Xsnews Review

Last Updated: Jan 17, 2022

Rating
Price	€7.50 / Month
Retention	2300 Days
Free Trial	5 Days Unlimited
Features	Netherlands Based
	Unlimited Speeds
	Block Accounts

XSnews is a Usenet service provider headquartered in the Netherlands. They offer several levels of USENET access, with the maximum allowable speed varying by package. With XSNews you will have access to over 30,000 Terrabytes of high quality user generated content. All their subscription plans contain 99.5% completion, 2300 days of retention, access to over 200,000 newsgroups, SSL encryption and flatrate access.

Quick Facts

• Netherlands-Based Usenet service provider
• Multiple subscription plans
• Unlimited Speed Option Available
• Block Accounts Available
• Multiple connections
• SSL Access
• 99.8% completion
• 134,000 newsgroups
• Accepts Credit card and Paypal payments

Binary Retention

XSNews currently has 2300 days of binary retention.

Pricing

XSNews also offers Block access plans with unlimited speed and 20 connections.

Free Trial info

There is a 14-day free trial available of their Elite Usenet access plan. Please note, however, that XSNews does not offer this free Usenet trial for all countries. If your country is unsupported, an error prompt will pop up to let you know.

Special Offers / Coupons

There are currently no special offers or coupons available from this provider.

Speed Test

XSNews did well in speed testing. Remember that you’ll usually get faster service from a server located close to you geographically. XSNews is located in the EU, so users outside of that area may get somewhat slower service.

Connections

The Unlimited account offers 30 connections, with lower subscription levels offering fewer connections. Block accounts offer up to 20 connections.

News Servers / Ports / Configuration

Reader.xsnews.nl Encrypted Ports (SSL): 563, 443 Unencrypted Ports: 80, 119

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Why would I want to use an EU-based USENET service provider? A: Most users who choose to get their USENET service from one particular region of the planet are doing so for one of two reasons: speed or privacy. Where speed is concerned, the closer the server is the better, but USENET is so fast these days that you might be able to max out your broadband connection with just about any provider. The EU has stricter privacy protection than the US, which is why some users choose to get their service there.
• Q: Are limited speed accounts worth the money? A: This depends upon your service. If your Internet connection doesn’t go any faster than 2.5 MB/s, then you’re not really losing anything by going with the “Pro” account from this provider or a similarly limited option from another provider. However, if you’re confident that your Internet connection can handle much higher speeds than that, you might want to get a subscription that lets you download at a faster rate.
• Q: Why are there unencrypted ports? A: Unencrypted ports are among the options you have for connecting to XSNews and most other USENET services. For some special circumstances, they may be appropriate, but we highly recommend using encrypted ports to all of our users. With security available, there’s just no reason to not take advantage of it.
• Q: Do I have to use a specific newsreader with this service? A: No. Most USENET providers let you use any newsreader you want and some, such as Newshosting, even include a newsreader with your subscription. There are paid and free newsreaders out there. We suggest trying the free ones first and, if you need something more robust, move up to a paid option, like Newshosting.
• Q: Is there an advantage to block access? A: There are many advantages to block access, particularly if you’re trying out a new company. Block access nets you a specific quantity of download data that doesn’t expire until you use it up. If you buy, for instance, 20GB of block access, you’ll have as much time as you need to use up the allotment. Versus a subscription, this is a much better option for users who only occasionally check out newsgroups.
• Q: Isn’t 1100 days of retention low? A: Compared to some other providers, yes, XSNews has lower retention times. This might not matter to people who are looking for binaries that were only recently updated, but it’s likely to be a problem for people who want to download content that’s older and that may have disappeared from the indexes on XSNews’s servers. If you’re looking for more retention, Newshosting and our other recommended usenet service providers offer much higher figures.

Support

XSNews has several different contact options. There’s a live chat on the site, a knowledge base and a support ticket system you can use. There are numerous articles on the site you can use to answer most common user questions. All support options are available at their contact page or you can email to support@xsnews.nl.

Contact Information

XS News B.V.
New Yorkstraat 10-16
1175 RD Lijnden
Nederland.
KVK 08145640
BTW NL8158.36.946.B01
+31 20 820 30 21

Support team is available from Monday till Friday between 10:00AM and 8:00PM (CET/Amsterdam). They are closed during national holidays.

Security /Company Privacy Policy

XSNews says it will not log your activity unless required to do so under the law. The company does keep your IP address when you log in and your user credentials so that they can prevent spam on their system.

Payment Options

XSNews accepts automatically renewing payments via Visa, Mastercard and PayPal. For one-time payments they accept iDEAL, PayPal, GiroPay, Belfius, Mistercash, Visa, Mastercard, Sofort, KBC and PaySafeCard.

Our Opinion

XSNews has its advantages. They have both block and subscription accounts, which we always like to see. They also accept Bitcoin and that can make a big difference for users who are most concerned about protecting their privacy. They also have live chat on their site, which is good, though it might not be as useful to users outside of the EU as it is to those within the EU, due to time zone differences. Overall, XSNews is a good service, but we still stand by our recommended providers as the best options out there. The speed limited accounts for XSNews are a bit more expensive than they should be and, in fact, you can get unlimited accounts from some of the best Usenet service providers for less money than a limited account from XSNews costs. The block accounts are good, but the prices are a bit high, as well.

One area where you might want to consider XSNews is as a backup provider. Block accounts are great for this, as you can buy as much access as you think you’ll need and no more. If you’re trying to grab a binary that your main provider doesn’t have available on its servers, having the backup can be nice. Most newsreaders can handle two different server setups, so this shouldn’t be a problem. Overall, XSNews certainly seems like a well-run company, but their prices are higher than we’d like to see and, for those looking for access outside the US, it could be obtained for a lower price

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