TechRadar Verdict
Newshosting is our top recommended Usenet service with longest retention, largest and most complete Usenet archive, fastest download speeds, and largest server network. Newshosting has all the features needed for a complete Usenet experience.
Pros
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EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get 3 FREE Months!
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Industry-best retention
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Fastest, most reliable service
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Free newsreader with search
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Free Zero-log VPN
Cons
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No Bitcoin support
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Basic VPN client
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Newshosting is a full-access Usenet provider with the most article retention and article availability of any provider. Access to more articles generally means better search results and better download completion. In fact, Newshosting just reached 5,000 days of retention – the first provider to reach this milestone.
Retention is the most important service quality metric for Usenet. Newshosting’s 5,000 days of retention is available for all articles across every newsgroup, both text and binary. Newshosting also continues to grow retention day-by-day so no articles are ever expired from its servers, meaning you get access to an ever-growing archive of posts.
Registered in 1997 Newshosting has operated its own Usenet delivery network for 20+ years. Its server platform is also redundant in the EU and US, meaning wherever you are in the world, your Usenet transfer speeds will be fast and reliable with Newshosting.
Newshosting subscription options:
With servers in the USA, Netherlands, Germany, and a generic EU address, Newshosting also offers a zero log VPN and desktop newsreader client. The exclusive TechRadar offer will also get you 3 free months of unlimited Usenet access with the free zero log VPN and newsreader included.
Features
Considering Newshosting? Its three bundles offer unlimited speeds, an industry-best 5,000+ days of article retention, the option of unlimited data downloads, and up to 100 simultaneous connections.
There's also the free newsreader with a search tool (a downloadable desktop app compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux.)
The newsreader client is pre-configured to search and download from Newshosting. However, the newsreader can be used with other Usenet service providers that you may subscribe to, useful in the event of a service outage. (Just go to Options > Settings > Backup NNTP panel)
With popular newsgroups (binaries and text) preselected in the Bookmarks section, the newsreader displays previews of listed binaries in search results, saving time and bandwidth when searching for a specific Usenet post.
The Newshosting client also accepts NZB files: downloads whose parts are collected in an XML file for more effective downloading from NZB indexing sites like Binsearch or NZBKing.
Newshosting offers a subscriber-only control panel for help managing your plan, viewing Usenet user guides, configuring the Newshosting Newsreader client, and setting up the VPN. There is also a web form for logging a support ticket for help with any technical issues.
Retention
The holy grail of Usenet providers is retention (the length of time articles are retained on a Usenet provider’s servers). Retention enables current users to go back through the Usenet archive by so many days. (Historical archiving of Usenet beyond retention limits can be found on Google Groups and other sites.) The more retention a provider has, the more articles you get access to, and no provider has more retention than Newshosting.
Newshosting boasts 5,000+ days retention, 13.7 years at the time of writing. Binaries dating back to 2008 can be accessed and enjoyed. Having the biggest Usenet archive is the main reason why Newshosting is our #1 recommended Usenet provider.
Security and privacy
As important to Usenet activity as speed and retention is security and privacy.
Newshosting has the option of SSL encryption for connections to Usenet, via the usual port 563. The impact on speed is negligible, so using SSL should be convenient, as well as private.
As noted above, Newshosting has its own VPN, adding a further dimension of privacy to your activity. This is mainly to avoid traffic shaping tactics by ISPs, however, and keep your download speed as constant as possible throughout the day.
Newshosting provides a detailed privacy policy. This outlines how your data is recorded, stored, and the circumstances under which it will be shared. No reference is made to sharing or selling to third parties. Unusually, mention is made of the minimum age for using the service (18).
Performance
Prior to testing the speed of Newshosting, the internet connection was checked with Ookla’s Speedtest, resulting in a download speed of 63.30Mbps. Downloading an 864-day-old Raspberry Pi ISO compressed to 1.9GB took under 10 minutes, with the speed consistently over 2500Kbps, and for a few moments peaking around 3150Kbps.
Further downloads from varying retention periods, file sizes and types had similar results.
As a result, Newshosting is one of the fastest Usenet providers we've seen.
Pricing
Three main subscriptions are available from Newshosting.
The Lite package is a monthly $10 (£7.75, €8.50) subscription, with 50GB download limit (gigabytes rollover at the end of the month), 30 simultaneous connections, full retention, and SSL.
Meanwhile, the Unlimited subscription is an annual payment of $155.40 (£120.37 or €132.05 which works out at $12.95 - or £10.02 or €11.01 a month) and gives you all the above plus unlimited downloads. It can also be subscribed to for 6 months at $83.47 (£64.65 or €70.90, which breaks down at $13.95 a month - equivalent to £10.81 or €11.86) or a basic $14.95 (£11.58 or €12.71) on a pay-monthly basis.
Finally, the XL Powerpack is $189.95 a year (£147.13, €161.44), working out at $15.83 (£12.236 or €13.45) per month. This gives you unlimited downloads and 100 connections, as well as bundling the VPN. The 6-month package for this is $99.95 (£77.42 or €84.95 which is equivalent to $16.66 a month, or £12.90/€14.16) or you can pay monthly at $19.95 (£15.45 or €16.96).
All Newshosting's packages come with the free newsreader and the free trial. If you want the zero log VPN on the Lite and Unlimited packages, this is an extra $4.99 charge (£3.87/€4.24).
Final verdict
Many other Usenet providers have flaws and holes in retention and other service features. Newshosting has spent decades improving all service features to become the standard for Usenet providers: longest retention, largest Usenet archive, fastest speeds, and all the features you need like a free newsreader with NZB support and even a zero-log VPN.
Newshosting might be a little more expensive than others, but overall it's the best Usenet provider.
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