11 Best Usenet Providers for 2024

Newshosting is a popular Usenet provider that offers great download speeds, with the largest networks of servers where files are hosted. It has pretty much all the features you need to have a full and satisfying experience. It’s roundly accepted as one of the top Usenet providers. 

Newshosting offers a generous free trial to test out its service at no charge. The free trial is 14 days and provides 30GB of access to all servers and full retention without any speed restrictions. The newsreader software, which has built-in search capability, is also included.

If you use their VPN-enabled newsreader client, zero logs will be stored, and this comes with a free trial of up to 30GB of download data. They also give you a user control panel with access to support staff and a ticketing system.

The site has come a long way since 1997 and is an all-in-one modern experience. You get unlimited downloads, up to 60 transfers at any one time, and they let you access content as far back as 12 years (i.e. retention length).

This is currently the longest Usenet archive right now and perfect if you’re looking for older stuff.

It comes with its own free and user-friendly newsreader client and in-built search tool, and the software works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. How’s that for versatility?

You can add other Usenet service providers to the same newsreader, which is good if their own servers go down. It’s also great if you subscribe to multiple providers and want to access everything easily in one place. 

From the start you’ll have all the most popular newsgroups Usenet offers bookmarked and you can easily add your own. When it comes to downloading, it supports traditional Usenet binaries and NZB/XML files, which point your client to the larger file on a news server.

Newshosting has your privacy and safety at the forefront, offering the aforementioned VPN support, as well as using the latest SSL encryption. You must be at least 18 years of age to sign up.

Without getting too technical Newshosting is also one of the fastest providers out there.

Overall, this is easily our pick for the top Usenet provider on the market. It has everything you need under one roof, combined with a modern interface, lightning speeds, and good security.

Eweka will immediately hook you with its completely unlimited 7-day free trial with no speed or download caps. That experience extends to the paid plans that provide you unlimited downloads a month with no data cap.

Instead of using your own Usenet client for ‘news reading’ or searching the various newsgroups, Eweka provides its own with the same functionality and we cannot fault it in any way. It fully supports NZB, so you can download those large questionable files we’re not supposed to talk about publicly. 

The service also stands out with great customer support in your local language, including experts in Dutch, German, French, and English – all via 24/7 web chat or support ticket.

They have three main plans worth your consideration:

• Pre-Paid Standard: € 7.50 (about $9), limited to 50 Mbps download speed.
• Subscription High Speed: € 7,00 (less than $9) for a year’s commitment and unlimited speed.
• Pre-Paid High-Speed: € 9.60 (less than $12) for 300 Mbps.

Pre-paid refers to a monthly no-contract pay-as-you-go model.

When we compare these prices with over-providers they are more than competitive.

Eweka also stands out because it owns some of the best Usenet servers itself, rather than tapping into other newsgroup servers.

All it really lacks is VPN support, which we personally find a major issue. Many savvy Usenet internet users have their own VPNs anyway and if not you’re still unlikely to run into much trouble if you take all the other security precautions.

Our testing shows that Eweka’s claims of fast speeds are not just marketing. We were able to download large files with an average of 5.2Mbps, which is excellent on a typical spotty broadband connection. 

Overall, if you are looking for a good Usenet provider that ticks all the boxes and offers a free trial, you can’t go wrong with Eweka. If they’d get a good VPN they might have been our number one pick.

A truly modern Usenet provider, Easynews, as the name suggests, makes the process much easier. It provides full web-based access without the need to use a client. There’s no setting up any newsreaders or Usenet indexers or searchers, you can do it all from your web account and even via your mobile browser. You get 7 days to test whether newsgroups are really for you before having to commit to any of their subscriptions. 

Although Easynews has some great features it limits the amount you can download. It also has a somewhat confusing loyalty program where you can earn more GBs to download.

Plans are as follows:

• Classic Plan: $9.99/ month, 20GB
• Big Gig Plan: $9.99/ month (first 3 months), 150GB
• Plus Plan: $14.95/ month, 40GB

Furthermore, the only plan with a free VPN and NNTP access (i.e. via a traditional client for the more experienced) is the Big Gig Plan.

The longer you subscribe the more data you are allowed to download. It can, however, get quite confusing.

The good news is, everything comes with a free trial and you can upgrade and downgrade accounts as you wish. You can also access 110,000+ newsgroups and overall, everything is fast and SSL secure. We also cannot fault customer support either, which is available 24/7 via a live webchat.

