For us the question of who offers the best Usenet value goes beyond newsgroup access.  That wasn’t always the case but now some leading providers are offering bundled services (newsreaders, Usenet search, online storage, VPN, etc.) along with unlimited Usenet access for less than $10 a month.  While we highly recommend both UNS and Astraweb these other services offer more value-added features for the same low price.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Usenet values and the free add-on features offered by each provider.

Newshosting : Unlimited Usenet + Newsreader + Usenet Search

Newshosting is our pick for the best Usenet value.  Along with unlimited Usenet access they offer members a great newsreader (Windows, Mac, Linux) and Usenet search engine.  Not to mention high retention, free SSL and excellent performance.  All for just $9.99 a month or $99 a year.  Unlimited Usenet along with a newsreader and built-in search engine for $9.99 is quite a value!

NewsDemon : Unlimited Usenet + Newsreader + Online Storage

NewsDemon is another outstanding Usenet value.  Offering members unlimited Usenet access, a free copy of News Rover and 30 GB of online storage.  Along with high retention, free SSL and excellent performance.  All for just $9.99 a month.  Unlimited Usenet downloads along with News Rover newsreader and free online storage is an amazing value for just $9.99 a month!

Newshosting and NewsDemon top our list of the best Usenet values.  With each offering unlimited Usenet and excellent add-on features for less than $10 a month. Some other good Usenet values include Easynews (Usenet + web interface for $9.98 a month), ThunderNews (Usenet + newsreader for $10.49 a month), Ngroups (Usenet + storage + VPN for $9.99 a month) and NewsgroupDirect (Usenet + online storage for $16 a month).

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest promotions.

You’ll notice that we celebrate the accomplishments of multiple newsgroup services with our Editors Choice Awards.  The reason is we enjoy a number of Usenet providers and feel each offers an advantage over the others.  With criteria to include extra features, high retention & completion, performance, reliability and value.

Congratulations to all of our 2012 NGR Editor’s Choice Award winners.  We would like to thank each provider for their ongoing efforts in supporting the continued growth of Usenet.  The list of award recipients starts with UseNetServer followed closely by Newshosting, NewsDemon, Astraweb, Easynews and ThunderNews.

Let’s take a closer look at our 2012 NGR Editor’s Choice winners for “Best Usenet Providers“:

UseNetServer – 2012 NGR Editors Choice Award

UseNetServer provides an excellent mix of quality and value.  Since releasing their $10 unlimited Usenet special in the Summer of 2009 the service has grown rapidly.  The service was always a staple in the industry but at $10 a month or $95.40 a year it’s really hard to pass up.  In addition to value, UseNetServer offers high retention and UNS Global Search.  Having a built-in Usenet search engine makes finding newsgroup content much easier.

UseNetServer offers 1,250+ days of binary retention along with two years of text posts.  Subscribers enjoy unlimited Usenet access, 256-bit SSL, 20 connections, uncapped speed and 24/7 live support.  Take advantage of the UNS $10/mo. and $95.40/yr. unlimited Usenet specials.

Newshosting – 2012 NGR Editors Choice Award

Expect the best performance and premium features for a value from Newshosting.  Including unlimited Usenet downloads with access to their recently released Newshosting Usenet client.  A very nice addition!  Along with uncapped speeds and free 256-bit SSL encryption.  Connect to their North American or European servers and enjoy unlimited Usenet.  All for just $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year via our Newshosting NGR special.

Newshosting offers 1,250+ days of binary retention along with 1,400 days of text posts.  Subscribers enjoy unlimited Usenet access, Newshosting Usenet client, 256-bit SSL, uncapped speed and 24/7 support.  Take advantage of the Newshosting $9.99/mo. and $99.99/yr. unlimited Usenet specials.

