USENET Provider Reviews
-The best Usenet providers in 2023
USENET has a rich history spanning several decades and continues to thrive due to its remarkable speed, security, and decentralized nature. USENET (newsgroups) is in fact more robust then ever before thanks to advances in retention capabilities (access to more posts), faster speeds, and improved newsreader software.
To get started with USENET, you will first need a reliable USENET service provider to get connected to the network. Below, we have curated a list of the best providers with exceptional service. These providers offer the best retention rates and most extensive archives of Usenet posts for the best overall search results and completion rates.
Once you’ve signed up with a reliable USENET service provider, the next step is to get NZB files to feed into your newsreader client. This is where NZB indexes come into play - they allow you to search for specific articles, then create NZBs to send to your preferred newsreader app. Your newsreader app will then utilize these NZB files to download those articles.
NGProvider constantly tests and reviews all the Best USENET Servers. We highlight TWO OF THE BEST USENET PROVIDERS here:
- NEWSHOSTING — Best Overall Usenet Provider
- High retention and impressive completion rates
- Unlimited Usenet access and transfer speeds
- Free newsreader with a built-in Usenet search feature
- Generous free trial
- EWEKA — Best Independent European USENET Provider
Eweka offers unlimited USENET access with excellent completion rates. Eweka also offers a FREE trial of their services with unlimited GB and unlimited speeds. After the free trial, get a 27% special discount auto-applied to your account for unlimited downloads at a discounted price.
Key Eweka features include:
- High retention and impressive completion rates
- Unlimited Usenet access and transfer speeds
- Free newsreader with a built-in Usenet search feature
- Generous free trial
Newshosting offers the most retention (more retention means access to more posts, meaning better overall search results and completion rates), fastest speeds, and a host of additional premium features:
Get 58% off Newshosting, our #1 rated Usenet provider, here
We used the following VITAL CRITERIA (Completion - Retention - Speed) to identify and rate the crème de la crème of best USENET providers.
Get 58% off an unlimited Newshosting account NEWSHOSTING REVIEW: The Best Overall Usenet ServiceNewshosting is our top recommended USENET provider, offering unbeatable service levels and a comprehensive range of features:
If you want a reliable and reputable Usenet service, look no further than NEWSHOSTING. The speed, retention, and performance make it our top choice. |
EWEKA REVIEW: The Best Independent EU Service with High Retention and CompletionEweka is our top recommended independent USENET service offering exceptional performance and features:
Eweka is our top overall recommendation for accessing high-speed independent EU USENET servers, with exceptional retention and completion rates. With its market-leading completion rates and unlimited speeds, Eweka is an excellent choice for USENET access. If you want the simplest, most efficient solution for accessing and searching for articles, both old and new, on Usenet, try EWEKA. It offers the best completion rates on the market with no speed limits. |
BEST NZB SITES 2023
How does NZB work?
NZB is an XML-based file format designed for retrieving posts from USENET servers. Using an NZB file, users can find the exact posts (among the billions of other posts) on USENET to access. The easiest way to think of NZB files is with this analogy: if .torrent files are to Torrent, then .nzb files are to USENET.
NZB files themselves do not contain the actual USENET posts. Instead, they act as instructions for your newsreader, enabling it to quickly and accurately locate the posts you’re looking for. By relying on NZB files, users can streamline the search and retrieval process.
What is an NZB site?
NZB sites provide a convenient and user-friendly platform for searching and accessing articles posted to USENET newsgroups. NZB sites streamline the process of locating and downloading desired posts by offering well-organized communities that organize posts based on common topics. By taking on the complexities of searching for articles on USENET, NZB sites simplify the experience, enabling you to quickly discover articles posted to USENET.
One of the key advantages of NZBs is their ability to compile posts that are spread across multiple Newsgroups, often with random filenames, making them the easiest and fastest method for such scenarios. NZBs efficiently gather these fragmented parts and seamlessly assemble them into a coherent and usable binary format, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free USENET experience.
With the help of NZB sites, you can explore your interests, stay informed about the latest posts from other users, and generate NZBs to send to your newsreader for transfer.
Recognizing the significance of NZBs, we have compiled a list of the top 10 NZB websites for the year 2023 to enhance your USENET experience:
Reviews of the Best NZB Sites. We can only recommend signing up for a bunch of them because each Usenet indexer unlocks different content.
NZBGeek is a Newznab indexer that also uses manual NZB referencing from its members. This is probably the best place to find what is interested in Usenet.
NZBFinder is one of the best NZB indexes these days. They have both free search and VIP accounts. With Elite account you do get access to Spotweb
NZBPlanet is one of the more popular hand indexes. Hand indexes are, as the name suggests, easier to use as they have already been sorted and often categorized to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.
