What's the story with Usenet Crawler these days?
Usenet Crawler back in the day.
Update: It looks like Usenet Crawler is pretty much done for now, as their main site is completely down or redirects to VeryCouch. We'll update this page if anything changes.
Is Usenet Crawler down?
Well, yes and no. It’s not completely down, but it’s not completely up either.
To see what we mean, read our Usenet Crawler review, along with some of the top Usenet Crawler alternatives, below.
[+] 'Usenet-Crawler' contents (select to expand)
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Usenet-Crawler Review
After going down multiple times over the years, it looked like Usenet-Crawler was finally finished for good in November 2019. They were shut down for copyright infringement by a Dutch organization known as BREIN, according to a letter addressed to Usenet-Crawler reposted on Reddit. After that, nothing was heard from Usenet-Crawler for months.
But then, on April 1, 2020, the site popped back up with a message from the owner, telling everyone he had exhausted his resources trying to keep the site afloat, but was now back to take another crack at it.
Since then, much of the old content has been added back to the database, and they’re currently adding new content. However, there is still a lot of work to do. Content and features are very much lacking when compared to other NZB indexer sites or “old” Usenet-Crawler.
The two biggest things that stood out in our comparison are:
- amount of content
- quality of content
For instance, not only has Usenet-Crawler posted far fewer movies in the past day than other premium indexers, they’re almost all low resolution files of only 1 or 2 GBs. If you’re looking for big, 30 GB 1080p REMUX files, you’re not going to find them here – at least not yet. And honestly, who knows if or when the site will go down again?
Usenet-Crawler is Free (for Now)
But there is a bright side: as of now, the NZB indexer is entirely free, since they haven’t figured out a payment processor. And you don’t need an invite to register at Usenet Crawler. They even unbanned all previously banned users, so you can use your old Usenet Crawler login.
So, it’s worth checking out, if only just to poke around a little bit.
In the meantime, we’d suggest using one of the NZB search alternatives below for your other Usenet needs.
Usenet-Crawler Alternatives?
Here are some great alternatives to Usenet-Crawler. All three provide big libraries, great quality content, good support, and consistent uptime.
NZBGeek
NZBGeek is not only one of the best indexers on the web, it’s also one of the most affordable, at just $1 per month.
- Read our full NZBgeek Review
NZBFinder or DrunkenSlug
NZBFinder and DrunkenSlug have good content. DS is a little more popular, but they don’t have open registration. Both indexers have free tiers.
DogNZB
DogNZB is currently invite-only. But it’s been one of the top-rated indexers for years, so give it a try if you get the chance.
Wrap-Up
At this point, it’s uncertain whether Usenet-Crawler will be able to restore their site completely – or if they’ll be able to keep it up.
So, you can check them out while they’re offering free, open membership. But just be aware of their limitations.
Meanwhile, the alternatives above will keep you covered.