NewsDemon – 2012 NGR Editors Choice Award

NewsDemon is similar to Giganews in that they present customers with a package of features in addition to quality Usenet access.  All unlimited NewsDemon members receive a free registered copy of News Rover newsreader and 30 GB of free online storage provided by StorageNinja.  All for only $9.99 a month for those who sign up through NGR.  NewsDemon presents subscribers with a very good balance of features and value.

NewsDemon offers 1,250+ days of binary retention along with 1,400 days of text posts.  Members enjoy unlimited Usenet, 256-bit SSL, 50 connections, online storage, News Rover and 24/7 tech support.  Take advantage of our NewsDemon $9.99 deal to save over 50% off unlimited Usenet.

Easynews – 2012 NGR Editors Choice Award

Easynews has everything you could ask for in a Usenet service including web access.  A feature that sets them apart from our other award winners.  The Easynews web interface allows users to browse newsgroups and stream content without the need for a newsreader.  Simply open your favorite web browser.  With third party apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android mobile devices.  Easynews offers 1,200 days of NNTP retention if you want to connect via newsreader.  Web retention is over 200 days.  Take the new web interface for a test drive.

Easynews offers web Usenet access in addition to iPhone and Android apps.  Especially useful to those new to Usenet and others who would rather avoid the need for additional software.  Take advantage of the Easynews 14 day free trial and $9.95 unlimited NNTP offers.

Astraweb – 2012 NGR Editors Choice Award

Anyone who has been around Usenet the last few years has undoubtedly heard of Astraweb.  A mix of high retention and value is the service’s claim to fame.  Astraweb was the first major Usenet provider to drop in price to $11 a month.  Since then several provider’s have lowered prices into the $10-$11 range.  Even so Astraweb remains a popular choice for Usenet.  With a very loyal following they continue to grow at a good pace.

Astraweb offers 1,250+ days of binary retention along with 1,095 days of text posts.  Members enjoy unlimited Usenet, 256-bit SSL, 20 connections, uncapped speeds and solid completion for $11 a month.  Take advantage of the Astraweb $11/mo. and $96/yr. unlimited Usenet specials.

ThunderNews – 2012 NGR Editors Choice Award

ThunderNews made our Editors Choice list in 2011 and continues to impress.  With a mix of high retention, performance, reliability and free Usenet client.  ThunderNews includes a free registered copy of News Rover newsreader.  Customers can download the latest version of News Rover from the ThuunderNews website.  NGR visitors can enjoy unlimited ThunderNews Usenet access for just $10.49 a month, a 50% savings.

ThunderNews offers 1,250+ days of binary retention and 1,265 days of text posts.  Subscribers enjoy unlimited Usenet access, 256-bit SSL, 50 connections, News Rover and 24/7 support.  Take advantage of our ThunderNews 50% discount and enjoy unlimited Usenet for $10.49.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 2012 Editor’s Choice Awards for the best Usenet providers.  Please help us recognize and congratulate the winners through your patronage.  Also make sure to check out our Editor’s Choice Awards for ”Best Usenet Deals“, “Best Free Usenet Trials“and “Best Usenet Clients“.

The Newshosting newsreader is free to all members.  Download the latest version for Windows, Mac or Linux.  If you aren’t already using Newshosting we highly recommend their service.  New members can enjoy unlimited Usenet access with the client and Usenet search for only $9.99 a month or $99 a year.

Newshosting Client : Pausing Individual Downloads

To pause individual downloads inside the Newshosting client you’ll want to take a look at your queue.  To do so simply click on the Transfers icon at the top of the screen.  From there you can pause and resume individual downloads.  Giving you more flexibility in managing your downloads in the queue.

To pause a download right click on the description and click on Pause.

To resume a download right click on the description and click on Resume.

That’s all there is to it.  Now you can easily pause and resume individual downloads.  Enjoy downloading!

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to compare newsreaders and follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest offers.

The Newshosting Usenet client is free to all subscribers.  You can download the latest version from their site.  If you aren’t already a Newshosting member we highly recommend you check out their special offer.  Enjoy unlimited newsgroup access with the newsreader and Usenet search for only $9.99 a month or $99 a year.