We’d recommend the  Easynews Usenet access to beginners who won’t be downloading more than 20GB a month. The classic plan is perfect for that. For everyone else, it is easier to look elsewhere for unlimited downloads and traditional client access.

UsenetServer stands out with fast speeds, unlimited access for paying customers, and around 12-year retention, which is on par with our top pick Newshosting. It lets you access the best Usenet servers at top speeds.

In this case, you get a third of the simultaneous connection at 20, but you do get access to fast US and EU-based servers and a free fast VPN. This allows unlimited Usenet search, so you are always in a position to find exactly what you want to download.

Having first gone live in 1998, UsenetServer has outlived many. It managed to become modern enough to keep the OGs happy while bringing in new enthusiastic users.

In the modern age of security, the site has adopted the latest SSL encryption technology and will mask your traffic from your ISP with a VPN. It comes as part of the 12-month upfront plan of $98.40 or $7.95 per month. That’s slightly steeper than some of the competition but not enough to write them off.

Paying on a monthly basis is $10, just 1 cent more than Newshosting, though the zero-log VPN is only accessible to 1-year in advanced subscribers unless you pay an extra $4.99 a month.  

The VPN is provided by PrivadoVPN and we experienced no significant slowdowns using it.

You can search for what you want through the site without a client via its Global Search 2.0 system. It supports NZB – the smaller file protocol that points your client to the wanted file for download. It’s currently one of the best Usenet search engine options.

One of the other big standouts with UsenetServer is its active and responsive support community. The support section is full of useful information for beginners, and if you can’t find an answer, just open a support ticket.

The 12-year retention or archive system is top-notch, allowing you to access more than 100,000 discussion groups and files therein. This is perfect if you’re looking for older binaries from say, 2009.

Although it is increasingly common, payment is not anonymous, and you cannot use Bitcoin. You’ll need to either use a credit or debit card, or PayPal, so it’s still convenient.

Quick, secure, and with a large archive, there’s a lot to love about UsenetServer. It’s easily one of the best Usenet service companies.

Dutch provider TweakNews provides super-fast speeds, especially in Europe. It also offers block or flat rate accounts - you pay for speed and connections with no contract. 

It also has its own patented Usenet software for finding and downloading binaries (files) going back 11.5 years, which is only just shy of the bigger providers that promise 12 years retention. 

The full list of regular plans come with unlimited downloads and SSL but divide speed and connections as follows:

• Beginner: 1Mbps, 4 connections, €2.50 (about $3)
• Basic: 10Mbps, 10 connections, €4.95 (about $6)
• Fast: 50Mbps, 30 connections, €7.95 (about $9.60)
• Lightning: 100Mbps, 40 connections, €9.95 (about $12)
• Ultimate: Unlimited Speed, 40 connections, €12.95 (about $16)

Block plans are based on download limits. Once you’ve filled up your limit that month you are blocked until the following.

These range from €2 for 10GB at 100Mbps to €45 for 500GB at 100Mbps.

The benefit of these is that if you know your usage, you can get really fast speeds while only paying for what you download.

As you can see there’s a model that suits everyone’s usage and that’s why it’s our pick for the most versatile plans. The only downside is that the VPN is not available for most plans, so if you want that kind of privacy you will have to pay a third party or look for another Usenet service.

Overall, TweakNews is one of the better options for Europeans. It also has the best selection of plans we’ve seen.

Based in the Netherlands, Pure Usenet internet service is a good provider for binaries (a.k.a file sharing), giving you just over 11 years in retention. It’s also one of the cheapest, offering unlimited speed and data for just $7.24. However, due to its servers being located in Europe you’ll get better performance the closer you are to the Netherlands.

Every new user is entitled to a 7-day Usenet free trial with no credit card billing, then it’s time to pick from 3 core plans.

The M plan allows speeds up to 20Mbps and 8 simultaneous connections for 3.09 € a month (around $4). The XL plan allows speeds of up to 60Mbps and 12 connections for 4.93 € (around $5.50). Meanwhile, the XXL plan allows for unlimited speeds and 20 connections for 5.97 € (around $7).

Which you choose therefore all depends on your ISPs speed capabilities. There is no data limit, and every plan has a free trial and free SSL encryption. It’s let down slightly by the fact that there’s no VPN service, but you could always get one of those by yourself. 

