We salute Astraweb in our final celebration of the week. As they recently passed three years (1.095 days) of binary retention. Like other leading Usenet providers, Astraweb shows no signs of slowing down. They continue to increase retention on a daily basis. The service became wildly popular a few years ago after launching the first big Usenet special to hit the market. Offering unlimited Usenet access for $11 a month and then later adding an option for $96 a year. Both promotions continue to be very popular choices.
What makes Astraweb so darn popular? They built up a strong following after launching the $11 special. Those loyal to the service are often vocal in forums. Appreciative of Astraweb’s early efforts which some would argue have led to the low prices we currently see in the market. As Usenet fans and customers we would certainly agree that Astraweb and a few other leading providers have helped make Usenet even more popular.
What you see in the image above is pretty much what you get from Astraweb. With 1,095+ days of binary retention, 99% completion, 20 connections and SSL encryption. The Astraweb $11 special includes unlimited downloads at uncapped speeds. Though they provide 20 connections we don’t need anywhere close to that to max a 25 Mbps cable line. From time to time Astraweb will experience completion issues. As happened a few weeks ago. Overall though the service is very good. With high marks for completion and value.
Astraweb shines as a pure Usenet service. While others offer value-added features (Usenet clients, storage, web access, VPN, etc) Astraweb focuses on Usenet-only access. The extras offered by providers like UseNetServer (search), Newshosting (newsreader) and NewsDemon (storage) have certainly made the landscape more competitive. Especially considering all of those services offer specials priced below Astraweb. What will that mean in the long term? Will Astraweb join in on the extra features? Will the Astraweb faithful continue to tout the quality and value of the service? We’ll definitely continue to help spread the word.
Read our Astraweb review to learn more about the service or sign up for the $11/mo. or $96/yr. specials and enjoy unlimited Usenet access. Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest Usenet news and special offers.