Newshosting Client : Configuring NZB Auto-Import

Setting up NZB auto-import in Newshosting’s client is a simple process.  Start by opening the client and focus on the menu options at the top of the screen.  Click on Options – Settings or press CTRL+, (ctrl comma).  After the settings box opens go down to the Inport icon on the left.  You’ll then see the following screen:

As you can see we’ve already configured the auto import folder in our screenshot above.  You’ll want to do the same.  First clicking on the Auto Import Folder checkbox.  Then choose the Folder to watch.  This is the folder the Newshosting client will ping for NZB files.  Anytime it finds an NZB file in the target folder it will automatically import it into the client.  Now you have two options.  You can let Newshosting delete the NZB file after import or move the NZB files to another folder after import.  Our preference was to move them to another folder.

That’s all there is to setting up Newshosting’s new NZB auto-import feature.  Enjoy downloading!

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to compare newsreaders and follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest offers.

Not a Newshosting member?  Enjoy unlimited Usenet with the free client for just $9.99 a month or $99 a year.

Newshosting Client : Configuring the Download Scheduler

Setting up the new download schedule in Newshosting’s client is a breeze.  Simply open the client and look to the menu options at the top of the screen.  Click on Options – Settings or press CTRL+, (ctrl comma).  After the settings box opens go down to the Scheduler icon on the left.  You’ll then see the following screen:

The first thing you want to do is enable the scheduler.  To do that simply click the Use Download Scheduler checkbox.  Then you can go through and select which hours you want the newsreader to download.  When your done making selections click Apply and then OK.  That’s all there is to setting up the download scheduler.  Stay tunes as next week we’ll take a look at the nzb auto-import feature and pausing individual downloads.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to compare Usenet clients and follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest deals.

Here’s a full list of new features and enhancements in the Newshosting client v1.2.1

New Features

• Downloads can be paused individually

• NZB Auto Import. Monitors a folder for NZB files, imports and deletes or moves them afterwards.

• Download Scheduler. The download scheduler can be enabled in the settings dialog. It’s configurable based on time-of-day for different types of downloads, normal downloads, previews and images. This will help you take advantage of your bandwidth when you’re not using it for other purposes.

 

Enhancements

• Download scheduler can now be disabled on a per-download basis.

• Additional default window sizes.

• If a download is paused due to the download scheduler it now shows when the download will resume.

• New RAR version.

• Drop support for NZB files. Dropping an NZB over the main application window imports the NZB.

• An alert message is displayed if a user tries to close the settings dialog without having saved the changes made.

• Reorganized the settings dialog because of the new features included.

Bug Fixes

• Previously used window size and position wasn’t restored on Mac OS X.

• In some situations the download scheduler prevented some downloads to start although they should have started.

• Windows XP now remembers the the path that was used in the open file dialog.

• In some situations the previous window size wasn’t restored properly in Windows.

Cheers to the Newshosting client developers for their latest innovations to the popular newsreader.  We look forward to their continued efforts in the year ahead.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to compare newsreaders and follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest offers.

• UseNetServer – $10 a month or $96 a year
• Newshosting – $9.99 a month or $99 a year
• NewsDemon – $9.99 a month
  
• Astraweb – $11 a month or $96 a year
• Easynews – $9.95 a month
• ThunderNews – $10.49 a month

November 25th update: it’s finally time for this year’s Black Friday fun.  Enjoy the deals!

• NewsDemon – mystery specials – Sign Up
  
• ThunderNews – multiple discounts – Sign Up
• NewsgroupDirect – mystery deals – Sign Up
  
• UseNetNow / BlockNews – Sign Up
  
• theUsenet – multiple discounts – Sign Up
• theCubeNet – multiple deals – Sign Up

November 24th update: UseNetNow, BlockNews and Frugal Usenet are offering fans a sneak peak of their Black Friday and holiday specials.  You can see the account types and quantities available but the prices won’t be shown until each deal goes live on Friday.  See our UseNetNow / BlockNews / Frugal Usenet Black Friday deals post for more details.

