Usenet Newsgroup Server FAQ & Price Comparison
| Jump straight to the Best Usenet Providers Price list | Jump straight to the Newsgroup Servers Back-end List |
RETENTION WARS!
Yes, the retention war is is on. All the major (and minor) usenet newsgroup providers are trying to out-do each other with how long they retain articles. 300 days, 350 days, 400 days, 450 days! We say "Anything over a year (or a mouthful for that matter) is a waste." Really. When you first dive into Usenet you'll want a maximum retention newsgroup provider to catch up on all the "old" stuff. But once you're up to speed, you rarely need to go back in time more than 6 or 7 months. For more on Usenet and newsgroup retention issues, click here.
What's really important these days is reliability. It's not just whether the usenet newsgroup servers that feed the messages are reliable, but are the re-routers, login, and billing systems reliable? One of the biggest complaints we hear about usenet providers is not that people can't download files or articles, but that their billing is screwed up - getting billed the wrong amounts, can't cancel their account, etc. When we review, we evaluate not only uptime, but also how long the company has been in business, how many complaints we see on discussion boards, etc.
The pages on this site try to explain usenet and newsgroup services in normal, everyday terms - primarily focused at normal Windows users.
Usenet pre-dates the Internet and was among the first real online discussion forums. Its distributed nature means there is no "owner" or web site that manages it. Unfortunately, it's not quite as straight-forward to use as a normal web site, and requires a bit of investment of time (and money) to get the most out of it.
What will you find in Usenet Newsgroups? Special Interest Group discussions on Pinball Machines, favorite music artists, and of course, porn. Some ISP's include very basic Usenet access with your normal Internet connection, but to really use Usenet Newsgroups, you'll need to subscribe to a Premium Usenet provider.
The "Best Usenet Services" list below is our attempt to recommend the ideal Newgroup Server Provider for each kind of user based on type of service, price, and quality. Over the 6 years that we've been doing this, things have settled out to just 2 or 3 major backend players with 30 or 40 companies reselling their services. Nearly everyone has gone to an unlimited service - the old "metered" accounts are no longer price competetive. So usenet providers now differentiate themselves with price and extra features like SSL encryption and .ndx index lookups.
There is also a second list at the bottom of this page showing all the Usenet Newsgroup providers advertising services, which we've tracked back to their sources. It's more for informational purposes, and is too big to keep up to date every month. Stick to the providers in the Best Usenet Service Providers list and you'll get the best bang for your buck.
| Best Usenet Newsgroup Plans (updated 1/11/10) | |||||
| Category | Provider / Plan | Features | Retention | Price | Notes (If viewing from Europe - check the European Usenet service providers table too!) |
| Best account for starting with Usenet | Giganews Platinum / Diamond |
SSL (Diamond) Unlimited downloads 20-50 conx |
520 Binary 2200 text |
$25-$30 / mo | 50% off the first month If you're just starting out, Giganews is the service to use to build up the old usenet messages and get the really old attached files. Giganews has the longest retention and the best reputation for uptime and treating their customers right. Get the Diamond plan if you want the security of an SSL connection, or Platinum if that's not so important. Right now their also giving free access to their "VyprVPN" service to the Diamond level customers. |
| Best features for the buck long term | Usenetserver HS |
SSL Unlimited Downloads 10 conx |
480 binary 740 text |
$13 / mo |
Special - $10 / mo High Speed Plus Plan |
| Best bang for the buck long term | Supernews |
SSL Unlimited Downloads 30 conx |
350 | $12 / mo | Supernews uses the Giganews newsgroup servers, but their own front end and billing system. We know who is running the show there and their tech and customer support are really first rate - plus they have great prices and include SSL secure NNTP connections! A great price for long-term reliability and high speed. |
| Easiest access to usenet |
Web-based Thumbnails |
150 | $15 / mo |
If your primary interest is "adult" content and you don't want to mess with a newsreader program on your PC, the easiest access to usenet-style adult pictures and video (OK, porn - there, we said it) is Usenetbinaries.com. They collect content from all over and convert it so you can view it directly online with thumbnails and video viewers. If this is what you're looking for, look no further. Unlike some other thumbnail sites, they also support uploading content. Note: signup is a bit weird - you must sign up for a Free account, then upgrade to get the full service. Check your spam folder for the validation codes after you log in - some mail systems flag it incorrectly. | |
| Anchordudes Recommended Best Usenet Newsgroup Server Providers (updated 11/9/09) | ||
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Provider |
Key Features |
Background |
| Giganews |
Longest retention in industry Outstanding uptime record |
