Free Usenet Access : Best Free Newsgroup Trials

Earlier we posted a list of the best Usenet provider deals.  Today we’ll be covering the best free trial offers.  As several leading Usenet providers including Easynews, NewshostingUseNetServer and NewsDemon offer free Usenet trials to help you test the service.  In hopes that you’ll enjoy the free Usenet access and become a fan of the service for years to come.  The free Usenet trials listed below include a set period of time and maximum amount of downloads.  For example 14 days and up to 10 GB.  Giving you two weeks and up to 10 gigs of downloads to decide whether to keep the service or cancel during the trial period.  Those new to Usenet might consider the Easynews trial first since their web interface makes Usenet very simple to use.  The other providers require that you configure a newsreader to download from newsgroups.

Easynews Free Usenet Trial – 14 Days, 10 GB (Web Usenet)

Easynews is the perfect solution for new Usenet fans and those who would rather not have to configure a newsreader client.  Offering over 200 days of web Usenet retention along with nearly 1,600+ days of NNTP rentention.  You can expect solid speed and secure (SSL) web Usenet access from Easynews.  The all-in-one service takes care of everything.  Allowing you to easily search for content, download and even stream directly from your web browser.  Take advantage of the Easynews free trial and enjoy two weeks and up to 10 gigs of free Usenet access.

Newshosting Free Usenet Trial – 14 Days, 30 GB Downloads

Newshosting has tripled their free trial offer.  Enjoy 30 gigs of free Usenet downloads over two weeks.  Giving you plenty of time to test the download speed and reliability of Newshosting.  Both of which are very good.  Newshosting offers 1,600+ days of binary retention, 60 SSL connections, newsreader and free Easynews web access with their XL Powerpack account.  Those interested in the NH Unlimited plan will want to check out our $9.99 special.  Take advantage of the super sized Newshosting free trial and enjoy 30 gigs of free Usenet downloads over a two week period.

UseNetServer Free Usenet Trial – 14 Days, 10 GB Downloads

UseNetServer offers a two week free trial including up to 10 GB of free downloads.  The quality of service is excellent.  Offering over 1,600+ days of binary retention, unlimited downloads, uncapped speed and up to 20 SSL connections with their High-Speed Plus account.  Along with a cool free Usenet search feature (UNS Global Search) and news servers located in the US and Europe.  Check out our $10 UNS special to save on unlimited Usenet access.  Sign up for the UseNetServer free trial and enjoy 10 GB of free Usenet access over two weeks.

NewsDemon Free Usenet Trial – 7 Days, 15 GB, Newsreader

NewsDemon offers a one week free trial including up to 15 GB of Usenet downloads.  The service comes with several extras including a free registered copy of News Rover newsreader and 30 GB of online storage with unlimited Usenet accounts.  With nearly 1,600+ days of binary retention along with 50 connections, 256-bit SSL encryption and all the extras NewsDemon has a lot to offer.  We suggest you check out their $9.99 special which saves you 50% off unlimited Usenet access.  Sign up for the NewsDemon free trial and enjoy 15 gigs of downloads over 7 days,

Beginner’s Guide to Free Usenet Newsgroup Trials

Are you new to Usenet and confused by all the choices out there?  Perhaps a friend has recommended a Usenet provider or you’ve read about services on Newsgroup Reviews but haven’t quite decided yet.

Free Usenet trials are a great way to test newsgroup services and help make a buying decision.  Most top providers offer free Usenet access for new customers.  As with any free trial you’ll want to understand the terms prior to signing up.  That’s where this guide comes in.  Below we will list the top newsgroup trials from NGR along with details for each trial.  First though we want to cover some general Q & A.

Why do Usenet provider’s require so much information for a free trial?  Why not just ask for my email address?

Fraud prevention.  A trial based simply on email address would be abused.

Alright they need some personal information but why collect billing information for a free trial?

Free Usenet trials are similar to Netflix, Blockbuster, Rhapsody and other brand name subscription services.  While signing up for a free trial you will choose a plan and enter billing information.  Some will even preauthorize charges prior to activating the trial.

