The 17 Best Dark Web Marketplaces in 2026

Even long-running marketplaces can shut down suddenly due to scams or law-enforcement action. Its listings center on cryptocurrency cash-out services, value-conversion schemes, and identity packs used to open fraudulent accounts. DOJ cases confirm that criminals often purchase stolen card data from darknet shops such as Brian’s Club and then re-encode it onto physical cards for fraudulent transactions. This places the market squarely within verified financial-crime supply chains. Law enforcement agencies monitor many dangerous markets, and even anonymous browsing isn’t foolproof.

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The results further support the recent efforts of law enforcement agencies to focus on individual sellers43,44,45, as well as, more recently, also buyers46,47. Since the beginning of DWMs’ activity, there has been a shift in the law enforcement approach from focusing on market admins towards sellers and buyers9,13. For instance, a recent London Metropolitan Police (MET) investigation examined the transactions of a seller profile on a DWM10.

Regional websites

The chart above shows that ASAP and Mega Darknet markets led the large retail and wholesale segments respectively. Looking closer at ASAP Market inflows, it won some share of revenue across all drug purchase types, receiving 37.1% of social supply, 35.7% of large retail, 16.5% of small retail, and 13.5% of wholesale purchases. The chart above shows that, while values haven’t risen back to 2021 levels, darknet market revenue has slightly rebounded since Hydra’s closure in 2022. Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.

It’s Back to Bitcoin for Darknet Markets After Monero’s Binance Delisting: Chainalysis

• Western drug flows in particular come from US-domiciled exchanges and trace flows from those to darknet markets.
• The website utilizes a valid SSL certificate issued by Google Trust Services, expiring in 2026, indicating basic encryption and identity verification.
• In addition, several fake websites impersonate the famous dark net marketplace to obtain your financial and personal information and use it for malicious purposes.
• Operating until 2012, Silk Road’s estimated annual revenue soared over $100 million, highlighting the potential profitability of these hidden markets.
• The number of multisellers steeply decreases after operation Bayonet but they still sustain high incomes.
• While it received a relatively small share of large retail purchases as shown in the previous chart, Abacus Market is one such example.

Cryptocurrency accounts were the only category that we saw to have experienced an increase. This is likely due to the fact that cryptocurrency prices have been largely stagnating in H and H1 2023, which resulted in less interest shown by the mainstream population. The average cost of credit card information varies from $10 (in countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia) to $240 each (with a card balance). New websites and forums were created nearly overnight and very quickly filled the gap left by the sites taken down by authorities. This, however, did little to reduce the supply of illicit goods and services on the dark web. On a smaller scale, Mega Darknet Market placed a few ads with QR codes in public places like Moscow subway trains.

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Both Agartha and Cartel earned enough revenue within the 35-week period we tracked them to be characterized as midsize companies, earning $91.6 million and $32.3 million, respectively. Other markets like Aurora, DeepMart, and WhiteHouse were also on track to reach the revenue of a midsize company if given a full year to earn. Cointelegraph covers fintech, blockchain and Bitcoin bringing you the latest crypto news and analyses on the future of money. Nonetheless, 2023 saw a rise in new types of scams, including romance scams — also known as pig butchering scams.

Dark web websites: 10 Onion sites to explore

It helps us stay more vigilant, better protect ourselves, and make informed decisions online. If the operating system detects any non-anonymous connection, it blocks it, thus ensuring maximum online protection. Always use a fake name and a temporary email address when you buy something from dark net shops.

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Some things, like medical records, driver’s licenses, and passport information. The consequences can be lethal to those whose data is stolen, like identity theft, emotional distress, and even financial loss. The dark web is famous darknet markets legit when it comes to hosting as well as spreading explicit and illegal content. It is home to all sorts of disturbing content, given that the markets share content related to non-consensual recordings and child exploitation.

What you can buy on the darknet markets

When looking at darknet drug markets serving Russia-based customers, Kraken Market captured 30.9% of market share, with Blacksprut and Mega Darknet markets closely following. As for drug markets serving Western customers, ASAP Market held a 25.0% share, followed by Mega and Incognito. For instance, a factory employee can secretly slip away with one and sell it on the darknet markets. Besides, not everyone wants to purchase an illegal item – some want items anonymously. The SpecTor operation, for example, apprehended 288 vendors across nine countries, showcasing the importance of cross-border cooperation in tackling illicit activities on the dark web.

The dangers of darknet marketplaces

The trade in fake luxury items and identification documents continues to thrive, driven by the demand for high-quality knockoffs and fraudulent credentials. Specializing in the sale of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), CVV, RDP, Stealer Logs, and various fraud-related items, the Russian Market has carved out a niche for itself since its inception in February 2019. The market accepts Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum as payment methods, catering to a wide range of users. “While total darknet market revenue has already surpassed 2019 totals, the overall number of purchases, and likely customers as well, has fallen significantly, though the remaining purchases are for higher values,” Chainalsys said.

• Between June 1 and June 27, 2025, average daily deposits to Abacus totaled USD 230,000 across 1,400 transactions, but this plummeted to just USD 13,000 across 100 deposits from June 28 to July 10, 2025.
• The significance here is the preservation of civil liberties and the right to information.
• Dark web marketplaces change frequently because they operate under constant pressure from law enforcement, internal fraud, and technical weaknesses.
• As Hydra did, many of these markets have continued the tradition of including drug harm reduction information for drug buyers, such as providing drug testing and medical advice.
• Once wallets are linked to real-world identities, marketplaces lose a key layer of protection.
• It’s maintained by an independent organization committed to digital privacy and security.