NZBGrabit is a community-based NZB forum. Users add NZB content to the site.
NZBForYou is one of the best NZB indexes these days.
NZBStars is a Spotnet-based indexer. With Spotnet you can get files that you want from the Usenet system without leaving Usenet. Spotnet 2.0 works entirely via Usenet with its own database.
OmgwtfNzbs is a very reliable index and it has never let me down.
DrukenSlug is also a great NZB indexing site with quality items.
Tabula Rasa is a Newznab based website.
NinjaCentral runs on a newznab-based platform and has an interface that is very easy to use.
With a good Usenet service provider such as Newshosting and one of the great NZB sites we’ve reviewed here, your Usenet experience should be great.
When selecting a USENET provider, it’s essential to consider three critical service levels that greatly impact your experience:
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Completion: This refers to the percentage of posts you request that are available on the USENET provider's servers. A higher completion rate indicates that a larger portion of requested posts will be accessible to you.
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Retention: The retention period signifies the length of time a USENET service provider stores posts. Providers with longer retention periods retain posts for a more extended duration, allowing you to access a larger USENET archive, resulting in better search results and completion rates.
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Speed: The speed of a USENET provider determines how quickly they can deliver requested posts to you. A faster provider allows for swift downloads and smoother browsing, enhancing your overall USENET experience. Opting for a provider with high-speed limits ensures that you can efficiently retrieve posts without significant delays.
If you're new to USENET and find it challenging to decide which provider is best suited for you, it's advisable to focus on these three criteria: completion rates, retention period, and speed limits. Prioritizing providers that excel in these areas will lead to a superior USENET experience, where you can access a vast array of content quickly and reliably.
Usenet Completion
Completion refers to the percentage of articles a specific USENET server actually has compared to the total number of articles that have been posted to USENET. For example, if a server has a completion rate of 95 percent, it means that it retains 95 percent of the articles accessible through USENET.
A premium USENET provider will have 99% or higher USENET completion across all newsgroups. Certain factors can affect a server’s ability to store every single article. These factors may include DMCA or NTD takedowns. Another factor that can impact completion rates is LIMITED RETENTION.
☛ Hand in hand with completion is retention.
When it comes to selecting a USENET provider, choosing one with both FULL TEXT AND BINARY RETENTION IN ALL NEWSGROUPS is highly recommended. Full retention implies that the provider stores a copy of every article posted on USENET, continuously expanding its retention capacity and ensuring that no posts are expired from its servers.
In contrast, some providers may only retain select articles, often the most popular ones, for their full retention period while discarding others to free up storage space. This can result in significantly lower completion rates and a frustrating USENET experience for users.
By opting for a USENET provider with full retention in both text and binary formats across all newsgroups, you gain access to a wider and more comprehensive selection of posts. This not only improves the overall search results but also ensures higher completion rates, allowing you to retrieve a larger percentage of the articles you request.
Providers like Newshosting and Eweka are highly recommended for their exceptional services, particularly due to their high retention and completion rates. They are recognized as top Usenet providers in the industry, offering users a superior experience with extensive retention and comprehensive access to posts.
Usenet Retention
Usenet has experienced significant growth and currently handles an enormous volume of data transfer on a daily basis. The abundance of posts contributes to its vibrant and active community.
When considering Usenet access, retention is a crucial factor. High retention is crucial because it directly impacts the number of Usenet posts you can access. However, retention rates can vary significantly among providers. It is important to carefully consider the terminologies used by Usenet providers to describe retention.
As a general guideline, it is recommended to select a provider that explicitly states the exact retention period in days. This ensures transparency and clarity regarding the duration for which posts are retained. Additionally, it is advantageous to choose a provider that offers the same retention period for all articles across all newsgroups. This guarantees consistent access to a comprehensive range of posts without limitations or discrepancies.
Full Retention USENET Providers
For the best USENET experience, choose a provider that falls into this category of full retention. These providers offer the following features:
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Access to over 14.8 years of binary and text retention: Subscribers can access every post made to USENET Newsgroups going back 5,404 days and growing.
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Store every article for their full retention period: Full retention providers ensure that all articles, without exceptions, are stored for the entirety of their specified retention period. This applies to every article in every newsgroup, ensuring comprehensive access to the complete USENET archive.
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Daily retention growth: Full retention providers continue to expand their retention capacity on a daily basis. This ensures that users have access to a continuously growing archive, encompassing every article posted to USENET over the past 15 years as well as new articles.