Why would I choose a paid account type for a “free” trial?

The “paid” subscription applies if you exceed the trial terms (either in days or usage) before canceling service.  In other words if you exceed the trial terms they assume you want to keep the service and bill accordingly based on the plan chosen during sign up.

That one really seems to catch some people.  They sign up for a free trial and forget to cancel or exceed the download limit by accident.  Then are confused when the provider bills them.  Please be clear that it is your responsibility to cancel during the trial period to avoid charges.  That means if the trial is 14 days and up to 10 gigs you shouldn’t exceed either one.  There isn’t typically a warning sent when you get close to the download or time limit.  Exceeding either one will transition the free trial into a paid account.

More general tips on how free Usenet trials work:

Most Usenet veterans seem comfortable with the way trials work.  Probably because they’ve tried a few through the years.  New users sometimes get frustrated.  Thinking the free trial will expire without any action on their part.  That isn’t the case.  You have to cancel the account during the trial period to avoid being charged.  Before exceeding the time or download limit.

The cancellation process varies between services but you normally visit the website, log in to your account and cancel service.  Each provider should have clear instructions on the site.  If you are considering a service that doesn’t make it clear you might want to avoid them.

Also pay attention to the account choices during sign up.  Some provider’s will offer discounted annual plans.  Most include one time billing.  Meaning if you exceed the free trial terms without canceling the company will automatically bill for a year of service.  Normally at a considerable discount which is nice if you want the service but not so good if you just forget to cancel.

Free Usenet Trial Details:

Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s take a close look at some of the top Usenet provider’s free trial offerings.

1.  NewsDemon

Trial details:  NewsDemon offers our visitors a special free trial.  They call it the “NGR Demon Trial“.  It consists of 7 days of free Usenet and up to 15 gigs of usage.  What makes the trial so special is that it combines with their “Demon Deal” which includes over 50% off unlimited Usenet access.  Meaning if you stay beyond the trial the cost is $10.95 a month versus the normal $22.99.

Pros: Trial + discount, free newsreader and free online storage.

Cons: None

2.  Newshosting

Trial details:  Newshosting also offers NGR visitors a free trial combined with discount pricing.  The trial term is 14 days with up to 10 gigs of downloads.  Followed by a discounted price of $12.95 for Unlimited or $15.95 for XL Powerpack account.  The differnce being number of connections.  Tip: go with the Unlimited account as 30 connections is plenty.

Pros: Trial + discount

Cons: None

3.  Giganews

Trial details:  Giganews offers a 14 day free Usenet trial with up to 10 GB of usage.  They also combine it with a special offer of 50% off the first month for Diamond sign ups.

Pros: Trial + discount for Diamond account

Cons: Diamond accounts do not include VyprVPN access during the trial period.

4. UseNetServer

Trial details:  UseNetServer offers a 14 day, 10 GB free Usenet trial.  We like the service a lot but what makes it a great value is the UNS special offers which include unlimited access for $10 a month or $95.40 a year.  Unfortunately if you take advantage of their free trial retail pricing applies.  In this case we suggest forgoing the trial for the lifetime discount.

Pros: Standard trial terms.

Cons: The trial ends in retail pricing.

5. Power Usenet

Trial details:  Power Usenet offers a 5 days, 10 GB free newsgroup trial.  They also combine it with a special offer that includes 50% off your first month of unlimited access.

Pros: Trial + discount.

Cons: The trial term (5 days) is a bit shorter than most.  Still plenty of time though.

6. Easynews

Trial details:  Easynews offers a 14 day free Usenet trial with up to 10 GB of downloads.  The trial only applies to Classic accounts.

Pros: Standard trial terms.

Cons: The trial only applies to Classic accounts.

I hope this guide has helped you better understand how free Usenet trials work.  We will keep a running list of the best free newsgroup trials on NGR along with the details of each trial.  Leaving you with the final advice of always reading and understanding the full terms of a Usenet trial or any other offer before signing up.