Top 10 Darknet Markets 2025

Darknet markets are characterized by several key features that distinguish them from conventional online marketplaces. One of the most crucial elements is the use of escrow services, which protect both buyers and sellers during transactions. These services hold funds in escrow until the buyer confirms receipt of the goods, ensuring a level of security and trust in a largely unregulated environment. Beginning in September 2021, Abacus Market has established itself as one of the leading dark web marketplaces. After AlphaBay closed, Abacus Market took its place as the world’s largest underground darknet marketplaces.

Ethical and Legal Boundaries in Monitoring Darknet Marketplaces

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero facilitate darknet transactions by offering anonymity, with Monero being particularly favored for its superior privacy capabilities. This makes them suitable for purchasing illicit goods and services without revealing the identities of users. However, the success of law enforcement is just one possible explanation for this decline.

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Over the years, dozens of large DNMs have been established and eventually shut down by law enforcement, including AlphaBay, Dream Market, Wall Street, and, most recently, Hydra. DNMs are located on the “darknet,” which is unreachable on standard internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari because the darknet is unindexed. There are certain sites on the darknet (and on clearnet) which attempt to manually track and publish sites on the darknet, but common browsers do not link directly to darknet. One, casual drug buyers are shifting away from the darknet to make their purchases, while larger buyers are simply buying more per purchase. For comparison, most midsize companies operating in the US earn between $10 million and $1 billion annually.

Ever since Silk Road went down, several dark web marketplaces have kept coming and several of them shut down again. To stop the marketplaces is not a walk in the park as it takes immense effort from authorities like the FBI and international law enforcement. We understand the curiosity to venture into the dark web, but you also need to understand that it’s never safe to venture into this portion of the internet without fully understanding what it entails. The top performers in darknet marketplaces for 2025, excelling in trade volume, vendor ratings, and market influence. Law enforcement actively monitors these transactions, and users face the possibility of arrest and prosecution.

• Our research shows that, like most legal commodities, stolen data products flow through a supply chain consisting of producers, wholesalers, and consumers.
• Fill out the form to speak with our team about investigative professional services.
• This not only helps protect your identity but also contributes to your overall cybersecurity in the digital age.
• These platforms are organized like common shopping websites, with product listings, prices, and seller profiles.
• Next, the stolen data is advertised by wholesalers and distributors who sell the data.
• With 25,000+ users and 3,000+ vendors, it’s the gold standard for escrow security and scale.
• The sale of stolen data, including personal identification information (PII) and credit card details, plays a significant role in the illicit economy of the darknet.

Geopolitical tensions will likely fuel the rise of hacktivism and ransomware in the Middle East. Hacktivist attacks have already evolved from denial-of-service operations to data leaks and critical compromises, a trend expected to grow. In 2025, this trend is expected to continue, pushing cybercriminals to adopt more sophisticated and anonymous operating models, such as closed, invitation-only forums. This privacy-focused digital currency has become increasingly popular among darknet operators seeking to evade traditional financial monitoring systems. While market dynamics may have shifted since, the cited data illustrates how cartels had previously exploited crypto ecosystems. The findings by TRM Labs align with other investigations into the intersection of cryptocurrency and the drug trade.

• Every location where personal data is stored is a potential target for cybercriminals.
• Another darknet market known for facilitating fentanyl sales to the United States was Canada-based AlphaBay.
• If you’re into a darknet market with a community pulse and solid uptime, Bohemia Dark Market’s climbing the ranks—give it a spin if you like a vibe that’s less corporate, more crew.
• While this topic may seem distant for most people, understanding how these spaces operate is crucial.

• The dark web is shrouded in mystery, but not every onion website is dangerous.
• On a smaller scale, Mega Darknet Market placed a few ads with QR codes in public places like Moscow subway trains.
• But Russians fleeing the country since the war have still been able to buy drugs on the dark web.
• Transaction trends and cryptocurrency movement patterns are analyzed at a high level.
• In light of this, we have chosen the parameters conservatively, obtaining estimates for the number of sellers that are in general smaller than the ones produced by other methods.
• This ongoing cat-and-mouse game poses a significant technical challenge in combating the activities within darknets.
• It is considered very secure thanks to strict user validations and transparent payment and vendor review procedures.
• This is achieved by overwhelming the targeted website’s server with thousands of connection requests, causing it to crash.
• While the Tor browser boosts privacy, pairing it with a VPN adds a critical layer of security.

However, the number of buyers rapidly recovers, which does not happen to sellers. And over the last 9 months, using a mix of publicity stunts and crippling cyber attacks on each other, OMG, Kraken and around 10 other darknet markets have been engaged in a tit-for-tat turf war for Hydra’s throne. This shift will likely drive forum operators to introduce features like automated escrow services and enhanced anonymity to attract users. The dark web hosts a wide range of sites — from whistleblower tools and secure email platforms to underground forums, black markets, and dark web mirrors of legitimate news outlets. Facebook’s onion mirror allows people to access it in countries that block the platform, allowing people to connect across digital borders.

Still, the dangers are severe — exposure to scams, malware, surveillance, and prosecution are just the beginning. You’ll get stolen credit cards, remote desktop account info, personal details, and various logs. What makes this market popular is the fact that it’s less expensive compared to the rest. The market started in 2021 in Canada and features both international and Canadian users.