What happened to StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon launched in November 2001 and was built around a single button, an idea most of the StumbleUpon alternatives below still borrow. You told it what you were into, hit Stumble, and it opened a page you'd probably never have found on your own. You rated each page with a thumbs up or down, and the picks got better over time.
It ran for 16 years and shut down on June 30, 2018. Its founder, Garrett Camp, moved users over to Mix, a newer app built around saving finds into collections rather than pure random stumbling. Mix is still around, and its Android app was updated in September 2026, but it needs an account and works more like a personalized feed than a button. If what you miss is the surprise, the StumbleUpon alternatives below are closer to the original.
Alternatives that still work
Each of these was visited in September 2026 to confirm it's live and to see what it asks of you.
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Cloudhiker (opens in new tab)
cloudhiker.net
Press one button and it opens a random hand-picked website from a collection sorted into categories. No algorithm decides what you see.
- Account
- Optional
- Best for
- Niche small-web finds, personal pages, and oddities
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The Useless Web (opens in new tab)
theuselessweb.com
One button, labeled Take me to a useless website, sends you somewhere pointless and funny.
- Account
- No
- Best for
- Quick laughs
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Bored Button (opens in new tab)
boredbutton.com
Press the red button to land on one of its interactive time-wasters.
- Account
- No
- Best for
- Games and toys
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Wiby (opens in new tab)
wiby.me
A search engine for lightweight, old-style web pages, with a Surprise Me link that jumps to a random one.
- Account
- No
- Best for
- That early-internet feeling
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StumblingOn (opens in new tab)
stumblingon.com
Hit Stumble to see a random independent web page submitted by its community.
- Account
- Not stated on its home page
- Best for
- Indie, unpolished sites
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Kagi Small Web (opens in new tab)
kagi.com/smallweb
A Next Post button cycles through recent posts from independent blogs, webcomics, and small video channels.
- Account
- No login needed to browse
- Best for
- Fresh writing from real people
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Mix (opens in new tab)
mix.com
StumbleUpon's official successor. A personalized feed of links, images, and videos that you save into collections.
- Account
- Yes
- Best for
- People who want a feed rather than a button
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Random Site Generator
randomsitegenerator.com
Full disclosure, this is my site. One big button opens a random site from a hand-picked collection, with filters for Weird, Games, Learn, and Art & Chill. No cookies.
- Account
- No
- Best for
- Fun, weird, and fascinating sites, one click at a time
Which one should you try?
If you miss the pure randomness of the Stumble button, start with Cloudhiker or The Useless Web. If you mostly want something fun to click right now, Bored Button and the random website button on this site are built for exactly that. If what you really miss is finding writing and ideas from real people, Kagi Small Web and Wiby are the better fit.
Sources
- StumbleUpon, Wikipedia (opens in new tab)
- Farewell, StumbleUpon, Engadget (July 2, 2018) (opens in new tab)
- Mix app listing, Google Play (opens in new tab)
How this page is made
Cedrick Reese wrote this page. The StumbleUpon history comes from the sources listed above, and each alternative was visited to confirm it was live and to note what it asks of you, like whether you need an account. Mix's website couldn't be opened for that check, so its status comes from its current app store listing. When one of these services shuts down or changes how it works, this page gets updated.