Fast Usenet Summary

Fast Usenet is a well-known Usenet provider who has been providing quality access over the last 7 years. Fast Usenet was the first service provider to offer unlimited access for under $10 per month. Over the years others have followed but just note that Fast Usenet has always tried to provide their users with the best deal.

Along with NNTP access, they offer a customized version of GrabIt newsreader which includes global newsgroup search. You will also get access to web and mobile gateway which can be used for viewing picture and text groups. A nice feature that binary users probably won’t find useful but people that use Usenet for text and images will.

Retention Times

Fast Usenet has competitive retention times and ranks with other leading providers. At the time this review was written they offered 2,020+ days of retention which on par with leading providers such as Giganews, Usenet Server, and Astraweb.

Free Trial

Fast Usenet offers a generous 14 day 15GB free trial. The free trial includes access to GrabIt with search, the web and mobile gateways, full retention, and 50 secure SSL connections.

Service Plans

Fast Usenet offers four different Usenet plans that should satisfy everyone’s download requirements. Plans range from Unlimited downloads per month down to 6GB per month.

Unlimited Usenet – only $9.95 per $6.95 month. Full retention, 50 SSL connections, GrabIt newsreader.

35GB per month – only $5.95 per month. Full retention, 50 SSL connections, GrabIt newsreader.

15GB per month – only $3.95 per month. Full retention, 50 SSL connections, GrabIt newsreader.

6GB per month – only $2.95 per month. Full retention, 50 SSL connections, GrabIt newsreader.

Download Speeds

As you might already assume Fast Usenet is known for their download speeds? They have servers in both the United States and Europe. Upon completing testing we can assure you that Fast Usenet offers unbeatable access speeds. On their website, they claim to utilize proprietary software that is supposed to increase Usenet transfer rates and it seems to do just that.

Security

With your Fast Usenet subscription, you will get 50 secure SSL connections. This is about a 100% increase over other providers who limit connections to 25.

Localization

Fast Usenet offers their service to members all over the World! They have translated their website for 5 different languages to help their International customers better understand their service offering. Fast Usenet is available in: English, Germany, Spanish, French, Dutch

Other Nice Features

Getting a customized newsreader with search is a nice additional feature. But not only do you get a newsreader you will also get access to their web and mobile gateways which will allow you to access Usenet text and picture groups right from your smartphone or web browser.

Comparison To Other Providers

Fast Usenet provides good service and great value. We would have to rank them in the top 5 Usenet providers. It’s a great value to get Unlimited Usenet access for only $9.95/month but with their service, you’ll also get a newsreader and the web and mobile gateways. Making their service an unbeatable value.

Special Offers

Fast Usenet is currently running a promotional offer. Unlimited Usenet service for only $4.95/month (← Click on the link to signup). That’s the least expensive monthly service that we are aware of.

Conclusion

We highly recommend Fast Usenet. If you are looking for quality NNTP access for under $10 a month we suggest that you head over to Fast Usenet and sign up today.

Visit Fast Usenet to Sign Up

Newshosting Summary

Newshosting is a premium Usenet service provider operated by Highwinds Media Group. Highwinds is the largest player left in the Usenet market and operates services such as UsenetServer, Easynews and Newshosting. Each service offers quality Usenet access but has different features and pricing between the brands. Newshosting offers industry leading retention and pricing and unlike Easynews and UsenetServer is comes with a custom newsreader which makes the service unique over Highwind’s other properties.

Retention Times

Newshosting has good retention times and ranks with other leading providers. At the time this review was written they offered 2,454+ days of retention which on par with leading providers such as Giganews, Usenet Server, Fast Usenet and Astraweb.

Free Trial

Newshosting offers a generous 30 day 15GB free trial. The free trial is unrestricted and includes access to their newsreader with search, full retention and 30 secure SSL connections.

Service Plans

Newshosting offers three different Usenet plans. Unlimited, XL Powerpack and Lite. Unlimited and XL Powerpack both offer Unlimited downloading. The Lite package offers 50GB/month with roll over gigs.

Download Speeds

Newshosting is the only Usenet provider that offers 60 concurrent connections. Though it’s nice of them to offer 60 connections, most providers such as Fast Usenet will max out your bandwidth with less. But I have to say that Newshosting does offers great speeds and will surely fill whatever size Internet pipe you have.

Conclusion

Newshosting is a highly recommended Usenet provider. They offer great service and great features. Their prices are a little higher then some others providers but the features are worth it. If you aren’t looking for all the fancy features and just want pure Usenet service with great retention and speeds we suggest that you visit our Fast Usenet review.

