Encyclopaedia Britannica vs Encyclopaedia Universalis
Encyclopaedia Britannica
britannica.comEncyclopaedia Universalis
encyclopaedia-universalis.frSide by side
| Figure | Encyclopaedia Britannica | Encyclopaedia Universalis |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | €1/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 3 |
| Spec score · Online Encyclopedias | 8.8 (#2) | 8.9 (#1) |
| Founded | 1768 | 1968 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Product | Britannica offers an online encyclopedia and reference service. | Universalis.fr is an online general encyclopedia offering unlimited, ad-free access to its encyclopedic collection by subscription. |
| Support | Customer support is available by phone, Monday through Friday, with listed hours varying by support inquiry. | The maker directs education and junior product support requests to its online support site and USB product requests to a separate assistance site. |
Plans
Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Free accessFree
- Free accessFree
- Britannica Education institutional subscriptionPriced on request
- Britannica PremiumPriced on request
- Encyclopaedia Britannica PremiumPriced on request
Encyclopaedia Universalis
- Découverte€1 a month
- Fidélité€1 a month
- Zen€79, paid once
In their own words
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica is a web-based encyclopedia and reference service, with limited digital content available to visitors without a premium membership. Premium membership unlocks unlimited, ad-free access to more than 130,000 fact-checked articles, along with more than 60,000 images and videos, maps, infographics, and illustrations. Learning materials include biographies, quizzes, games, topic roundups, and homework help. Members also receive limited-run newsletters, e-books, and digital access to content from Britannica’s first edition. Britannica lists citation tools, educator resources, institutional access, and multimedia and interactive formats. Kids content requires a premium membership. A free access plan is listed at free. Premium pricing is available on request; Britannica also offers monthly memberships and academic and corporate subscriptions. Monthly members can cancel at any time. Customer support is available by phone on weekdays, with hours varying by inquiry. Founded in 1768, Britannica is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Encyclopaedia Universalis
Encyclopaedia Universalis is an online encyclopedia for reference, teaching and documentary research, with editions for individual subscribers and educational institutions. Its consumer collection contains more than 55,000 articles across subjects including arts, history, law, literature, chemistry and medicine. Subscriptions provide unlimited, ad-free access, along with an Atlas of physical, administrative and location maps, country information and historical views; Données Pays country comparisons; and the Cordial dictionary with 120,000 entries. Comparison limits depend on the number of countries selected: up to 12 with all data, 13–50 with five data points at once, or 51 or more with one data point across at most 25 years. For schools, Universalis Junior serves primary pupils, while Universalis Éducation has secondary and higher-education editions. Education resources include mind maps, country data, a personal space, Open-Dyslexic font and dark mode. Articles are written by authors and professors and reviewed by the editorial team. The service is available on web, Android and iOS. Plans include Découverte at €1 a month, then 10,90 € per month after the first month, and Zen at €79, paid once for two years.