Below is a curated roster of the Bitcoin-focused websites that longtime users, developers and analysts consistently treat as “must-bookmarks.” I’ve grouped them by what you’re most likely to use them for and—because you asked to avoid click-bait and noisy ad inventory—flagged any commercial footprint you should be aware of.
1. Core protocol & technical documentation
| Site | What it offers | Why it matters | Ad/ tracking footprint |
| Bitcoin.org | Beginner guides, white-paper, wallet directory | The original community-run portal (registered by Satoshi & Martti Malmi in 2009) and still the quickest “first stop” for new users. | None; static Jekyll site |
| bitcoincore.org / GitHub | Source code, release notes, build instructions | Canonical reference for Bitcoin Core, the software that defines consensus. Public review and signed reproducible releases keep it trustworthy. | No ads; only GitHub telemetry |
| Bitcoin Wiki (en.bitcoin.it) | Deep protocol explainer, BIPs, wallet taxonomy | Crowdsourced but heavily watched by devs; where many BIP drafts first appear. | No ads; MediaWiki cookies only |
| Satoshi Nakamoto Institute | Archive of every Satoshi post + classic essays | Essential historical context and academic citations; run as a non-profit. | None |
| LearnMeABitcoin.com | Plain-English diagrams and code walk-throughs | Solo project by Greg Walker; praised for zero jargon and zero hype. | None |
| Lightning.network | Specs, papers and FAQs for the Lightning Network | Official entry point for Bitcoin’s key L2 payment protocol. | None |
| Bitcoin Optech | Weekly newsletter & documented best-practices | Curated by volunteer engineers; distills Core-dev mailing-list traffic into digestible prose. | Donation-funded, no ads |
2. News & analysis (minimal click-bait)
| Site | Strengths | Caveats |
| Bitcoin Magazine | Oldest print/online outlet dedicated solely to Bitcoin (founded 2012); good long-form features. | Some banner ads but low sensationalism |
| CoinDesk | Largest newsroom, global reporters, audited editorial code-of-conduct. | Pop-up paywall after a few articles; ad slots are present but not intrusive |
| No Bullshit Bitcoin | “Value-for-value” feed—short, link-only headlines, zero sponsors, zero ads. Great for signal-only updates. | Pure text; no deep dives |
(For highly technical change-logs, the Bitcoin Optech newsletter above doubles as a news source.)
3. Blockchain explorers & on-chain analytics
| Site | Highlights | Footprint |
| mempool.space | Fully open-source; can self-host. Live mempool fee heat-map & RBF visibility. | None; even supports Tor |
| Blockstream.info | Operated by Core contributors; covers Bitcoin mainnet, Testnet and Liquid side-chain; Tor mirror. | No third-party ads |
| OXT.me | Advanced clustering and privacy analytics tools for researchers. | Analytics-heavy but ad-free |
| Blockchair.com | Multi-chain search, large open API dumps; good for data science. | One sponsored banner per page—easy to ignore |
4. Exchanges you can cite in a compliance memo
(All four are known for full-reserve attestations and clear regulatory licenses; none run naggy display ads.)
| Exchange | Notes | Proof |
| Kraken | US-founded 2011; FCA-registered in UK; SOC 2 audited; publishes Proof-of-Reserves. | |
| Bitstamp | Oldest euro-on-ramp (2011); MiCA CASP-licensed and NY DFS BitLicense. | |
| River Financial | Bitcoin-only, FDIC-insured cash accounts; no alt-coin distractions. | |
| Bisq (decentralized desktop DEX) | Peer-to-peer, open-source, no KYC; ideal for privacy-first users. |
5. Community, help & developer discourse
| Venue | Role in the ecosystem | Source |
| Bitcointalk.org | The original forum started by Satoshi (Nov 22 2009); still hosts wallet & miner announcements. | |
| r/Bitcoin (Reddit) | 7.9 million subscribers; quick crowd-sourced troubleshooting and memes. | |
| Bitcoin Stack Exchange | High-signal Q&A; reputation system rewards technically correct answers. | |
| bitcoin-dev mailing list | Where consensus-level changes (Taproot, OP_CTV, etc.) are first proposed and debated. |
How to use this list
- Bookmark by task – If you’re running a node or writing code, have the Core docs, Wiki, and Optech open.
- Cross-reference explorers – Before trusting any one explorer’s output, pull the same TX in mempool.space and Blockstream.info to rule out backend glitches.
- Treat news hierarchically – Start with ad-free No Bullshit Bitcoin for raw headlines, then dive into longer analysis on Bitcoin Magazine or CoinDesk if you need context.
- Mind jurisdiction – For exchange accounts, pick the venue whose license aligns with where you pay taxes (Kraken for UK/US, Bitstamp for EU, etc.). For non-custodial swaps, Bisq removes that headache entirely.
Sticking to these resources will keep you close to the source code, primary data and peer-reviewed commentary—while sparing you the sensationalism and ad sludge that still plagues much of crypto media.