Giganews has the longest retention rates in the industry. This is great news for anyone just diving into the Usenet world because it lets you get caught up on files over a year old and text messages over 3 years old. They also have some of the best multi-part completion rates - if you're on some other service and a part is missing in a group, your best bet is always to find someone on Giganews to find it and re-post it. Giganews service is uncensored and offers SSL encryption if you want to pay extra for it. Like all the major usenet providers, there are certain newsgroups they no longer carry though - those whose stated purpose is illegal activity. Giganews supports uploads but does include X-trace in headers to control spammers. They have servers in the US, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong so they can peer with providers worldwide to make sure they get all the parts of a message as well as offer user access to both locations - great for people in Europe or the Far East. Users can use different ports to bypass some ISP throttling and force the use of specific networks for faster throughput. Giganews offers an optional usenet header compression tool to speed up downloading headers. It makes things A LOT faster. Click here to give it a try. SPECIALS: 14 day free trial, 50% off the first month for unlimited plans, special discounts for ATT & Verizon customers. Diamond level customers also get (at least for now) free access to the VyprVPN service. |
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Flagship end-user brands for Highwinds Corp Best of all features from the smaller player they bought |
Usenetserver.com and Newshosting.com are the flagship end-user brands for Highwinds Corporation. HW has been the Pacman of the Usenet industry, gobbling up many of the smaller independent newsgroup server firms. They kept many of the individual server farms and use them forthe resellers, typically with less peering and retention than they offer for their flagship brands. They have servers in both the US and Europe. In the past Highwinds had some trouble merging their backend systems and users had some horrendous downtime, but that seems to be past. They've put all the best features into their Usenetserver.com brand, including a nifty lookup feature. Better yet, when you get a newsgroup account with one of these two brands, you get one company standing behind the billing, throughput, and backend solutions so there's no finger-pointing if anything goes wrong. (NOTE: Newshosting accounts must click a checkbox in your control panel to turn on uploading privileges before uploading) SPECIALS: Free newsgroups access for 2 weeks at both, $10 unlimited Usenet special at Usenetserver.com |
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Top-end resellers of Giganews data access Generally use slightly lower retention versions of GN databases Very reliable front-end for servicing customer accounts |
Supernews, Powerusenet, and Usenet.net all resell access to the Giganews back end, but with reduced retention. Interestingly, they all seem to share the same front end as well - which users have reported to be very reliable. We've always felt very comfortable recommending the Giganews resellers, and are particularly impressed with the latest Supernews offer. The retention is less than the others, but for 350 days retention at $12 a month, who really needs more? SPECIALS: $12 unlimited usenet at Supernews.com, free trials at Powerusenet and Usenet.net |
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Newsguy |
Top-end resellers of Highwinds data access Generally use slightly lower retention versions of HW databases Home-grown front ends offer unique features
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The list of Highwinds resellers is long - very long - but these three companies really stand out for us. We still think customers are better off buying directly from the back end provider (like UsenetServer.com), but if you want to use a reseller, these are among the best. Easynews offers a super-cool feature that lets you look up messages and attachments, and then group them and download them as a single ZIP file. It's similar to the thumbnail servicse, but not quite the same. Still, Easynews is the only major provider with this kind of service. Newsguy and Newsdemon have both been in the industry for eons, and while neither hosts their own backend servers any more, they have some intersting packages, especially for anyone who might still be interested in a Metered usenet account. SPECIALS: All offer Free Usenet Trial accounts, NewsDemon has an $11 unlimited special right now |
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One of the last of the stand-alone providers. Provides their own front end and back end services. |
Astranews is something of an enigma wrapped in mystery surrounded by styrofoam peanuts. We've been tying to get in contact with them to learn more about their operation, but so far have had no luck. Their service has had intermittent disruptions over the years. Sometimes their website is slow or unresponsive. But they have a loyal following of subscribers. They certainly have low prices. Be careful of their unlimited plans though - the entry level newsgroup service rate speed limits you to 1Mbit / sec - OK for dial up or old DSL, but not for cable modem users. To the best of our knowledge they run their own backend and front end, relying on no outside services other than to peer with the major providers to get their messages. SPECIALS: $11 / mo Unlimited Special |
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Thumbnail-based Usenet No PC program required |
If your primary interest is "adult" content and you don't want to mess with a newsreader program on your PC, the easiest access to usenet-style adult pictures and video (OK, porn - there, we said it) is a thumbnail website. They collect content from all over and convert it so you can view it directly online with thumbnails and video viewers - If this is what you're looking for, look no further. Usenetbinaries thumbnail webiste that is also is a true Usenet provider - offering uploading as well as traditional NNTP access. Skinvideo has morphed over the years to be part usenet, part purchased porn. No uploading is offered on Skinvideo. SPECIALS: Usenetbinaries offers a free low-volume first-time signup account. |
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| Check out the European Usenet Service providers table too! | ||
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The list of all the newsgroup server back-ends has gotten so big that we had to move it to its own page. So if you want to see who's actually providing the newsgroup servers for the usenet provider you've chosen, follow the link HERE. |
