These are the best ways to get access to Usenet servers for free
Usenet is great, but it does cost money. That can be a problem if you're broke or just don't download much.
But is there a way to access Usenet for free? Well, kind of. You see, one of the main costs of accessing Usenet is a provider. This is what allows you to actually download the files you want.
However, there are two ways to get a provider without paying: free Usenet servers and free trials of paid servers. This article will tell you everything you need to know about both.
[+] 'Best Free Usenet Trials' contents (select to expand)
Best Free Usenet Trials
A free Usenet trial can be a great way to “try before you buy” and make sure a provider fits your needs before parting with your hard earned cash (or cryptocurrency).
But they can also help the more frugal minded among us take advantage of a week or two of free Usenet. 🙂
Of course, not all providers offer free trials. That’s why we’ve assembled this list of the ones that do! They are listed generally in order of most generous, either by length of time and/or amount of data.
NewsDemon – 15 Days / 50 GB
One of our favorite Usenet providers also has one of the best free trials. At 15 days, Newsdemon’s free Usenet trial is the longest we’ve seen, and it’s 50 GB cap is more than enough to keep most users busy.
XSNews – 14 Days / No Data Limit – NL Based
XSNews is another solid provider with an excellent free Usenet trial. It’s a day shorter but comes with uncapped data, which is unheard of for such a long trial! XSNews is based in the Netherlands though, so it’s best for European users. Check out XSNews' free Usenet trial.
Newshosting – 14 Days / 30 GB – Editor's Choice #1
Newshosting’s free Usenet trial is just a tad less generous than NewsDemon’s, but is one of if not the best free Usenet trials on the market today! Especially considering Newshosting is rated as our overall best Usenet provider.
UsenetServer – 14 Days / 10 GB
Want to try one of the fastest Usenet providers around – for free? Then UsenetServer’s free trial is perfect for you.
Giganews – 14 Days / 10 GB
Giganews is a premium Usenet provider, with all the bells and whistles that come with it, so Giganews' free Usenet trial that’s worth checking out.
EasyNews - 14 Days / 10 GB
EasyNews is one of the most popular Usenet providers on the market today, and you can try it free for 14 days or 10 GBs, whichever comes first. Check out the Easynews free Usenet trial.
TweakNews – 7 Days / 50 GB
TweakNews’ free Usenet trial isn’t the longest in terms of days, but it’s one of the best Usenet trials you can get.
There is a 50 GB limit on the amount of data you can download during the free trial and download speeds are restricted to 300 Mbit.
In the past, you could access the free trial without providing a credit card or PayPal details, but that has been tightened up due to abuse. Just make sure you cancel your account before the 7-day period is over.
TweakNews' free Usenet trial (select to zoom).
UsenetBucket – 7 Days / 5 GB (No Credit Card Required) – NL Based
UsenetBucket actually operates on the XSNews backend, but unfortunately it’s free trial isn’t as robust. Of course, it does have one advantage over the XSNews trial: no credit card required! Give UsenetBucket's free Usenet trial a whirl.
PureUsenet – 7 Days / No Data Limit – NL Based
What PureUsenet’s trial lacks in length it makes up for with its uncapped data and no speed throttling.
PureUsenet is based in The Netherlands and you only need an email address to sign up. Try the PureUsenet free Usenet trial today.
Eweka – 7 Days / No Data Limit – NL Based
Eweka is another Netherlands-based provider with an uncapped 7-day free trial. Some people prefer it slightly to PureUsenet, but it does require payment information, like a credit card, to take advantage of the trial.
SuperNews – 3 Days / No Data Limit
SuperNews offers a short and sweet free Usenet trial that’s great if you just need to download a few things – or a quick binge.
Usenet.Farm – 10 GB (No Credit Card Required)
Usenet.Farm is a newer Usenet provider and it’s free Usenet trial isn’t the most impressive, but the good news is you only need an email address to sign up (no credit card info is needed)!
Best Free Usenet Servers
If a free trial isn't enough, or you don't want to deal with canceling a membership or giving out your payment details, there is another option for getting free Usenet. And that's with free Usenet servers.
However, we don't consider these a serious option. For starters, the two options we've highlight below only allow you to download text files, not binaries. That means no movies, TV shows, music, and the like.
On top of that, there retention is often very low, so you won't even be able to access files older than a few months or years. But we'll still include them, just in case you're interested.
AIOE
Update: AOIE is no more, check out the other alternatives on our list.
AOIE provides free Usenet access through its two servers, nttp.aioe.org and news.aioe.org. They do support SSL and TSL encryption, but you can only download text files.
Eternal September
Similar to the above, EternalSeptember gives users free access to several servers, including feeder.eternal-september.org and news.eternal-september.org (SSL). But again, you can only download text files.
Can I get free Usenet through my ISP?
In the past, many internet service providers allowed you to access Usenet through their own limited-retention servers. It wasn't completely free, of course, since you were still paying them for internet. But it didn't cost anything extra.
However, almost every ISP has closed their Usenet servers since then. One of the last holdouts, Virgin Media, shut down their server in 2021.
There are a few smaller US-based ISPs that still have free Usenet though:
Earthlink and one or two others also seem to offer Usenet, but only to customers who've had their accounts before a specific year. So, you're out of luck if you're not already a long-time subscriber.
All of these are rather small providers, so if you're using Comcast, Spectrum, AT&T, etc., you'll need to either pay for Usenet separately... or use one of the free trials we mentioned above.
Not Sure Which of the Free Usenet Trials to Choose?
If you’re still not sure which trial is right for you – or which one to try first – we’ve got some great resources on our best Usenet provider and a comprehensive Usenet comparison table that can help you make up your mind.
And remember, most trials require you to cancel before the trial’s over if you don’t want to be charged. So, if you don’t like the provider or don’t want to subscribe long-term, remember your trial end date and cancel before it ends!
Psst. There's actually a third way to get free Usenet access, but it's a bit complicated and for advanced users only. Therefore, we recommend you stick with the much easier methods above.
Happy downloading!
Tweaknews requires a credit card.
Thanks very much for your comment, Adam.
After receiving your comment, we immediately signed up for a TweakNews free trial to check. The free trial signup process did NOT require a credit card, but it did require a telephone number that had to be verified by SMS/text code, https://www.tweaknews.eu/en/signup/phoneverification. We will add this information to the post above.
Many thanks again!
A further update: TweakNews’ free trial now does require a credit card or PayPal account. It’s still 10 days and 10 GB. Thanks again Adam.