Best Paid Usenet service provider

[amranmiah121]

I am fairly new to newsgroups and was wandering if anyone could provide me with some ideas on the best paid usenet provider. I have heard good things about astraweb but anyone have any other recommendations?

Many Thank

[whoisthis77]

I currently use Newshosting and am pretty satisfied. Used to use Easynews but prefer the former.

[Beck38]

I am fairly new to newsgroups and was wandering if anyone could provide me with some ideas on the best paid usenet provider. I have heard good things about astraweb but anyone have any other recommendations?


'Best' is a pretty subjective term. Every server plant 'should' have pretty much exactly the same data; just about every plant out there stopped 'rolling' things off when the cost of new drives plummeted around August 2008, certainly back around January 2009. How they've kept that retention 'up and running' since then is a good question.

Then there's what 'extras' do they offer, either included or as extra cost items, like SSL, access to that expanded (or not) retention, or other things like 'cloud' storage or bundled VPN services. Personally, I don't like these types of 'bundling' any more than I do from phone or cable companies, I find I can get them cheaper and easier 'ala carte'.

Despite leading the pack on rapid/instant takedowns of things like (some) pro-wrestling, p0rn, and low-retnt broadcast/cable tv shows and the like, Astraweb led the price wars for the past several years. Since I don't go for the organized crime 'aimed at 10 year olds' pro-wrestling, find way more than enough p0rn to coke a pig, and actually own an antenna on my house (which the local cableco runs commercials saying is 'ugly'), I get all the crap tv I can handle, so why d/l it off the internet. The occasional premium cable program I like that I don't subscribe to, I find very easily days or weeks after it 'aired' so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

I've had account with just about everyone, and moved the bulk of my 'operation' to Astraweb several years ago, and haven't really looked back.

[skittlesthedog]

I use usenetserver, not bad for 100.00 a year

[Beck38]

Just about all of the non-Giganews providers (both those who have us/eu plants and not) are around that level); Astra is $96/yr on a month by month. Perhaps that's one thing I forgot to mention, how many plants does the provider have, us/eu is a probable plus as when one is having problems the other usually isn't.

Some folks swear by some Dutch providers without such redundancy due to takedowns, but the euro providers get hit just like the us based ones.

[joe1977]

I'll second usenetserver.com.

[jpeterson]

Tweaknews.eu is great. Speeds sometimes suffer in the early evenings if you are in North America, that's about my only complaint. Other than that, great pricing and reliable service.... also one of the few independent providers left out there.

[nxtiak]

I've had no issues with astraweb.com, been with them for years. I tried frugalnews, and usenetserver, and several others, but I never max out my speed like I do with astraweb
I have Verizon FiOS, 75Mbps, and I get constant 10MB/s with 8 connections.

[kulysses]

I second Newshosting for 100.00 a year

[jojobrown911]

I am using the usenetserver also, gives me no problems!

[samphar]

I use usenetbucket from the US. MAximizes my speed and is Not Highwinds.

[Freewolf]

Tweaknews.eu is great. Speeds sometimes suffer in the early evenings if you are in North America, that's about my only complaint. Other than that, great pricing and reliable service.... also one of the few independent providers left out there.

same

[IWH2010]

Gotta say that supernews are working good for me!

[Dogeggs]

usenet-news doesn't delete stuff as quick as some of the others and you pay for bandwidth, not time.

[nntpjunkie]

As has been said many times on this forum, you really need two usenet providers, one highspeed provider to download the bulk of the articles you want and a solid filler account from another provider to fill in any missing articles that may have been taken down from your main provider. Your filler provider should be a european provider as they have generally slower and over all less takedowns than U.S. providers. You will have to find the best fit for you and the types of content you download, there are many options out there, I'm using newshosting/eweka and the combo has been excellent...

[pythoncancer]

Are you really using it ? I piad`em to watch all red lines all the time .Take down has virtually made it useless for me ,waiting for my subscription to over .Love xusenet


I use usenetserver, not bad for 100.00 a year

[firebirduk]

I used to use cheapnews.eu until they stopped accepting paypal. Then made a mistake of going with newshosting (loads of taken down articles), and gone with tweaknews now, happy with them :)

[Supicioso]

Frugal Usenet, hands down. 30 connects, $5/m 30 day retention. What more do you need?

[kilio_silver]

i am using both astraweb and usenetbucket for almost a year now, and i quit satisfy with them

[TMA2]

Usenetserver here. I somehow signed up for a one-month $10 premium account, SSL, 20 connections, no caps, etc, and I still have this plan today. Think i signed up... a few years ago? Besides my possible luck in an indefinite promotion, I'd have a very hard time remembering any downtime on their part that lasted more than a day, and my connection always maxes out with them (no big deal considering I only have 20mbit down).

One caveat: they've recently made 10 connections the standard on all plans, and give you the option of paying a few $ extra for 10 more. But for me, even five connections would be more than my mediocre downstream can handle. So, I'd recommend them, as other subscribers have stated.

