the surface and deep web multiple times today without even realizing it.
What is the surface web?
The surface internet, also known as the visible internet, lives up to its name: it’s the part of the web that’s easily accessible through search engines, as it’s indexed by platforms like Google. Generally, if you can find something on Google, it’s on the surface internet. For example, the article you’re reading right now is on the surface internet. You may have found it by googling “difference between surface and deep internet.” The same applies to Lifehacker as a whole, as well as articles on sites like Mashable, CNET, and PCMag.
You likely spend a significant portion of your time online on surface web sites, both old and new. Forums like Reddit are largely surface web sites, as are some Instagram pages. Product listings on sites like Amazon and Best Buy are surface web pages. Video platforms like YouTube are largely surface web sites, including TikTok—though the latter isn’t optimized for web browsers. Legacy sites like AddictingGames (which you can still play in 2026) and the website for the 1996 film Space Jam are surface web sites. Much of the surface web consists of standalone articles, which makes sense, as articles still make up a significant portion of search results.
Like the ocean’s surface, the surface internet makes up only a small portion of the entire internet. As recently as 2017, some estimates claimed that the surface internet comprised only 10% of the entire internet. This is still a huge number of websites, demonstrating just how vast the internet is.
What is the deep web?
If the surface internet is everything that can be found via Google, then the deep internet is everything that can’t be found. The deep internet is much larger than the surface internet and consists of websites that aren’t easily found via search engines or direct URLs. They are often only accessible through authentication. This means that access requires at least a username and password, and in many cases, an additional form of authentication. The article you’re reading is on the surface internet, but the software (content management system, or CMS) we use to write and publish it isn’t. Our CMS is still a website, but it can’t be found via Google search, and even if you knew the direct URL, you wouldn’t be able to access it.
The same thing happens with many websites that only you have access to. Take Gmail, for example: the service’s homepage is accessible to everyone and appears in search results for “Gmail,” but to access your Gmail, you need to log in. Once logged in, your email is accessible through the website, but no one can see it via the URL, and certainly no one can find your email via Google search. The same goes for your Facebook feed, YouTube account, or banking information. All of these are accessible in your web browser as websites, but you need to log in to view them.
This also applies to services and subscriptions. Think of Netflix, Hulu, or HBO: they’re all accessible in your web browser, meaning you watch content on separate web pages. But the players on these web pages aren’t accessible from Google, even if pages with trailers for specific series or movies are available. To watch or listen to content, you need to sign in to your account. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all streaming services: “Happy Gilmore” on Tubi is a surface web page, since it’s indexed by Google. Part of the “deep web” also consists of pages you’ll never see, such as protocols for authenticating user accounts and processing payments in the background. It’s not just paid content.
What about the darknet?
You may have heard of the darknet but don’t quite understand what it is. Therefore, you may confuse the deep web and the darknet, but they are not the same thing. In fact, the darknet is a part of the deep web; it’s simply the part that can’t be accessed with a regular web browser. To access the darknet, you need a specialized browser, such as Tor, and knowledge of unique darknet URLs, which typically end in .onion instead of .com or .org. For more information on the differences between the darknet and the deep web, check out my explanation here .