There's a Usenet provider combination for everyone. Which one will you go with?
Usenet setup can be a little confusing if you’re a newbie (or simply haven’t used Usenet in a while). So many providers and indexers and what not to choose from! But it’s not that complicated. A good Usenet provider combo will handle pretty much anything you throw at it.
That’s why, today, we’re going to talk about the best. Keep reading for our favorite Usenet provider combinations.
Best Usenet Provider Combos
So, we’d love to cut to the chase and simply lay out our recommendations (and you can always skip to that part), but first, we want to explain our reasoning a bit.
Basically, the overall idea here is to mix, if possible:
1. Account types: Unlimited + Block. The reason being that the unlimited plan will provide most of your bandwidth, while generally costing you the most money. While the block will pick up the stuff your main provider missed, while not requiring a subscription fee.
2. Backbones: You can learn more about this in our Guide to Usenet Backbones. But the tl;dr is that each backbone has their own collection of stored files. So, just like a grocery store, if one store (backbone) doesn’t have what you’re looking for, there’s a chance that the other store (backbone) does. Hence having two providers on two different backbones.
3. Takedown types: One of the most common reasons for Usenet (or torrent, etc.) files to be taken down is via takedown requests, with the main two types being DMCA and NTD. This matters to the end user because a provider that follows NTD doesn’t have to honor DMCA requests – and vice versa. In other words, if your DMCA-compliant provider doesn’t have something, there’s a chance your NTD-compliant provider does.
Anyways, enough with the technical stuff, and let’s jump into the actual best Usenet provider combinations.
Omicron Unlimited + Non-Omicron Block
If you’re looking for the “best” option, this is it.
Why?
Because Omicron offers the best retention… but no block accounts. So, your unlimited account will pick up almost everything, while your block account is there as a backup, just in case.
Example Combos
1. Newshosting (Omicron) + NewsGroupDirect (UsenetExpress):
With Newshosting, you get arguably the best provider in the business. And by pairing it with a block on the UsenetExpress backbone, you not only get access to another backbone, but another type of takedowns.
In short, this means that if a file is inaccessible on Newshosting due to a DMCA takedown, there’s a chance you can still find it with your block account.
2. Eweka (Omicron) + Blocknews (Netnews):
Like Newshosting, Eweka is an absolute top-tier provider. But unlike Newshosting, they follow NTD takedowns.
However, this also means they’re based in Europe, so they’ll typically work better for users based in or near Europe. That’s why we like BlockNews as a compliment, since Netnews has servers on six continents.
That being said, you could always pair Eweka with an Abavia (e.g., XSNews) or UsenetExpress (e.g., NewsgroupDirect) block.
NetNews/Abavia/UsenetExpress Unlimited + Block
If you’re not sold on Omicron, for whatever reason, then there are other options. Specifically, you’ll want to combine an unlimited plan on one of the other major backbones with a block on a different backbone.
While it won’t offer the sheer retention that an Omicron provider will, it’s still a very solid setup, and can even have some advantages.
Example Combos
1. Frugal Usenet (Netnews/Abavia) + BlockNews (Netnews):
This one is extremely easy to setup, since both providers are owned by the same people – and signing up for a yearly Frugal plan even gets you a free BlockNews block. However, Frugal’s unlimited plan gives you access to both the Netnews and Abavia backbones.
Second, they have the widest Usenet network, with servers in the North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa. So, if you live in, say, South America or Australia, this may actually give you the best download speeds.
Of course, if you prefer, you could pair Frugal with a block on the UsenetExpress backbone, e.g., NewsGroupDirect, and potentially get even better coverage.
2. UsenetPrime (UsenetExpress) + XSNews (Abavia)
This is another natural pairing, since not only do the backbones compliment each other nicely, UsenetPrime actually sells XSNews blocks, and you can get a bundle for a good price. Plus, both
Though you could always swap XSNews for another Abavia block – or even, say, BlockNews.
The main disadvantage of these combos is that both UsenetPrime, XSNews, and BlockNews all follow DMCA. But this typically isn’t that big of a deal. However, if you’re worried about it, you could go with something like NewsGroupDirect for your unlimited or ViperNews for your block, both of which follow NTD.
Two Blocks on Different Networks
If you don’t download a ton, you may not even need an unlimited plan at all.
So, instead of a monthly or yearly plan, you just buy a couple (or a few) blocks from multiple providers/backbones, and use them until you run out. This can save quite a bit of money in the long run.
What’s the catch? Well, Omicron providers don’t offer block plans, so you won’t have access to the maximum possible retention. But in practice, this’ll work out just fine for many people.
Example Combos
1. BlockNews (Netnews) + NewsgroupDirect (UsenetExpress) or XSNews (Abavia)
The idea here is to to combine to of the “A/B tier” backbones, including one with a ton of server locations (Netnews), in an attempt to mimic the type of retention you’d get from Omicron – and save money in the process.
And in reality, if you’re mostly interested in recent stuff and/or don’t mind the occasional failed download, the average downloader will do just fine with a setup like this.
But you could always try a different combination of blocks. One of their benefits is that they generally don’t “expire”, so you can buy one here and another there, until you have a whole roster of various blocks for your NZB downloader to pull from.
Is it Worth Getting Two Unlimited Plans?
The short answer? No.
The long answer? Probably not.
Basically, any of the unlimited plans above – and especially if they’re Omicron – is going to successfully “grab” the vast majority of stuff you try to download.
A second unlimited plan would essentially mean you’re paying monthly/yearly for someone you barely every use. Hence why it’s much more cost effective to use one or more block accounts as backups, as needed.
After all, you can always add another block or two, and it’s a flat, one-time fee, rather than a subscription.
Best Usenet Provider Combinations: Wrap-Up
So, hopefully you’ve now got an idea on which Usenet combo is best for you, whether that’s the tried and true Omicron unlimited + alternate backbone block – or something a little more adventurous.
Some people may disagree with the individual providers we mentioned. Maybe they prefer TweakNews to Eweka, for instance. But the overall principles are the same.
What’s your go-to combo? Let us know in the comments.