Full retention providers have a clear retention policy that specifies their exact number of days of retention. They explicitly state that this same level of retention is available for all articles in all newsgroups, leaving no ambiguity or limitations.
LIMITED Retention USENET Providers
In contrast, limited retention providers:
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Offer a lower number of days of retention. By nature, this means access to a smaller archive of USENET posts.
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Often expire posts earlier than their stated retention period, especially for articles that are not frequently requested by users.
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Also sometimes cache retention. This means they have some local article storage and articles outside of their own retention are pulled from a third party backbone. This oftentimes leads to slower speeds.
Limited retention providers often use vague language in their retention policy, such as "up to XXXX days of retention." On the other hand, full retention providers clearly state the retention period, specifying that it applies to all 110,000 newsgroups.
Editor’s Tip: Premium providers like Newshosting and Eweka are recommended for their long and high-quality retention, as well as their superior completion rates. Either of these providers would be an excellent choice for a satisfying USENET experience.
Usenet Speed
One of the notable advantages of USENET is its ability to provide extremely high speeds. With the advancement of computer technology and faster internet connections, maximizing download speed has become a natural expectation for users. Today's USENET servers are designed to facilitate rapid transfers, allowing users to take full advantage of their internet service provider's (ISP) speeds.You can download at speeds as fast as your ISP can handle.
To achieve optimal speeds, it is generally recommended to subscribe to a USENET provider with servers located geographically close to you. The proximity to a server directly influences the connection speed. For example, providers like Newshosting have their own multi-gigabit server farms strategically located throughout the United States and Europe. These server locations enable users to benefit from fast USENET connections.
What is Usenet? - Complete 2023 Guide to Usenet
What is Usenet ?
If you haven’t heard of Usenet, all you really need to know is that it’s a fantastic way to download content. Usenet was developed back in the 70s for users to take part in discussion-based text groups. USENET is also known by other names, such as Newsgroups, News or Newsserver. About a decade later, some clever users began to use Usenet to upload and download binary content with files, instead of words. This was a huge phenomenon because users could download file anonymously and quickly.
Usenet was such a huge hit that internet service providers (ISPs) included free Usenet access to encourage people to sign up for their internet accounts. It wasn’t until later that ISP conglomerates questioned why they needed to host space for Usenet’s confidential media, especially when they could track their customers’ internet usage on other web browsers and sell that data to marketing companies. They stopped including access to Usenet, saving lots of bandwidth costs in the process. In response, software entities like Newshosting and Easynews popped up to keep Usenet alive and support its servers. They alone recognized how no other system out there can handle the kind of load that Usenet deals with, deliver files as fast and securely, and work as flexibly. While access to Usenet does cost money, the plans are pretty cheap, and the benefits of using this platform compared to any other option are immense.
More and more people discover the advantages of using USENET:
- Ease of use - Downloading files from USENET is easy. USENET isn’t difficult to use at all.
With NZB sites you can search and download any content on USENET. Finding content is easy with NZB Sites. NZB Sites make USENET simple, accessible to anyone. Just download the NZB (a NZB file lists content that Newsreader can download from Usenet) and your newsreader should automatically associate your downloaded NZB files, and begin downloading them when you open them. USENET has become increasingly easier over the years with feature rich Newsreaders or automation tools (Prowlarr - Sonarr - Radarr). Automation tools can act as an in-between to coordinate nzbs from an indexer & send them to a downloading tool of your choice (SABnzbd or NZBGet).
- Usenet is Cheap - Access to USENET is very affordable, you can subscribe to a premium USENET provider for only a small fee.
Usenet is not available for free – thankfully – since payment has allowed the development of a very interesting network.
Accessing Usenet will require a subscription, but it’s a small price to pay for the extremely fast downloads and secured privacy.
- Incredibly fast - USENET is built for speed. USENET will max out your broadband connection.
Most of the Usenet backbones are on redundant 10gbps nodes. Usenet backbones provide the speed needed to saturate your connection whether you have a 12Mbps or 500Mbps connection!. Usenet servers usually offer speeds up to 1Gbps, so you will probably be limited by the speeds offered by your internet service provider.
- Secure - USENET is available via TLS/SSL encrypted connections.
USENET network is also secured by 256Bit SSL so no company can track your downloads. SSL means that all data passed from Usenet provider's servers to the customer's computer is encrypted. USENET remains one of the most secure platforms.
Some Usenet providers also offer zero-log VPN access. This is an encryption tool that gives you an anonymous IP address every time you go online, not just when you download content. With it, you can rest assured that your Internet activity will never be tracked or shared with outside parties.
These security options can cost extra but they are absolutely worth it. We like Newshosting because it offers both zero-log VPN and SSL encryption for free.