To access newsgroups and their text and binaries, you can use newsreaders like SABnzbd (usenet browser for mac), Newsbin Pro, and Newsleecher, as they do not offer their own. However, they have extensive knowledge and help base, teaching you how to use their service with different third-party programs.

You can contact the company via email or via their socials for less personal questions. 

One interesting aspect is they are one of the growing Usenet services to allow payment via Bitcoin.

Overall, they offer good pricing and speed, especially if you’re in Europe. They’re our number one recommendation for Bitcoin users.

Great for US users, Astraweb Usenet has been in it for the long haul, first going online in 1997. Today it provides Usenet access at affordable prices with unlimited speeds on all plans. You can either pay for unlimited use and 50 connections on a per month, 3-month, or 1-year basis. Or, alternatively, you buy ‘blocks’ of data each month if you know how much data you are likely to consume.

All plans come with SSL encrypted data but no VPN service. Perhaps the best feature is their 4,000 day or 11-year retention for binary/files and text/posts from thousands of newsgroups. There’s not much posted in that timeframe on a newsgroup that you won’t be able to find.

They’ll provide you with a newsreader/news client with all the basic search features you need, even if it looks a little dated. 

Since they advertise unlimited speeds, we were a little disappointed in our tests but only because we felt they were being a bit misleading. The speeds are fine but certainly not the fastest. A large 1GB file averaged 25Mbps. 

As for security and anonymity, despite the lack of VPN, everything else is top-notch. You can sign up with any name, a throwaway email address, and pay via Bitcoin.

Here’s how their plans shape up; each supporting 50 connections, SSL, and the 4000-day retention:

• Monthly: $15
• 3 Months: $13
• 1 Year: $96 or the equivalent of $8 a month

Block plans are as follows:

• 25GB: $10 until it’s gone
• 180GB: $25
• 1TB: $50

Ultimately, if you live in the United States, Astraweb is a fast service with a wide range of plans. It’s our pick for those that want to access Usenet in blocks of data rather than being locked into a monthly, or even yearly contract.

One of the more well-known names in Usenet, Giganews is aimed at intense users that download a lot every day. For that, you get 100 simultaneous secure SSL connections, fast speeds with US and European Usenet news server locations, and lots of plans to suit your individual needs. They also offer a 14-day free Usenet trial limited to 10GB. This gives you plenty of time to know whether the service is for you.

It's been around since 1994 and now takes a DIY approach, owning 4 Giganews server locations, and 24/7 customer support.

One letdown is that binary retention (the access to files) is only 3 years, but you get access to Usenet forums text posts for over 17 years. So, if you are doing research over file-sharing, Giganews is for you.

As for security and anonymity, the service uses the latest in SSL encryption technology and paying customers get access to a logless VPN from VyprVPN. This means your ISP or any snoopers will not know where your traffic is being generated when using Usenet.

Furthermore, the site’s owners also claim not to monitor or record your activities, what you post, or share unless requested to be law enforcement. 

Their current unlimited plans include:

• 1 year, for $8.33/ month
• 6 months, for $9.17/ month
• $9.99/ month

All of these have unlimited download data, unlimited speed, VyprVPN, SSL Encryption, and 100 simultaneous connections. Other plans exist but are hidden on the site.

In terms of value for money, this pricing is competitive, but it’s not the cheapest and this knocks off a quarter star along with the lack of retention for binaries.

Giganews boasts 11% Usenet newsgroup completion, meaning access to articles or files is never stalled or slowed thanks to the way they cluster copies on their own servers. That’s a big plus.

Overall, this is our pick for unlimited and unmetered data use but it isn’t without its faults. 

One of the better options if you favor privacy, UseNet Farm not only uses the most current SSL encryption technology, it only requires an email address to sign up. It neither collects nor stores any personally identifiable information. 

Nonetheless, it does not have a VPN, but it is a fair trade-off.

Overall, the service is fast from both their web-based site and downloadable client, especially if you are based in Europe. ‘The Farm’ has its best Usenet server center in the Netherlands, so the closer you are geographically the better experience you should have.

Usenet Farm’s platform does not cover everything, but if you can’t find something it prompts you to use partner services. This is a legitimate arrangement, not a poor marketing tactic. 

If you do have any significant issues using the provider, members get a direct email and there’s also an adequate FAQ section for beginners.

