Usenet Provider Comparison : Server Ratings

New to Usenet?  If so visit our Usenet provider area to compare all the current options, trials, specials, etc.  The rest of this post is meant more for those who have been around newsgroups for awhile.  Perhaps have tried a few providers or been happy for years with their current service.  In either situation we want to know what features you expect in a Usenet provider and other factors that make a difference when comparing services.

When Newsgroup Reviews started out we had to decide how to rate and compare providers.  Binary retention was a clear factor at the time.  With Giganews in the lead at 120 days.  There were a few other differentiating factors between providers like Easynews web interface but for the most part the focus was on retention.

Roll forward a few years.  As storage costs went down retention skyrocketed and continues to rise.  Instead of talking about which provider’s are moving past a month or even 100 days of retention we now see services like Giganews and Astraweb around 700 days and several others between 400 and 600 days.  All of the top Usenet providers listed on NGR offer over a year of binary retention.

At what point does retention become less of a factor?  Never?  Or has it already?  We plan to ask the question soon in a new Usenet poll.  Before doing so we need your help.

The poll will present a list of Usenet provider features and ask which is most important to you.  Here are the general factors we are considering:

  • Binary Retention
  • Completion
  • Performance (speed)
  • Price
  • Reliability (uptime)
  • Support

A few providers have started offering extra features like VPN access and online storage.  We would like to know which of these features appeal to you when choosing a provider:

  • Mobile Access
  • Newsreader
  • Online Storage
  • Usenet Search
  • VPN Access
  • Web Interface

Can you think of anything we’ve missed on either list?  If so please email your suggestions to feedback (at) newsgroupreviews.com by July 23rd so we can finalize the new Usenet polls.  Then come back and cast your vote.  Thanks to everyone who has voted in our current polls and those who have shared additional feedback.