- Privacy - USENET providers takes privacy very seriously
The Usenet network is also reactive to users' needs: security, anonymity and confidentiality. Respect for network neutrality is an essential value of Usenet. This is why many News Service Providers guarantee their users no surveillance of their activity (no monitoring), no user data stored and the possibility to pay anonymously (Bitcoin & Usenet). Some USENET providers do not keep logs of your activity
- USENET's content
USENET is a great platform for content. Today, USENET is quite possibly the largest platform for sharing files and the USENET library really is enormous. Over the past few years, a gigantic amount of data has been stored on USENET and data posted on USENET remains until it is deleted. Currently top USENET providers surpass 5,390 days of binary retention. In other words, you can access files that were uploaded to Usenet in 2008. There are more than 110TB of data posted every single day in uploads! The amount of content on USENET is absolutely massive, there are videos, audio files, Apps, Games. Even rare or older content can be found most of the time.
Usenet today ? (aka USENET 2.0)
After three decades, USENET is still alive. Usenet is far from dead. Usenet is constantly evolving. The fact is, the evolution of what Usenet has become is greater and stronger than it has even been before. USENET is now stealth (Obfuscated). Stealth USENET is spectacularly efficient.
To understand the revival of USENET we have to study how does Stealth USENET work?. You'll notice when downloading from USENET, that a great many file names appear to be gibberish. These files have obfuscated names in order to hide their content and the use of stealth technology increases completion rate. Obfuscated filenames have made download errors extremely rare on USENET – this practice makes USENET 'Stealth'.
Future of Usenet
Usenet is an uncensored section of the Internet. Users can post information on the Usenet network freely. USENET is the only network with such diverse ways of activity. You can exchange news, ideas, information and download content. USENET is a cross between a Social Network (Uncensored USENET discussions covering the humanities, the sciences, business, politics, computers and other areas) and the ultimate file-sharing platform (USENET offers full and unrestricted download).
How to use Usenet? How to get started with Usenet?
To get started with Usenet, the first thing you need is a reliable Usenet service provider. So many people make the mistake of finding the cheapest Usenet plan and then don't understand why the files aren't complete or why unlimited plans have restrictions (fair use policy).
And while there are many Usenet providers out there (and we’ve tried pretty much all of them), we find ourselves recommending Newshosting again and again. We recommend Newshosting for your Usenet provider. An extremely reputable tier-1 provider (i.e. it owns and operates its own software and servers in both the US and Europe), Newshosting offers unlimited downloads, speed and data transfer. Newshosting includes free SSL encrypted downloads, free zero-log VPN availability, and a free newsreader for file search and file previewing before you decide to download. Newshosting offers unlimited Usenet + Newsreader + VPN from just $8.33 a month
Another reason we recommend Newshosting is because of their easy-to-use newsreader, the Newshosting Usenet Browser. Every Usenet provider requires some kind of newsreader to actually make sense of the binary files you can download on Usenet. What’s nice about the Newshosting Usenet Browser is that it requires almost no setup and is much more integrated than other clients. |
The next thing you’ll need is a newsreader to download from Usenet newsgroups, you’ll need newsreader software. Personally I always recommend using a free Usenet client bundled with your Usenet subscription because these newsreaders are easier to setup.
There are plenty of newsreaders available. Newshosting Browser, is probably one of the best Usenet clients around. At Newshosting, they built a newsreader that could do everything: NZB Download, NZBLNK, integrated search, Automatic repair and decompression. Even automated search: allows you to create customized searches, you will be able to download as soon as they've been uploaded.
Once you've signed up for any of Newshosting's Usenet access plans, you'll get an email with the link to download a free copy (Mac, Windows or Linux versions all available) of their Newsreader. You can also download a copy through your Newshosting account control panel. There is nothing to configure (Pre-configured with your connection information on Newshosting) — just login and begin your Usenet experience.
Now you’re free to start downloading. To find content easier choose one of the best NZB sites that are available today. TOP NZB Sites will help to ensure a 99% completion rate. There are plenty of NZB sites out there, varying greatly in usefulness. My current favourite is NZBGeek.
All you need to do is search for what you’re looking for, select the relevant posts, download the .nzb file. Click the cloud icon to start your NZB download.
Newshosting Newsreader will download everything automatically, and even decompress and repair it when needed.
As you can see above, the video files are downloading at a speed of 46 MB/s.
Having a reliable Usenet account and a good NZB Site will almost always ensure 100% completion of all the downloads. We didn’t run into a single broken download during our time with Newshosting, so we have no complaints when it comes to completion rate.