Paying members get unlimited speed up to what their ISP and personal setup can accommodate. The best package also allows account sharing, 6TB of monthly data (which you’re rarely going to surpass, so this may as well be unlimited), and 50 connections at once.

Its main downfall is less retention of data than other leading providers. You’ll get up to 3,000 days (around 8 years), which is quite a bit less than the 12 or more years offered by others However, whether this affects you or depends on what you’re looking for. Modern files and information will be right there for you to consume.

Performance-wise, from a computer in England, we managed speeds of 53Mbps on a 3GB file, which is more than acceptable.

There are 3 main payment plans, starting with the comically named ‘Stingy’. It will give you 12.5 Mbps speed, no account sharing, and 4TB of data, which isn’t actually bad for just 4.95€ or around $6. 

Then there’s ‘To the Max’. You’ll get unlimited Speed, account sharing, 6TB of download data, for 7.95 € (about $9.60).

The third one is a ‘Block’ option where you pay for 500gb for 15 € (about $18) and once it’s gone it’s gone. However, you get unlimited speed, account sharing, and the most simultaneous connections of 50.

A pretty effective model overall.

Relatively new when it comes to Usenet, FastUsenet started in 2010. That doesn’t mean they lack features or experience. In fact, they provide a refreshingly fast and affordable range of plans with unlimited access for just $6.95.

You get over 6 years of binary newsgroups retention for downloading files from newsgroups and in this case, the text retention is at just under 4 years. Obviously, some providers offer both up to 12 years, but these are more than respectable retention rates, especially for their low pricing Usenet plans.

All users get a free newsreader with search capabilities, which is called Grabit, so there’s no messing around trying to find the best third-party program. What’s more, they support browser newsgroups and iPhone access as well. 

You can find all the best newsgroups and associated posts and files you need in seconds. They grant access to over 120,000 groups, so if the file exists, you’ll find it.

It all starts with a generous 14-day free trial that gives you 50 SSL connections, Grabit, and 15GB of download data.

Go Unlimited with fast US and EU servers, and it’s only $6.95 a month. You can pay a little less if you don’t think you’ll benefit from an unlimited plan and get 35GB of data for just $5.95 a month. And, for casual users, there’s even a 6GB plan for just $2.95 per month.

Performance-wise they do a good job of meeting their ‘fast’ mantra. Upon testing, we got a consistent average of around 20Mbps on a mobile broadband connection, which is excellent.  

Paying customers get access to customer support 24/7 via live webchat or a ticket system. Pretty much the only thing they lack is an inbuilt VPN service.

So, if you’re looking for the current cheapest Usenet price, with good speeds and all the necessary features, this is the provider to go with.

A long-running Usenet provider, Supernews is still going strong. Its site, however, is a bit dated and they do not have the most versatile plans.

What it does have is some of the best combinations of Usenet Servers, with locations in both the United States and Europe to provide good speeds to a wide customer base. You can test these out yourself with their free 3-day trial that allows up to 10GB to be downloaded.

Supernews customers are treated to unlimited speeds, but the speed of Usenet is internet service provider dependent. There are also 0 caps on the number of files or type of data you can download. That’s what everyone wants to see.

In practice, you won’t always get the best speeds, but then no provider is perfect all the time. On our tests it did mediocre at best, delivering us a 2GB file with an average speed of 340Kbps on a line that can do at least 5Mbps.

Where it really gets a star knocked off is with its low 3-year binary retention rate. Files are only accessible for 3 years, while others offer 4 times this length. Of course, if you don’t care about old files then this is irrelevant. 

You do, however, get access to a cool 110,000 different newsgroups, so even if you aren’t getting the oldest files, you’re still getting a broad range of them. They also promise 100% article completion rates, which is virtually unheard of. In other words, if you want that article or file now, you’ll get it, thanks to the way their news servers pre-copy content.

As is the norm these days, Supernews protects your own data via SSL encryption, but you do have to hand over your personal and payment details to be a paying member. We just have to trust their policy of not passing on or sharing this with third parties.

They also claim not to monitor or log anything you actually do via their service, which is reassuring for those that do value privacy. 

Price-wise, it keeps things simple. You can pay monthly at $11.99 a month ($5.99 for the first), or upfront with $74.25, which is about 25% in savings from monthly billing.

Either option allows you that 3-day trial, so it’s worth going for the more expensive option for testing purposes.

Other than its simple plans and easy sign-up process, we feel this one is a bit behind the times.