The World Wide Web, also commonly known as WWW, was invented by the English scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. The browser was released for operation by the general public in August 1991. The Web aims to provide information and content in various forms through different Web Pages to people around the world. As the technology of the world continues to evolve every new day, so does the web; Web 1.0, Web 2.0 & Web 3.0 are upgraded versions. Compared to the original Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 are advanced and upgraded versions of the Web.
However, for the layman, Web 2.0 and 3.0 may sound the same if not differentiated in specific detail. Let us look at Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 similarities as well as Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 differences
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 was born in 2005 following the Next Generation Web Concepts and Issues conference organized by O’Reilly Media and MediaLive International and is most commonly attributed to Tim O’Reilly. Is is referred to as the participative social web. 2.0 refer to the second generation of the technological advancement of the web.

Web 3.0
The term was suggested by John Markoff of the New York Times for the third-generation of the web. This upgrade transformed the Internet into a kind of artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence); the future is here. With Web 3.0, users can analyze, extract and share information using personalized searches. It is known as the Semantic Web. The results are provided based on the user behavior learned by one’s browser movement. This makes cyberspace a more open, connected and intelligent environment.

Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 Similarities
They are both advanced versions of the initial web and aim to take the Web into the new digital age and incorporate smart technology in the Web.
Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 Differences
Web 2.0 uses the reading and writing capabilities of the Internet, web applications, blogs, viral media, multimedia, and tags when sharing content or focusing on communities. On the other hand, the Web 3.0 standard uses the semantic web, widgets, drag-and-drop mashups, economy or user behavior, user experience, advertising, focuses on people and aggregates dynamic content.
Web 2.0 promotes data sharing and through various applications; including Blogger, Facebook, YouTube, and more. Contrary to Web 2.0, Web 3.0 holds a semantic approach that encourages the user to use widgets and knowledge bases such as DBpedia and YAGO.
The following table explains the difference between Web 2.0 & Web 3.0:
Web 2.0 | Web 3.0 |
Read & Write Web | Read, Write & Execute Web |
The Social Web | The Semantic Web |
Interactive | Immersive |
Focuses on the Community | Focuses on the Individual |
Connects People | Connects Knowledge |
Static | Highly Mobile & 3 Dimensional (3D) |
Google keyword search is used to find information | Databases with metadata are used to find information |
Cost Per Click is method used to calculate webpage revenue | User Engagement is method used to calculate webpage revenue |
Examples: Blogs (Blogger); Wikis (Wikipedia); Social Bookmarking (del.icio.us); Social Networks (Facebook, MySpace); Instant Messaging (Yahoo!, Google Talk, AIM); Mash-ups; Auction Web sites (eBay); and Professional Networking (Linked-in, Plaxo). | Examples: Ontologies (YAGO, DBPedia); Semantic Searching; Thesauri and Taxonomies; Personal Intelligent Digital Assistants; and Knowledge Bases. |
Also, check out the difference between power strip vs extension cord.