November 23rd update:  it’s almost time for this year’s Black Friday fun.  Last year the deals started early evening EST time Thanksgiving night.  We look forward to covering all the best Black Friday offers again this year.  Remember when time comes we’ll list all the Black Friday deals at the top of this post as they launch.  So the list will change as the hours roll on.  They will also be present on the Newsgroup Reviews home page.

It’s almost time to launch the 2011 Black Friday Usenet deals again this year.  Last time around was a lot of fun and we plan to cover all the Thanksgiving / Black Friday / Holiday newsgroup specials right here again this year.  Enjoy some of the best deals of 2011 courtesy of top Usenet providers.  We’ll have some great holiday specials along with a few surprises.  Make sure to keep an eye on this post as we will begin to drop in the Black Friday deals Thanksgiving night.  From what we’ve heard so far this year will be fun as always.

We will start from the top and cover the top 10 Black Friday / Holiday Usenet deals of 2011.  Remember the list will change as Black Friday deals launch so please check back for the best deals of 2011.  Click on any provider below or visit the Newsgroup Reviews home page for sign up details.

1.  UseNetServer – $10 unlimited Usenet access for life

UNS offers high retention, free SSL and Usenet search for $10 a month or $95 a year.  All included with 20 connections and unlimited newsgroup downloads.  Read our UNS review to learn more about the service.

2.  Newshosting – $9,99 unlimited Usenet access for life

Newshosting is offering unlimited Usenet downloads, a free newsreader with built-in search, 30 connections and SSL  for just $9.99 a month or $99 a year.  Read our Newshosting review for details.

3.  NewsDemon – $9.99 unlimited Usenet for life

NewsDemon offers unlimited newsgroup access along with a newsreader, 30 GB of online storage, SSL and 50 connections for just $9.99 a month.  Read our NewsDemon review to learn more.

4.  Astraweb – $11 unlimited Usenet access for life

The deal that started it all.  Astraweb is still offering $11 a month / $96 a year unlimited Usenet access with 20 connections, SSL  and high binary retention.  Read our Astraweb review for more details.

5.  Easynews – $9.95 unlimited Usenet for life

Easynews is offering unlimited NNTP Usenet access along with 1,130 days of binary retention and 20 SSL connections for just $9.95 a month.  Read our Easynews review to learn more.

6.  ThunderNews – $10.49 unlimited Usenet for life

ThunderNews includes unlimited Usenet access with secure (SSL) encryption, 50 connections and a free newsreader for $10.49 a month.  Read our ThunderNews review to learn more.

7.  Ngroups – $9.99 unlimited Usenet access

Ngroups NGR special includes unlimited Usenet access with 20 SSL connections and free unlimited Livedrive online storage for just $9.99 a month.  Read our Ngroups review for more details.

8.  MaximumUsenet – $9.99 unlimited Usenet access

MaximumUsenet offers NGR visitors unlimited access to newsgroups along with free SSL encryption and 50 connections. for just $9.99 a month.  Read our Maximum Usenet review for more details.

9.  UseNetNow – $10.39 unlimited Usenet access

UseNetNow offers NGR visitors unlimited Usenet downloads along with free SSL encryption and 50 connections. for just $10.39 a month.  Read our UseNetNow review for more details.

10.  Fast Usenet – $9.95 unlimited Usenet access

Fast Usenet is offering unlimited newsgroup downloads along with 50 connections and secure SSL encryption for just $9.95 a month.  Read our Fast Usenet review to learn more.

A sincere thank you to all the Usenet providers offering holiday specials.  We  appreciate your efforts and consideration in making the deals available.  To our NGR visitors we hope you enjoy the Black Friday / holiday Usenet deals.  Save some money and enjoy the best premium newsgroup access!

