UsenetServer Review

Last Updated: May 03, 2024

Rating
Price	$7.95 / Month
Retention	5938 Days
Free Trial	14 Days / 10 GB
Features	Unlimited Access
	NZB Search
	Fast Speeds

US based USENET service provider, UsenetServer, has been in business since 1998 and has a reputation for high quality, fast speeds and low prices. UsenetServer runs and maintains their own servers throughout the USA and Europe, so you can expect high-completion rates and stable high-speed connections in most locations around the world.

UsenetServer boasts some of the most extensive retention available in the market, consistently expanding their archive over the years without upping the cost of their USENET access plans. If your needs involve accessing older USENET articles, this service comes highly recommended. Unlike other tier-1 USENET access providers that offer only a few months of retention and lower completion rates, UsenetServer currently stores nearly 11 years of content across all text and binary newsgroups with a 99.99% article completion rate.

Another standout feature of UsenetServer is that all their plans, including the free trial, include unlimited access to their Global Search feature. This USENET search engine enables users to scour over 100,000 newsgroups for articles and generate as many NZBs as needed for their newsreader. Furthermore, every UsenetServer annual plan includes a complimentary zero-log VPN with unlimited monthly usage, along with compatible apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

How We Test

When choosing a Usenet service provider, several key features must be considered to ensure a quality experience. Retention is paramount, as it determines the breadth of posts accessible to the user; top providers offer extensive retention times, which directly enhance search results and usability. Retention growth is also crucial, ensuring that older posts remain accessible over time.

The infrastructure of the service provider significantly affects performance; owning their networks and servers, as well as investing in premium bandwidth, ensures reliable and fast connections. Features like unlimited access, high completion rates, and comprehensive header storage are essential for optimal usability. Security is also a critical aspect, with necessary protections like SSL encryption to maintain privacy and anonymity.

Extra benefits like built-in newsreaders equipped with search functionalities and included VPN services provide increased value, boosting both usability and safety. The pricing corresponds to the service’s quality, with premium providers typically commanding higher fees while delivering superior features and dependability. Ultimately, selecting a Usenet provider should consider factors such as retention capabilities, network performance, security measures, and supplementary features to guarantee a fulfilling Usenet journey. Explore our testing methodology here for further insight.

Binary Retention

UsenetServer’s text and binary retention is currently at 5938 days, which is among the best retention rates you can get anywhere. In comparison, many other Usenet providers offer only a few months of retention. This makes it impossible for you to access articles posted older than just a few months ago. With UsenetServer, you will be able to access articles posted 11+ years ago. This is a major standout feature and one of the reasons why UsenetServer is one of our top recommended USENET providers.

There are a couple other features to note about UsenetServer’s retention:

First, UsenetServer’s full retention is available across all of their global server clusters and across all of their newsgroups, whereas you might find with other providers that deeper retention is only available on select servers and/or on select newsgroups.

Second, UsenetServer has been at the front of the pack in text and binary retention for many years now and has continued to grow their retention to this day. This is a very expensive process and one that we much prefer to see when deciding to recommend a USENET provider to our readers.

Pricing

UsenetServer offers several different pricing tiers for retail users. However, if you sign up through UsenetReviewz, you will receive the best deal that UsenetServer offers. The deal is $7.95/mo for an annual plan (normally $239.28), which is a 60% discount, on UsenetServer’s top-end plan. This discount automatically applies for the lifetime of your account and gets you unlimited downloads, unlimited speed, access to all of USENET servers and retention, SSL-encrypted connections, a free zero-log VPN account, and unlimited access to their NZB Search feature.

Retail Pricing for UsenetServer

Free Trial Info

UsenetServer offers a 14 day/10 GB free trial with all of their retail plans. This free trial will get you access to all servers along with full retention, uncapped speeds with SSL-secured connections, and unlimited access to their NZB Search engine called Global Search. If you decide that UsenetServer isn’t right for you, you can cancel any time before 14 days or 10 gigs of transfer and you will not be charged for the plan.

Please note: the free trial offer is not included with UsenetReviewz.com’s 60% off discounted special pricing, so if you want to get the best price for UsenetServer and feel confident with our recommendation, we recommend going with the lifetime discount since it is available to new users only.

Special Offers / Coupons

By signing up through our website, you can avoid the retail pricing and if you sign up for a year not only can you get the price down to $7.95 / month but also included is UsenetServer’s VPN client.

• Unlimited downloads
• Uncapped download speeds
• Access to all servers
• Access to all retention
• Access to all newsgroups
• Unlimited access to the NZB Search feature called Global Search
• 99.99% article completion
• Free zero-log VPN account (free desktop and mobile apps included)

Speed Tests

During testing, our download speeds maxed out at our full 50 Mbps line. The screenshots below illustrate the sustained connection speeds utilizing our full bandwidth while connected from a location in South America to a USENET server in North America.

Connections

The discounted special offer available through UsenetReviewz gets you up to 20 SSL-secured connections. This applies to any of UsenetServer’s USENET servers and should be plenty to maximize the bandwidth included in your ISP package. For example, we maximized our connection speed with 8 simultaneous connections, although 20 connections are allowed.

That said, it is important to note that the ideal number of connections will vary for everyone and it’s based on many different variables. Therefore, we recommend testing connection speeds with varying number of connections enabled to find the optimal setup for you.