Sign up for Newshosting today!

Usenet Bucket Service Review

Summary:

Usenet Bucket is a premium provider located in Amsterdam the Netherlands. A popular location for providers as Amsterdam is a major network hub for the World. Amsterdam provides access to high speed network hubs for delivering fast download speeds globally.

Usenet Retention:

Usenet Bucket offers 1,100 days of binary retention. This is about 55% less retention time as other leading providers. Providers such as Fast Usenet and Usenet Server offer over 2,400+ days. Learn what retention is and why it’s important.

Free Trial:

New customers to Usenet Bucket can take advantage of their 7 day free trial offer. The free trial offers 400 Mbit download speeds, 50 secure SSL connections, 5GB of downloads and access to full 1,100 day retention times. If you sign up for the free trial using your Facebook account you will get an additional 20GB of downloads during the trial period.

Usenet Service Plans:

Usenet Bucket offers three different service plan options which all include Unlimited download bytes but range in the download speeds you are allowed.

Basic Bucket: 2.95 Euro per month, SSL support, 25 connections and 10 Mbit download speed limit.

Comfort Bucket: 4.95 Euro per month, SSL support, 25 connections and 40 Mbit download speed limit.

Unlimited Bucket: 12.95 Euro per month, SSL support, 50 connections and 400 Mbit download speed limit.

Security:

All Usenet Bucket plans include secure socket layer connections (SSL) to Usenet. This allows for secure communication between your computer and their servers.

Comparison To Other Providers:

Usenet Bucket offers good service with fair prices. Their retention times aren’t comparable to other leading providers such as Astraweb, Fast Usenet or Usenet Server. But retention times aren’t everything. Overall Usenet Bucket offers quality service. Most users won’t need access to more than 1,100 days of retention.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a quality Usenet provider who is situated in the Netherlands we can strongly recommend Usenet Bucket. Their website and support is great and they seem to strongly care about providing users with quality Usenet access and the Usenet system as a whole. If you are interested in Usenet Bucket please click on the link below to sign up.

Click here to visit Usenet Bucket

Astraweb, a well known Usenet Service Provider and isn’t a reseller. They provide value with lots of different options that make their Usenet service worth while. Astraweb Usenet has block accounts, several different payment options, Secure SSL access and all the main features you would look for in a Usenet provider.

Astraweb Binary Retention

Astraweb currently offers 2,407 days of binary retention across ALL major newsgroups.

Pricing

Astraweb offers 2 general plan categories:

• Unlimited Downloads – currently the best deal is the Astraweb $15 for 2 months special – which means you pay only $15 a month for two months of unlimited high speed downloads. Do this if you are considering Astraweb.  Take advantage of this deal while it lasts.
• Also notable if you just want to check out Astraweb for a month would be the Astraweb $11 special.
• Block Downloads Astraweb offers no time limit restrictions and you can buy blocks of Usenet downloads for $10 for 25 GB or $25 for 180 GB.

Astraweb Free Trial

Astraweb does not offer a free trial.

Astraweb Speed

Download speeds with Astraweb are good. They are plugged into Level 3 networks, LimeLight Networks and Savvis Intenet backbone servers and have servers located in North Carolina so you should get a good connection throughput in the USA and in Europe.

Astraweb Ports  / Configuration Instructions

• General Server: news.astraweb.com
• European Server: eu.news.astraweb.com
• US Server: us.news.astraweb.com
• Ports: 119, 23, 1818 or 8080
• Secure Server: ssl.astraweb.com Ports 443 or 563
• ssl-eu.astraweb.com Ports 443 or 563 (European)
• ssl-us.astraweb.com Ports 443 or 563 (US)
• Maximum Connections: 50 connections

Security/Anonymity

As many other Usenet providers offer Astraweb also has secure SSL connections which work via port 563.

Overall Thoughts

Astraweb is a good provider if you are looking for quality Usenet access.

Click here to sign up for Astraweb

NewsDemon is a top tier Usenet service provider that offers a combination of good price/perfomance, excellent customer service and some cool additional features. Newsdemon offers a variety of pricing options but UsenetReviewz is happy to bring you a special pricing offer of $10/month for unlimited downloads that is available only through a few select partners.

Binary Retention:

NewsDemon has recently upgraded their service  and is presently providing 2265 of binary retention with a high level of completion. 2265 is a good  number and you should be able to find whatever you need, especially if you are looking on NZB sites.

Pricing:

Here is the deal, Newsdemon has two categories of pricing plans – monthly and block downloads. If you are interested in monthly unlimited downloads then we highly recommend the Demon Deal with is only available through this link – Click Here for the Demon Deal $10/month.

