A Complete Guide to Usenet Backbones
What are Usenet backbones, why do they matter, and how to choose the right one(s) for you?

Here’s your complete guide to Usenet backbone servers.
Let’s start by answering the question: what are Usenet backbones?
Backbones are basically the ground level of Usenet servers which provide access to newsgroups and the posts found in newsgroups.
If you’ve come across the term “Tier-1 Usenet provider”, this means the provider has direct access to a Usenet backbone. Other providers get their access as resellers of these parent backbone providers.
An example of this would be Giganews, which is a Tier-1 provider with its own backbone, while Superne is a reseller of the Giganews backbone. ws
In other words, as the operators of Usenet’s backbone servers, these providers are the foundation that makes everything possible, from reading and posting in newsgroups to downloading binaries.
[+] 'Usenet Backbones' contents (select to expand)
What Makes Usenet Backbones Different?
Usenet Backbones Checklist
There are several key factors to consider when comparing Usenet backbones:
Of course, there’s one other variable: price. But this is dictated more by the specific provider and not the backbone. Even providers on the same backbone can vary a lot in price.
Paying for different Usenet accounts on the same backbone is a waste of money. So, diversify!
List of Usenet Backbones
Here are the best Usenet backbone providers available today including their resellers and vital statistics (in alphabetical order):
Abavia |
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Resellers: XS News, Bulknews, Cheapnews, XS Usenet Retention: 1000+ days Block Accounts: Yes Servers in: Europe Takedowns: DMCA |
Altopia |
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Reseller: Altopia Retention: 20+ days Block Accounts: No Servers in: US Takedowns: DMCA |
Giganews |
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Resellers: Giganews, Supernews Retention: 1,100+ days Block Accounts: No Servers in: US and Europe Takedowns: DMCA |
Omicron |
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All four of the following backbones are owned by Omicron, but they’re still separate backbones, with slightly different features. Eweka Reseller: Retention: 4,180+ days Block Accounts: No Servers in: Europe Takedowns: NTD Highwinds Media Resellers: Newshosting, UsenetServer, NewsDemon, EasyNews, Newsgroup Ninja, NewsgroupDirect, Frugal Usenet, BlockNews, ThunderNews, Astraweb Retention: 4,186+ days Block Accounts: Yes Servers: USA and Europe Takedowns: DMCA TweakNews Reseller: TweakNews Retention: 3200+ days Block Accounts: No Servers: Europe Takedowns: NTD XLned Resellers: XLned, UsenetBucket, SunnyUsenet Retention: 3000+ days Block Accounts: No Servers: Europe Takedowns: DMCA |
Usenet.Farm |
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Reseller: Retention: 75+ days Block Accounts: Yes Servers in: EU Takedowns: NTD |
UsenetExpress |
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Reseller: Retention: 365+ days (primary) / 1100+ days (secondary) Block Accounts: Yes Servers in: US Takedowns: DMCA |
ViperNews |
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Reseller: Retention: 100+ days Block Accounts: Yes Servers in: EU Takedowns: NTD |
Here’s a very cool table showing Usenet Providers and Backbones. It’s a little out of date but still mostly accurate.
Which Usenet Backbone Should I Use?
So, which backbone is the best for you?
A good setup is to get an unlimited account with a provider on one of the high-retention Omicron backbones.
From there, most Usenet veterans also like to get a backup block account. Why? Because it helps them pick up content that their primary provider might miss, often due to take-downs. Plus, there’s no penalty if you don’t use the block plan much, since you’ve already paid an upfront fee for a set amount of data and can take as long as you want to use it all up.
Read more about the best unlimited and block account combinations for maximizing your download completions.
But the bottom line is this: Paying for accounts with two Usenet providers on the same backbone (say, for example, Newshosting and NewsDemon) is a waste of money.
And always make sure your main vs block accounts use different backbones, and preferably different takedown protocols too (DMCA vs. NTD).
Wrap Up
Usenet backbones (and providers) are changing all the time.
Retention keeps increasing, block accounts get cheaper, and occasionally a new Usenet backbone provider comes along. And of course, there’s the steady ebb and flow of Usenet provider acquisitions in the market which has consolidated dozens of providers onto a few backbones, eliminating backbones like Astraweb in the process.
But hopefully you now have a pretty good idea of the options that are out there – and which ones are right for you.
Are there any backbones we missed? Did something change since we posted this? Let us know in the comments!
Last updated: February 18, 2020