News Servers / Ports / Configuration

In the majority of cases, configuring a newsreader with your UsenetServer account is as simple as entering the hostname news.usenetserver.com and port 563 along with your UsenetServer username and password. DNS will then automatically route your connection to the server that is geographically closest to you.

For advanced newsreader configuration needs, please reference the following server information.

Hostname: news.usenetserver.com
Standard NNTP Ports: 20, 23, 25, 119, 3128, 7000, 8000 and 9000
SSL Ports: 563, 443 and 8080

IPv4 NNTP servers

• news.usenetserver.com (recommended geographic auto select hostnames)
• news-us.usenetserver.com ( United States hostnames)
• news-eu.usenetserver.com (European hostnames)

IPv6 NNTP servers

• news6.usenetserver.com (recommended geographic auto select hostnames)
• news-us6.usenetserver.com ( United States hostnames)
• news-eu6.usenetserver.com (European hostnames)

Note: while currently not all USENET newsreaders support IPv6 its good to know that UsenetServer is thinking of the future.

Frequently Asked Questions for UsenetServer

• Which package should I pick ? We recommend the Usenet Discount available exclusively through UsenetReviewz. The annual option gets you a 60% lifetime discount on UsenetServer’s High-Speed account that includes unlimited downloads, uncapped speeds, access to all NNTP servers and retention, 99.99%+ article completion, unlimited access to the NZB Search engine (called Global Search), and a free zero-log VPN account.
• What are the benefits of using a VPN ?  There are several benefits of using a VPN. For example, a VPN will anonymize 100% of all your web/email/streaming traffic, secure unsecured wifi hotspots, and will even allow you to circumvent geo-IP censorship and restrictions. When you sign up for an annual account with UsenetServer, you will get a free, unlimited-use, zero-log VPN account with Windows, MacOSX, iOS and Android apps included.
• Does UsenetServer include a Newsreader?  UsenetServer does not include a bundled USENET newsreader. However, it does include an NZB Search engine called Global Search. If you want a USENET service with a bundled Newsreader, then you may want to consider checking out Newshosting.
• How do I search USENET and find the content I am looking for?  All UsenetServer accounts, including the free trial, include unlimited access to an NZB Search engine called Global Search. This feature allows you to search for articles posted across all UsenetServer newsgroups, select the articles you want, then create as many NZBs as you would like, which you can then send to your newsreader for processing. If that doesn’t work for you then check out UsenetReviewz.com’s list of NZB sites.
• Can I pay via Paypal? Yes. Paypal is supported along with all major credit cards.
• Any more discounts available ? UsenetServer may at times offer Black Friday discounts, if you can afford to wait. At the time of this review publication, none currently are available. The best offer currently available will get you 60% off for life. You can also join our mailing list to stay informed on future deals.

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UsenetServer USENET Search Client

UsenetServer USENET search allows you to search and filter USENET messages and create NZB files.

UsenetServer has a USENET search interface that allows you to search and filter USENET posts across all newsgroups, then create your own NZB files. You can then feed these NZBs into your newsreader for instant processing.

All UsenetServer accounts, including the free trial, gives you unlimited access to the USENET search feature. Once you have an account with UsenetServer, you can access Global Search by logging into the control panel, then clicking the Global Search link at the top of the page.

UsenetServer’s VPN Client

UsenetServer includes a free, full featured VPN client when you sign up for the yearly USENET plan. If you prefer to subscribe to a monthly account instead, a VPN account is available as an add-on for $4.95 / month. It’s not as good a value as being included free with an annual account, but $4.95 per month is still cheap for unlimited VPN considering most comparable VPN accounts will run you around $10 per month.

UsenetServer’s VPN client details

• Unlimited VPN use with no speed throttling
• Connect to over 105+ server locations around the world
• No limits on the number of times you switch servers or IP addresses
• Secure, anonymous IP addresses
• Windows, MacOSX, Android, and iOS apps included
• Easy-to-use VPN apps
• Linux-compatible with OpenVPN config files (included)
• Support 4 different VPN protocols
• NAT firewall built into the client to secure your connection

Support

UsenetServer customer support is available 24x7 via email. To contact their Support team, email support@usenetserver.com. You will immediately get an auto-notification to confirm that your email has been received along with a ticket number. Following that, you will get a personal response from a customer support agent.

Contact Information

You can contact the UsenetServer support team via email at support@usenetserver.com. They are available 24x7 and you should get a timely, professional response.

Security / Company Privacy Policy

UsenetServer states on its website that “We do not monitor which newsgroups you post to or download from or what you put in news articles that you post.” UsenetServer also formally states that they “will not release any customer information unless ordered to do so by a court of law”. That said, if you are looking for an additional layer of privacy and need a USENET provider that offers Bitcoin payments, you may want to take a look at PureUSENET.

Note: with any USENET provider you will need to have a valid email address associated with your account.

Payment Options

UsenetServer accepts all major credit cards, debit cards, and Paypal.

Our Opinion

UsenetServer is one of our top recommended USENET service providers. They have been providing great USENET access since 1998, own and operate their own infrastructure with multiple server farms, provide among the best retention and completion rates available anywhere, and deliver great, consistent speeds.

If you are looking for good overall quality and also need access to older USENET posts, UsenetServer is a great choice. You will also get a 60% lifetime discount through UsenetReviewz, which will get you unlimited downloads, uncapped speeds, unlimited access to their NZB Search feature called Global Search, as well as a free zero-log VPN (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android apps included).

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