[strapsoz]

Im using Frugal. It only costs $50/year. The retention is quoted at only 300 days, however it seems to let me download much older stuff (>1000 days). Download speeds are fast enough for me at an average of 4MB/s. Im in Australia, so if you were closer to the servers speeds will probably be faster.

[eugchen]

Thundernews!

[rosspelton11]

anyone else having speed issues with astraweb? in the evenings i only get 5mbps but in the daytime i get 25mbps. i think i will switch to another provider, maybe tweaknews...

[piercerseth]

anyone else having speed issues with astraweb? in the evenings i only get 5mbps but in the daytime i get 25mbps. i think i will switch to another provider, maybe tweaknews...
Outside of a small (2-3hr) window on Sunday nights? No.

[t_unit]

I'm in my 2nd year with usenetserver. Many of the popular new movies get taken down though the overall quality of their service is excellent.

[yeseye]

Been using newshosting with no problems at all.

[dtscript]

I'm in my 2nd year with usenetserver. Many of the popular new movies get taken down though the overall quality of their service is excellent.

same here!

[Dolfan-Neil]

You want a Norwegian provider with no ties to the US to avoid the takedowns.

http://www.ngprovider.com/euro-based-usenet-providers.php

[liveterminator]

I use easynews and they seem to be quite good and the takedowns dont seem to effect as much as with some of the others, but I dont have statiscal proof that there is any difference though.

[rodrigez]

I'm using GigaNews through VyprVPN on my Linux-box using SabNZB. The VyprVPN-connection is dynamicaly changing so that the exit-point is being changed day by day. In addition I am using Sunny-Usenet because it's very cheap and it's always good to have a failover. ;)

[CyberCitizen]

Haven't paid for Usenet access except block account used as backup only. Thankfully my ISP provides me with decent access (basically I believe they have an agreement with AstraWeb to redirect to their service).

=================
Primary Account
=================
Provided By Internet Service Provider
Total: 869.0 GB

=================
Free Accounts (Auto Updated In SABNZBD)
=================
free.hitnews.com
Total: 322.3 GB

free.news.newzfinders.com
Total: 100.8 GB

free.xennews.com
Total: 2.4 GB

free.xsusenet.com
Total: 671 MB

test.xennanews.com
Total: 142.2 GB

=================
Backup Accounts
=================
eunews.blocknews.net
Total: 2.8 GB

usnews.blocknews.net
Total: 4.4 GB

[smatso]

I use Supernews, it Works fine for me, and its 11$ unlimited

[capetocuba]

I've been using NewsDemon for over a year, mostly happy with them. Retention is good and have recently grabbed stuff over 1200 days.

[fuzzy2i]

astraweb & newshosting both work fine for me....Retention means nothing on usenet now as things get taken down that quick

[jcdoughty]

I've been using Astraweb for a while and it seems ok

[gunbo13]

Really like astraweb except still get article not founds.

[andrew2000]

Tweaknews.eu is thebest i have found in the UK never have any issues with it and cheap as chips

[McLaren__F1]

Im currently using supernews, seems okay

[thebadluck]

I have been using newshosting for year. It works great for me.

[bikertyke]

I moved from astraweb as they were taking stuff down. Especially tv. Moved to usenetnow and no problems since then.

[vigor5000]

Just switched to Astraweb from Newshosting so far so good except for slow speeds.

[happyhead]

thx to all posters been using usenet for a long time now lots of take downs of late this post leaves lots to choose from :)

[91hybrid]

Im an Astraweb user too. Not to bad. have only used them, so I really don't have another point of reference.

[sean_ttaylor]

I just signed up for thundernews, I'll reply after using it for a couple days. Good price point though, roughly 100 a year.

[boJIGGAZ]

I use giganews for most of my usenet downloads. I also have some bock news at tweaknews, so if something has suffered a DMCA takedown on giganews I can usually find it on tweaknews.

[MrBogus]

I would have recommended tweaknews a couple of weeks ago, but now with their dreadful speeds during the evenings i don't think so.

[johnsmith127]

frugalusenet is not bad. Good bang for the buck. Only 300 days retention, but nowadays due to takedowns you have to grab stuff fast anyways.

[Stabber]

frugalusenet is not bad. Good bang for the buck. Only 300 days retention, but nowadays due to takedowns you have to grab stuff fast anyways.

Why not using test.xennanews.com which is free and has about 900 days of retention ? Speeds are great as well

[renzz]

I would have recommended tweaknews a couple of weeks ago, but now with their dreadful speeds during the evenings i don't think so.

Must depend on where you are as I usually find Tweaknews to be pretty quick (but I am in Europe).

[ararka]

I use a combo of usenetserver.com and supernews.com - mostly because I was curious to see if there was one better than supernews out there - so have had both for a few months now to test and both are really good both in speed, retention and avaliability.

Both are signed on an offer at $9,99 a month (each) for as long as I stay a customer.

[arjay]

use to be on astraweb, now on tweaknews, finding it alot better.

[linuxares]

Usenetserver is decent for the price, works most of the time. The best one I used is Tweaknews.

[seansea]

I switched from Giganews to Supernews about 6 months ago, as it appeared to offer similar service for 1/2 the price. I've been happy with it so far.

