This Dutch-based Usenet newsgroup provider is a hidden gem and quite possibly the best European Usenet provider you may have never heard of.
Our Eweka review examines whether Eweka is a good Usenet provider.
Eweka is a Netherlands-based Usenet provider that specializes in providing high-speed unlimited Usenet access, using its own 600 gigabits/s backbone infrastructure.
As we'll see in this Eweka review, despite a couple of minor gripes, we're impressed by this efficient and fully-featured Usenet provider.
'Eweka Review' contents
How Much Does Eweka Cost?
You can get Eweka's High-Speed Plan for only €7.00 EUR ($8.25 USD) per month if you pay for an annual plan. The price goes up €0.50 ($0.60 USD) per month if you buy a subscription of less than 12 months.
The High-Speed Plan offers the following:
The High-Speed Plan is normally €9.60 EUR ($11.25 USD) per month, so act now to lock it in at €7/mo and save 27%.
Eweka Offers a Free Trial
Eweka offers a 7-day free trial for its High-Speed plan. Nice!
Do note, however, that we thought we were signing up for a free trial, but ended up paying for a month. This may have been our fault, but we do advise to be careful.
Eweka got in touch with us and clarified that trials are limited to one per IP address and, should a customer accidentally select a payment option rather than a free trial, they can contact customer support to receive the free 7-day trial.
Eweka Has a Ton of Features
Established in 2001 and based in the Netherlands, Eweka really does tick all the right boxes and has some nice surprises too.
All the Numbers You'd Expect
In addition to unlimited speeds and downloading, Eweka offers a full newsgroup search with uncensored access to over 125,000 newsgroups, with 4,520+ days retention. Compared with rival Usenet service providers such as UseNext, this is very generous.
Eweka claims a message completion rate of over 99.5%, and its reputation seems to back this up.
High-speed plan holders may have up to 50 connections per account, all protected with strong 256-bit SSL encryption.
Easy Sign-up Process
During signup you're asked for a valid email address. There's nothing really stopping you from using a disposable email account, but since there are no (potentially) anonymous payment options, like Bitcoin, we can see no advantage to doing this.
Unlimited Download Speeds
Downloading from newsgroups was fast and unlimited, just the way we like it.
No Logging
Eweka’s website touts “respect for your privacy.” We asked whether it keeps logs, and were told that “we only log the connection data and not what is downloaded by a certain user. For posting we log what message-IDs were posted by which IP/User at what time.”
Free Newsreader
Eweka now offers its subscribers the NewsLazer Usenet browser absolutely free. Of course, you have plenty of choice when it comes to choosing your own free Usenet newsreader software (just enter the settings that Eweka emails to you).
Newslazer is a new and powerful Usenet newsreader.
Eweka's Support is Good
Support is available via an online FAQ and an email support form. When we emailed support it took around four hours for Eweka to get back to us.
Eweka suports multi-lingual 24/7 customer support.
Payment Methods Accepted by Eweka
Eweka accepts payment via PayPal, all major credit cards, iDEAL, and even bank transfer.
Top Tip - If you happen to be based in the Netherlands, you can also pay for an "instant account" by SMS text message which gives you 24 hours of access for €1.10 plus the cost from your Dutch mobile provider.
Unfortunately, there are no anonymous payment (or potentially anonymous) options available such as Bitcoin.
Eweka Alternatives
Not sure about Eweka? Or maybe you're based in the US? Check out these Eweka alternatives.
- Newhosting: Our favorite overall Usenet provider, with EU and US servers, plus the best retention in the business
- TweakNews: Another top European provider for a similar price, which comes with a free VPN
Eweka Review Wrap-up
There's a reason Eweka's one of the most popular Usenet providers.
You get a lot of Usenet for your money, including unlimited speeds and downloads, especially if you lock in a long-term plan to take advantage of their current special offer.
Aside from the few minor irritations we noted, our Eweka review revealed a very solid service that's great value for the money.
Anyone looking for a European Usenet provider should give Eweka serious consideration. Why not take out a risk-free 7-day trial account and give them a try?
Try it 7 days risk-free.