If you don’t take advantage of the Demon Deal, you can choose their regular pricing which is:

$17.99/month for unlimited downloads without SSL
$22.99/month for unlimited downloads with SSL
If you don’t take advantage of the Demon Deal and you are interested in block accounts then prices range from $2 for 10 GB to $87 for 1000 GB. NewsDemon block Usenet accounts expire after one year.

All plans include free headers and free postings.

Free Trial:

A seven (7) day free trial is also available having 15GB limit and 20 connections. Another thing which makes NewsDemon cool is that they offer free Usenet to college/university faculty and staff, to the employees of charities and to the employees of media outlets. Click Here for free trail details.

Coupons:

We highly recommend the Demon Deal that is only available through this link -Click Here for the Demon Deal $10/month. Also referral bonuses are available for members who refer other new members.  The referral bonus for referring a new member is a free month of Usenet service.

Speed:

NewsDemon is connected through a 10Gbps dedicated backbone link so you download speeds should be limited only by your ISP’s connection.

Security/Anonymity:

Newsdemon offers 256 bit SSL encryption with their unlimited plans to make user information and downloads secure and anonymous. NewsDemon provides an uncensored Usenet service.

Other Nice Features:

Access to over 100,000 + newsgroups. 24 x & live customer support. Storage Ninja – The Storage Ninja service will give you access to over 30 GB of anonymous and rapid online storage with Storage Ninja – a service similar to Amazon S3.

Conclusion:

Newsdemon providers a wide range of packages to meet a variety of budgets. Their high speed backbone and long retention times make them appealing. Be sure to take advantage of the Demon Deal plus free trial to see if they are a good choice for you.

Recommendation:
We recommend NewsDemon.com as solid retention rates, good service and additional products make them an appealing choice. Remember, be sure to take advantage of the Demon Deal.

Click here to visit Newsdemon

Giganews has been the most consistent Usenet provider in the newsgroup service industry for over 10 years.  Redundant systems, heavy investment in infrastructure, and a commitment to service have made them the benchmark everyone else is compared to.  Giganews was also the first newsgroup provider to hit the 1000 days of retention mark.  Thassalotta retention days!

As Giganews adds new products they bundle them with their flagship Unlimited Usenet service (Diamond) to create amazing service bundles.  Our favorite is their Diamond plan.  It includes:

Their full unlimited NNTP service (over 2,375+ days retention of articles AND headers),
+ PLUS a new custom newsreader (MIMO),
+ PLUS 30 GB of DumpTruck online backup storage,
+ PLUS (and most valuable) use of their VyprVPN service.  The VyprVPN encrypts EVERYTHING you do on the internet so no one, not even your ISP can peek at what you’re doing. It’s especially useful when traveling & using WiFi hotspots.
They’re running an exclusive special right now giving new sign-ups half off for their first 3 months

Click here to visit Giganews

Pricing

EasyNews offers four different plans for their customers to choose from. Three plans offer block accounts. The Classic Plan which comes with 20GB/month and 1 GB of loyalty gigs. You can customize this plan with additional web retention or add unlimited NNTP.

Plus Plan comes with double the amount of data usage per month as compared to the Classic Plan. The amount of loyalty gigs is also doubled at 2 GB. It offers the same customization addition that the Classic Plan does.

The Big Gig Plan which offers the best value for money it has everything you need. This plan comes with 150 GB per month, 12 GB of loyalty gigs and unlimited NNTP

Last but not least with the Unlimited NNTP Plan you receive 60 connections, 2279 day retention and 14 days of access to their EasyNews Web.

Free Trial

A free 14 day or 10 GB which ever comes first Usenet trial are offered to new customers of EasyNews. This allows the users to test the unique web interface as well as the NNTP access before parting with their cash. The Unlimited NNTP Plan doesn’t offer a free trial.

Retention and Completion

EasyNews offers 365 days web retention for their Classic Plan 525 days for Plus Plan or you can purchase additional days. Their Big Gig Plan comes with 1865 days web retention. 2279 days NNTP retention is offered with all their other plans. The completion rate is 99%+ this is fantastic when you consider the NNTP/web combination

Connections and Speed

EasyNews NNTP access is amazingly fast. The download speeds are mind blowing with the Easyboost web accelerator which greatly improves your performance. After all they have been in the business since 1995 so definitely know what it takes to provide a premium Usenet service.

Mobile App

EasyNews recently expanded into the mobile app world. Giving their customers anytime anywhere access to their favorite newsgroups. You can browse and download securely with EasyNews from wherever you are through their mobile app on the mobile device of your choice.