[hogwheeley]

Ive had usenetserver for over 5 years and its been good to me. Priced right and never really had an issue.

[robertrust]

Absolutely love usenetserver! Over 2000 days of retention and they offer a free two week trial I believe. I'm only paying like $10 per month and use it all the time. Check them out here: http://usenetserver.com/en/index.php?

[royce]

I've had good retention with giganews and usenetserver. I tried using blocknews for awhile but I was starting to see a lot of incompletes.

[2501]

giganews and usenetserver suck. there i said it. marketing shills can now go home.

[JunkBarMan]

frugalusenet is not bad. Good bang for the buck. Only 300 days retention, but nowadays due to takedowns you have to grab stuff fast anyways.

Why not using test.xennanews.com which is free and has about 900 days of retention ? Speeds are great as well


could never get this to work. and then i checked the sql and it works like a champ now.

is there a monthly data limit that you know of? or daily/weekly?

[Beck38]

but nowadays due to takedowns you have to grab stuff fast anyways.

Only if the poster is an idiot. Unfortunately, a large percentage are.

Since 'the matrix' went down, zero takedowns (confirmed by nzbcc and d/l recheck over 3-4 major server plants). Previous 10+ years, no takedowns then either of over 1TB/per month posted. I test back to 'day zero' (Aug08) all the time on Astra/US/EU, GigaUS/EU, BlocknewsUS/EU, even Usenet-ServerUS/EU.

Everything all depends on what you're looking for, and again, how much smarts the folk(s) who are into that are. If they are 'kiddies' who revel in 'pro wrestling' and the like (that are OC based), and don't put a nano-watt of brainpower into covering their tracks, then they get what they deserve (instant or near-instant takedowns). You'll have to put a large amount of effort into getting such things.

Those are well-covered on such sites as EFF/Chilling Effects and the like. Folks who do, using a variety of methodologies, have posts that at this point, remain forever.

[chakara]

How do you know people can "crack" the code and even know what you're uploading ?
Maybe it's still there because no one can figure it out. Hence no takedown. And no downloads ^^

[piercerseth]

How do you know people can "crack" the code and even know what you're uploading ?
Maybe it's still there because no one can figure it out. Hence no takedown. And no downloads ^^
ROT26 or GTFO.

I've seen some pretty devious schemes. The rar'ed truecrypt containers are my favorite.

[trickyrat]

ROT26 or GTFO.

But haven't both of those already been broken?

Probably best to upgrade to ROT52 or GTFO 2.1

:)

[voldermort]

Study non-us based usenet providers. I left Giganews because of its gigantic dmca takedown rate. A service in the Netherlands is a good choice. The following url is a good place to start. Also, realize that the MPAA has forced Paypal to cancel its contract with Usenet providers who will not conform to the DMCA. Therefore European providers (Netherlands preferably) who don't accept Paypal are a good choice.

http://www.ngprovider.com/euro-based-usenet-providers.php

[bylogic]

I've used newshosting for years now. Never really had any issues. The free client isnt to bad either.

[d8onmine]

Thanks for the list guys. Astraweb, Tweaknews, Usenetserver or Frugal? Seems to be spoilt for choice for now. Unlikely to go for xennanews (even though it is free) as there is no ssl which kind of defeat the purpose of usenet. Decision decision.

[spale]

use to be on astraweb, now on tweaknews, finding it alot better.

Hi I have astraweb, so what is better on tweaknews? thx

[nntpjunkie]

use to be on astraweb, now on tweaknews, finding it alot better.

Hi I have astraweb, so what is better on tweaknews? thx

The takedown rate is slower, great as a backup server for fills.

[dcbuk]

Been using TweakNews and renew every 3 months. Get email with renew offers at the end of the 3 months and prices are cheaper than offered for newbies. Currently on offer; 50 Mbit unlimited, Free SSL, 30 Threads 17.95 Euros!

[pokitisme]

I moved from astraweb as they were taking stuff down. Especially tv. Moved to usenetnow and no problems since then.

are you still having success with limited takedowns on usenetnow ive been lookin for somethin with more speed than tweaknews but with just as good retention---( non takedowns) . tweak is pretty good on the dmca stuff as i can still find stuff a few years back.but need a good full time server for the takedowns.



frugalusenet is not bad. Good bang for the buck. Only 300 days retention, but nowadays due to takedowns you have to grab stuff fast anyways.

Why not using test.xennanews.com which is free and has about 900 days of retention ? Speeds are great as well

hey thanks for that little gem ..gettin some dmca'ed files but not much----any way its "open "so thanks.had to go old school pulin on that one lol

[gowerboy]

Tweaknews; never had a problem.

I've never been mailed a renew offer in two years. :(

[sandman_1]

Use Frugal but supplement with the free servers out there. I say I get 99% out there and the ones I can't I usually just use a free trial account for that. If you see my Usenet for free thread in the tutorials section, you shouldn't have an issue getting what you want. Am pulling from 5 different tier 1 providers with free servers and the 1 paid one I have.