The NZB sites or indexers you’re subscribed to is one of the biggest limiting factors for your Usenet setup, other than your providers.
If you want access to the widest selection of music, movies, audiobooks, and other media, you’ll need a good one. In fact, most Usenet vets have subscriptions to multiple indexers.
But what are the best NZB sites in 2022? Keep reading to find out.
[+] 'Best NZB Sites' contents (select to expand)
Best NZB Sites in 2022 with Open Registration
You can sign up for these sites at any time, which makes them an easy choice given how good their indexes are.
Price: $6 for 6 months, $12 for 1 year
Among regular Usenet members, Geek is a fan favorite. Because while it may not dominate in any one area, it’s just an all-around solid service at a good price, which makes it a great addition to any setup.
Read more in our full NZBGeek review.
Price: $9 for 6 months, $15 for one year
NZB.su has one of the most robust indexes on the market, which makes it a great first or second NZB site for your setup. But their prices are a bit higher than some competitors.
Check out our full NZB.su review.
Price: Starts at $9.98 per month, includes full Usenet provider services
If you prefer doing things the “easy” way, then Easynews is a great option, since it combines a Usenet provider and NZB indexer into one. You can search for and download content without needing multiple subscriptions.
Here’s our full Easynews review.
Price: 10€ to 35€ per year; limited free plan available
NZBFinder has a very solid selection of indexed material. And the best part? They offer open registration and a free plan, though it only allows you 5 downloads per day.
Check out our full NZBFinder review.
Best NZB Sites in 2022 with Limited Registration
These sites only open up for registration at certain times throughout the year. And they’re usually open for just a few days at a time, which makes them a lot harder to get access to.
The best place to keep an eye out for invitations to register is at r/usenet on Reddit.
Price: 10€ to 20€ per year; limited free plan available
DrunkenSlug is the slightly more popular sister site of NZBFinder. However, DrunkenSlug’s registration only opens for a few days a few times per year, so you’ll have to be on the lookout.
Find out more in our full DrunkenSlug review.
Price: $20 for one year
The good? DogNZB’s got a killer selection of media. The bad? Their membership prices are a little high, and the site is prone to regular downtime.
Here’s a full review of DogNZB.
Price: £10 to £15 for one year, £40 for lifetime
NZBPlanet has a solid selection at a reasonable price. But there’s no way to take a peak before subscribing, since you have to pay the subscription fee just to create an account.
Read our full NZBPlanet review.
Best Invite-Only NZB Sites in 2022
These sites require an invite from an existing member to join. And since they only get a few invites per year, it usually requires some time and connections in the Usenet scene to get one.
Price: $10 for one year
omgwtfnzbs is one of the premier invite-only NZB sites. Its index is pretty impressive, but invites are super hard to get a hold of. They even tell members not to mention their name.
Price: $20 to $43.20 per year, with shorter subscriptions available
NZBCat is another notable NZB site that requires an invite to join. If you can get in the door, it’s pretty sweet, but you can mostly replace it (or omgwtfnzbs) with a combination of the other sites we highlighted above.
How Many NZB Sites Do I Need?
As we mentioned, a lot of heavy Usenet users have memberships to multiple indexers at a time. That allows them to get the widest range of new and old content. They avoid takedowns on the hottest stuff, while getting older media before it’s too old to grab.
That being said, it depends on your own tech savvy, desire for content, and budget. On the lower end, you could grab an Easynews subscription and handle your provider and NZB needs with one simple membership. It’s easy to add other NZB sites to the mix for more content.
Or you could go for a combination like NZBGeek and/or NZB.su, plus DrunkenSlug and/or DogNZB. That’d give you maximum coverage, but cost you about $50+ per year. And you still need a Usenet provider(s).
For light downloaders, you could even get by decently with NZBFinder or DrunkenSlug’s free tiers. It really just depends on your own needs and budget.
Which Provider Works Best with That NZB Site?
In order to download from these NZB sites, you’ll need a Usenet provider. Unless you’re using EasyNews, of course, since it’s both a provider and an indexer.
So, which provider works best with the NZB site you’ve chosen?
Our top recommended provider is Newshosting. It gives you industry-leading retention, US and EU servers, and some useful freebies (VPN and newsreader), all for a good price. You can also take advantage of their 14-day / 30GB trial period.
Here are some of our other favorite Usenet providers.
But in general, your main consideration is retention, which is why a provider on the Omicron backbone is a good choice for getting started. With better retention, you’ll have a better chance at successfully grabbing older uploads on any of the above NZB sites.
Other things to look out for are where their servers are located (US, EU, or both) and what takedown type (DMCA vs. NTD) they follow, though the latter will be dictated by the backbone.
Heavy Usenet users usually combine two or sometimes even three providers, usually as one monthly plan and a couple of block accounts, with several NZB sites for the best coverage.
Best NZB Sites 2022: Wrap-Up
There you have it, the best NZB sites in 2022, from open registration and free plans to invite-only paid memberships.
Which one will you choose? Or do you already have memberships to some of the NZB sites we mentioned? Let us know your favorites in the comments!