It’s hard to believe we have access to over three years of binary retention.  At 1,200 days you can access newsgroup posts from 3 years and 3 months ago.  As 1,200 days ago was August of 2008.  In comparison Giganews was the clear leader in retention at that time.  Completing their upgrade to 240 days (eight months) of binary retention in September of 2008.  Times have certainly changed since then as a number of leading Usenet providers are within 10 days of each other now.  All with nearly 40 months of binary retention and growing.

The value offered by Usenet providers has also changed quite a bit since 2008.  With services offering unlimited Usenet for $10 or less a month rather than $20-$30 a month.  Not only has the cost dropped significantly.  The services themselves are much improved.  Including SSL encryption, better reliability / performance and extra features like newsreaders, Usenet search, online storage and VPN access.  All for under $10 a month.

We’ll see you right here in 100 days as we all help celebrate 1,300 days of binary retention.  Then in 9 months we’ll happily help celebrate 4 years of retention.  Until then continue to enjoy all the advantages of Usenet.  Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet retention.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest offers.

Enjoy unlimited Usenet and free Newshosting client access for $9.99 a month or $99 a year.

Configuring SafeSearch in the Newshosting Usenet Client

SafeSearch is a new feature in the Newshoting client that helps to filter out adult content.  To enable the SafeSearch option from within the newsreader simply click on Options and then Settings.  Then click on the SafeSearch tab.  To enable SafeSearch simply check the box.  The result is shown below.

Take notice of the statement at the top of the screen shot.  Because “Only items of newsgroups that are explicitly marked as having adult content in them are filtered when SafeSearch is enabled.  So there might still be some items in listings and search results that are considered adult content“.

Enjoy unlimited Usenet and free Newshosting client access for $9.99 a month or $99 a year.

Newshosting Client – Configuring Download Folder Options

You have a few options when configuring how the Newshosting client handles download folders.  With some nice ways to organize downloads.  To access the download folder settings once again click on Options and then Settings.  Then click on the Downloads tab.  The following screen will be displayed.

Take notice of the highlighted section for download folder options.  Starting with the path which is configurable.  Once you decide where you want downloads stored look over the additional options:

• Create subfolders for each date
• Create subfolders for each newsgroup
• Create date folders before newsgroup folders

Check the boxes based on your download folder preferences.  You’ll also notice options below for controlling how the Newshosting client handles PAR2 repairs and auto-unRAR functions.

That’s all there is to it.  You can easily enable the SafeSearch feature (disabled by default) and configure download folder options within a couple minutes.  New members will be happy to know that the Newshosting client comes pre-configured.  With addition tweaks like those above that further enhance your experience.

Enjoy unlimited Usenet and free Newshosting client access for $9.99 a month or $99 a year.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest specials.

We’ve had several users email us bragging about how much they like the Newshosting client.  So the v1.1.0 update should only enhance the experience.  For example versioin 1.1.0 introduces a feature called SafeSearch.  Enabling SafeSearch allows you to filter adult content across file groups, image listings and search results.  You can easily enable the SafeSearch feature from within the browser’s settings.

Newshosting Client v1.1.0 – New Features

• SafeSearch – help filter out adult content (for all you horndogs the SafeSearch feature is optional)
• Download folders – dates and/or newsgroup subfolders are now created in the download folder.  Also configurable.
• Minimize-to-tray option

In addition to the v1.1.0 features here are some more highlights of the Newshosting client:

• Client comes preconfigured
• Quick file search
• File preview + automatic thumbnails – very cool feature!
• Sort groups by file type (image, audio, video, etc)
• Text and binary newsgroup support
• Post to text groups directly
• Auto-unrar and auto-par – no need for WinRAR or QuickPAR

Read our Newshosting newsreader review to learn more about the client.  Existing members can update to version 1.1.0 from within the client or download a new copy from the Newshosting control panel.  While new subscribers can save up to 44% through one of our Newshosting specials.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest offers.