Usenet block account comparison
A block Usenet access is a set allocation of download capacity. We’ve also seen them called pay-per-download plans. Dutch Usenet Providers also use the term: Prepaid account
What is the difference between a block account and an unlimited account
Adantages of using Block - Prepaid accounts:
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What is the difference between a block account and an unlimited account: Block accounts (Prepaid accounts) are non-expiring, Once clients buy a quota block, they can keep downloading until they have used up the purchased quota block. sometimes Block accounts can be cheaper than Unlimited plans depending on your usage.
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A block account is for someone that doesn't download much, or needs a backup for missing files. You pay for a download amount, for example 5GB, and it never expires. So there are no reccurring monthly fees.
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Offering wide range of block size options. 2 GB to 6000 GB
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My ISP provides Usenet and I have a block account to fill the missing articles as my ISP has very limited retention.
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Block accounts are an easy, no-commitment way to use Usenet
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Block account server as a fill server (backup server - slave server). Why should I have a block account on top of my unlimited account?: The reason you would get a block account is so if your primary unlimited account is missing parts of something, you can (usually but not always) use your block account to get them. The block account should only be used as a backup when something isn't complete (Different providers remove different parts of the download so using multiple providers increases the chances of the download completing). That way you are not paying full price for two unlimited accounts. Block account server as a fill server (backup server - slave server). The fill server will only fill in a few articles that your master servers don't have.
Be very careful and choose providers that aren't using the same backend. Your main unlimited server and block account must use differents servers ( Usenet Providers sorted by Back End Server - Comprehensive guide to the best rates for Tier 1 providers and their resellers )
What's the best unlimited + block account combo?
Some block accounts on different usenet providers who are not on the same "usenet network" as your unlimited package. See more about Usenet Combo
Best Block Combo with Newshosting
NewsHosting (Primary provider 
) + Usenet.Farm (Dutch block account)
Best Block Combo with Eweka
Eweka (Primary provider 
) + Newsgroupdirect (US block account)
Best Block Combo with Astraweb
Astraweb (Primary provider ) + Usenet.Farm (Dutch block account)
Best Block Combo with ExtremeUsenet
Extremeusenet (Primary provider ) + Newsgroupdirect (US block account)
Best Block Combo with UsenetBucket
UsenetBucket (Primary provider ) + Newsgroupdirect (US block account)
Which Backbones offer block accounts? Or prepaid rates?
Note that not all backbone providers offer block accounts
| Backbone - Backend | Block - Prepaid accounts | Usenet providers |
| UNS HOLDINGS |
 |
|
| Usenet.farm |
|
Usenet.farm  |
| Tweaknews |
|
Tweaknews |
| Astraweb |
|
Astraweb |
| Cheapnews |
|
|
| XS NEWS |
|
|
| Eweka |
 Eweka doesn't do blocks |
|
| Base IP |
Base IP doesn't do blocks |
|
| Giganews |
Giganews doesn't do blocks |
|
Elbracht  |
Elbracht doesn't do blocks |
|
| Xennanews |
Xennanews doesn't do blocks |
|
| Altopia |
Altopia doesn't do blocks |
Best Deals on Block Usenet Plans
There are two Usenet Providers that stand out:
NewsgroupDirect
Newsgroupdirect's usenet block account plans are the cheapest. Newsgroupdirect is our favourite Usenet provider for block accounts:
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Use the UNS Holdings network, the largest network in Usenet
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Great technical characteristics: 50 SSL connections - sharing authorised - posting authorised - Free headers - 2750 Days retention
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The best promotions of all Usenet providers for block prepaid accounts: Blocks from Newsgroupdirect are regularly on special offer (TeraByte Tuesday – Deal of the Week - Happy Hour deal) For example you can get 2TB blocks for just $70!
Usenet.Farm
Usenet.farm is the best Dutch Usenet provider for prepaid accounts:
- It uses its own Dutch Usenet network (Tier-1 provider) for the first 30 days. Its own storage for serve fresh content. This is perfect if your first source is based in the US and some incomplete files.
- The price. Only €15/per payment for 500 GB (€0.03/GB) and account sharing is allowed!
- Free trial offer of 10 GB to test the completion of the Usenet.Farm Network
- If the article is unavailable on the Usenet.Farm network (Local retention), They check XSNews/UNS Holdings for the article. This means by signing up to Usenet.Farm you actually have access to three independent networks (Usenet.Farm + XS News + UNS Holdings ) for better completion.
Backup Usenet Account Workaround
Here are our side-by-side comparisons for block prepaid accounts:
List of Usenet Providers (US - Dutch) ranked by Backbones that offer blocks
Ranking of best blocks by Backbone
Best providers (US + Dutch) for each block (smallest to largest)
Best European providers for each block (smallest to largest)