Features

EasyNews provides header compression on their NNTP news servers and newsgroups this allows the download speed be to up to a hundred times faster as compared to downloads without compression.

Downloading of multi-part posts is simple thanks to the Easy Assembler feature. Let the Easy Assembler do all the work for you from your favourite web browser, it is as easy as click and save.

EasyNews rewards customer loyalty. They offer the Refer a Friend and Customer Loyalty rewards. Receive free months or Triple Gigs for every friend you refer and who becomes a EasyNews customer. You can earn Loyalty Gigs just for having an account, receive additional gigs every year on your EasyNews account anniversary date.

Support

They have a web page specially dedicated for customer support. You can find FAQs, news and other general information there. You can also get support through email, phone, live chat support and message board. They even have EasyNews 101 and other added feature video tutorials. They have thought of everything.

Conclusion

EasyNews has done a tremendous job of creating a Premium Usenet Service. Whether you are an expert or a beginner, if newsgroups is something that you use every day or not as often EasyNews has made it easy and affordable. Choose your EasyNews Plan and get started today they guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Click here to sign up for Easynews

UsenetServer is a USENET access provider worth recommending. Their pricing is very competitive—excellent, even—but their service level isn’t diminished because of that. They have a very impressive infrastructure and provide fast connections. They also offer a VPN service that provides privacy protection and, as an add on service, their pricing is more competitive, still.

UsenetServer Binary Retention

UsenetServer has made several massive infrastructural upgrades and continues to stay among the top of the retention list. They not only have well in excess of 2195 days retention, they also have a search feature that provides a way to maximize the value of that retention period. It makes searching for binaries and making NZBs very easy, see below.

Pricing

Pricing for UsenetServer without the VPN service is as follows:

3 days for $3
1 Month for $14.95
3 Months for $39.95

The 3-day subscription does not include SSL encryption on the server connections and is limited to 10 connections.

You have the option of adding the VPN service to the USENET service and getting a significant discount. To add the VPN service, it costs:

$0.99 to add VPN to the 3-day subscription
$4.99 to add VPN to the 1 Month subscription
$12 to add VPN to the 3 Month subscription

The VPN service can also be purchased as a standalone service for $11.99 per month or $30 for 3 months.

UsenetServer Free Trial

UsenetServer has a nice 14 day / 10 GB free trial -Click here for details. If you sign up for the VPN service, you can get that added to the free trial, as well, offering you a 14-day free trial on two different services.

UsenetServer Coupons

To save almost 50% (if you are a first time customer) and signup for UsenetServer’s $10/month package use this link and click here. This is a very good value and a limited time offer so click here and take advantage of it while you can. Also if you can sign up for a year then you drop the price down to less than $8/month. Use this link and click here for the yearly special. If you sign up for a 1 year subscription, you get the VPN service for free!

UsenetServer Speed

UsenetServer connects directly with hundreds of broadband access providers in addition to multiple Tier-1 bandwidth providers. Any limitations on your bandwidth will flow from your connection speed, not UsenetServer’s. Their company’s infrastructure is very large and doesn’t restrict your bandwidth.
Security/Anonymity

All UsenetServer accounts come with 256-bit encryption with the exception of the $3 for 3 days plan. If you do want SSL encryption on that plan, however, it’s available for $2 more. This is a reliable provider in terms of their security. They do not log on their VPN service.

Other Nice Features

UsenetServer offers a global search feature which is a nice addition. The service actually allows you to search all the binary newsgroups without subscribing to them, and to generate NZB files from your results. If you want, you can bundle all your NZB files into one and download it with SABnzbd or any other downloader that handles NZB files.

Conclusion

The performance, reputation and pricing with UsenetServer are all excellent. This is a good provider and, by adding the VPN service, they’ve upped the value of what they’re offering. The privacy protection is excellent on both services and this company can certainly handle very active users with fast connections.
Usenetserver Vs. The Competition

The recent addition of the VPN service packaged with the USENET access gives this company a real advantage. It’s likely that many people who have one of those services would also be interested in the other, and having them both come from the same provider—at a discount—is very convenient. The VPN service is definitely up to standards.
Recommendation

This provider is all about value. If you haven’t either of these services yet, this is a good way to get them. It skips the step of finding a good USENET provider and a good VPN provider separately. UsenetServer has great privacy standards with both products. The 3-Day account is a great way to try out the service with all the features you want to experiment with. The 14-day free trial is also a great offer.

Click here to sign up for Usenet Server