Newsdemon is at the top of its class offering a suite of plans to accommodate almost any budget. Plans start from $7.49 to $22.99 and offer considerable amount of GB per month, with the higher tiered unlimited plans that are offered to both the US and EU. 500+ days of binary retention on all plans coupled with an extensive amount of support, including referral bonuses available for members, make Newsdemon one of the most trusted and competitive providers in the Usenet arena.

Giganews is definetely in the top 3 when it comes to Usenet providers. They've been around for quite a long time and they offer tremendous amount of features that keep a lot of competitors at arms reach. 520 day retention as of this review, increasing every day, 256 BIT SSL and dedicated servers for either US or EU makes Giganews one of the top usenet providers on the planet. Giganews also provides a discount off Newsbin Pro for every sign up, regardless of the plan chosen which range between $7.99-$19.99.

Powerusenet has been around for quite a bit. They offer usenet access to both the US and EU. Offering 256 BIT SSL, a free 5 day 10GB Trial, they have the standards down. Offering 200 day binary retention and 1000+ days of text, they fall under the higher tier of usenet providers retention rate. Currently, they offer discounts on the first two months of service which are discounted rates from the normal subscribtion charges. The site itself is infomrative and is updated routinely. Support is only available by email. One address only for the server versus broken down into dedicated servers for each type of newsgroup category.

As the website states Thundernews is a leading provider of premium access to Fast, Uncensored, Usenet Newsgroups. Whatever your interests, our Usenet feed carries the newsgroups you want,and it delivers. Thundernews offers 260 day binary retention (180 day text retention), 99% complete and plans that fit any US or EU budget. 256 BIT SSl and great speed.  Large FAQ,  Live Help for support and they have  been around for awhile. Thundernews goes beyond all of our benchmarks. Highly recommended

Newshosting is a large Usenet provider that provides service to both the US and EU. They offer price plans between $9.95 - $19.95 with a bit of a twist. The lowest price plan caps you at 10GB transfers per day, but does offer up to 20 simultaneous SSL connections, with a recently increased 495 day binary retention and climbing. The mid-range plan limits the service to 8 connections, drops the retention to 80 days and offers no SSL. Although unusual, the service is as promised all accounts and have a long standing Usenet provider

MaximumUsenet is slightly ahead of its class offering 600 day binary retention rather the normal 1825 days that many other providers offer. Additionally, they offer access to both the US as well as EU with pricing points that reflect the same denomination on either. Plans range from $10.57- $18.57 with caps on transfers on the lower end price points, and unlimited with the highest priced plan. Offering a blistering 730 day text retention and a free version of Newsrover, usenet fans have something to rejoice about with this service.

Usenet.net has a solid service and a good amount of features. They offer a Web Gateway as well as a free Newsreader with any of the plans that range between $4.95 - $18.95. Caps are placed on every plan ranging from 2GB - 20GB. The highest tiered plan is unlimited. Support is by email, but they offer an extensive FAQ and Knowledgebase to tackle most every issue one may encounter

One of the first things when looking for a Usenet provider is the amount of retention the service has. Airnews delivers an above average retention rate of 140 days for binaries. Uniquely though, a host of plans ranging from $9.95 - $99.95 for unlimited downloads come with varied throttle limits. Free trial available and a 7 day money back guarantee is also offered.

TigerUsenet recently included SSL capability for all of its plans. They offer 260 day binary retention and 730  day text retention.  They have 5 plans ranging from $6.99 - $22.99 with dedicated server farms for either the US or EU.  All plans come with a free newsreader (Newsrover) and email support is fast and responsive with any inquiries, as well as an in-dept FAQ section for self-help.

UPDATE: If you are or have been a member of either:

• USENET.COM
• NEWSFEEDS.COM
• NEWSGROUPS.COM

Your access to USENET will be removed. The company has closed its doors as of August 4th, leaving many customers to find a new USENET access alternative.

Note from website (replicated to others):

To All Newsfeeds.com Inc Subscribers:

We want to thank you for your patronage, but after 12 years of providing Usenet access it is with regret that we will shutting our doors today. We will be providing refunds until the end of August. If you have signed up with an account at Newsfeeds.com in the past 30 days and require a refund please send your request to our support department

Sincerely Newsfeeds.com Inc

Usenet.com has a solid service and a good amount of features. They offer a Web Gateway as well as a free Newsreader with any of the plans that range between $4.95 - $18.95. Caps are placed on every plan ranging from 2GB - 20GB. The highest tiered plan is unlimited. Support is by email, but they offer an extensive FAQ and Knowledgebase to tackle most every issue one may encounter

Usenetserver (UNS) is pretty decent when it comes to retention and speed. The pricing plans are about average for its class, with an added 3 day trial with SSL that makes it unique. UsenetServer will run you about $14.95 - $17.95, each includes SSL and a variable on how many simultaneous connections depending on the plan (10 - 20). Signup and setup is pretty basic. No thorough tutorials for the novice on how to set yourself up and go, but seasoned usenet users will not have a problem. Usenetserver appears only to cater to the US, and not EU. They have a pretty solid network, and appear to deliver the 105+ days of retention they advertise.

Newsguy has been around for a number of years before the boom of Usenet really was hitting the net. One thing that sets Newsguy apart from its competitors is a total of 32 simultaneous SSL connections. The service is unquestionable, as they keep the reputation of their company pretty solid, which also speaks volume for its support. The price plans, ranging from a short 3 day $3.95 plan to the unlimited $19.95 plan, there something for pretty much any budget. They have a good amount of features, but sorry, EU, this is a US only US members only.

Based in the UK, UseNext proudly advertises the 8 server farms it currently maintains (4 in the US and 4 in the Netherlands). Service is available from the US, EU, Japan, Australia and others.  Plans range from $10.36 - $32.52 per month, with caps ranging from 15-75 GB a day. 128 BIT SSL, term plans and free trial and custom software are available.  FAQ covers basic questions and Live Support by Chat or by phone available.  Retention is at a good 120 days with a good deal of server capacity.

Range of plans and pricing is pretty diverse to fit any budget. Specialized servers to fulfill certain categories is also available from theNewsgroupServers. The speed is decent, but not over the top which is quickly becoming the norm. Overall, theNewsgroupServers may surprise you at first glance with their offering.

UPDATE: If you are or have been a member of either:

• USENET.COM
• NEWSFEEDS.COM
• NEWSGROUPS.COM

Your access to USENET will be removed. The company has closed its doors as of August 4th, leaving many customers to find a new USENET access alternative.

Note from website (replicated to others):

To All Newsfeeds.com Inc Subscribers:

We want to thank you for your patronage, but after 12 years of providing Usenet access it is with regret that we will shutting our doors today. We will be providing refunds until the end of August. If you have signed up with an account at Newsfeeds.com in the past 30 days and require a refund please send your request to our support department

Sincerely Newsfeeds.com Inc

Newsfeeds is a giant as a Usenet provider. Definetely consdiered not only one of the pioneers of the Usenet market, but constantly either catching up or surpassing its competiton. Currently, Newsfeeds offers a sizeable 150 day binary retention with multiple US based and EU based.  The ranging $4.95 - $19.95 plans have an assortment of options on sized download caps or an unlimited option at the highest tiered pricing. Newsfeeds has a host of other features and definetly a high class provider.