this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2026
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How do I get started with Usenet? I'm on a private tracker right now which has excellent speeds (maxes out my 500 Mbit connection usually, so I can't tell what speeds I might achieve if fully utilized), but it would of course be nice not having to seed.
Things you need:
A Usenet provider such as EasyNews or Astraweb. Usenet services host the content. Be aware that some services like GigaNews just rehost from the same pool of servers as a lot of others, also a tad scummy. There’s a lot to look into here for features like connection limits, retention, and download speed. You can also purchase “block accounts” which let you buy blocks of data to use on demand with no expiration. Astraweb is great for this as a secondary source since they have their own servers and can host different content than other hosts. Look for promo codes online when signing up for one as you can usually get solid rates via referrals for like $7-$15 a month. Block accounts can run like $25 for 100GB of download.
A Usenet downloading client like SabNZBD for downloading NZB files (pronounced: newzbins)
An Indexer, such as Drunken Slug, NZBGeek, NZB Finder, or OMGWTFNZBs. Indexers help you find the content you’re looking for in the giant pool of hosted content on Usenet services. Usually good to have more than 1 indexer, even if using a free account on another. Usually run about $15 a year.
Usenet can be tied into Arrs programs like Sonarr and Radarr for automated downloading which makes things a lot easier especially when you set up your library correctly. See Trash Guides for help with this.
Personally I recommend running this all through Docker, but it’s not necessary.
Also even with Usenet, I’d still recommend a VPN. Can never be too safe.
You've done a pretty good job here, so I'll just add this:
A map of providers and some info on their benefits.
https://www.ngprovider.com/current-usenet-map.php
There's also a ton of info about usenet, how it works, and what to look for, on that site. (you may have to manually go to the homepage to see the rest)
Wow, I’ve never seen this before. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for this.
So like, I'm looking to spend at least $15/month unless I can get a discount via a promo code? Might as well start paying for Netflix at that point. Right now I'm running up $0/month with access to anything I want at top speeds for my high speed connection. I don't know if using Usenet is worth it for my situation.
IIRC there’s some cheaper ones out there around $5, but it’s been a long time since I’ve shopped for a Usenet service. The way I look at it is I’m not having to pay for Netflix, Prime, Peacock, Disney +, HBO, HiDive, etc. just to watch the shows and movies I want. I do pay for Crunchyroll, but that’s mostly because I don’t want to pull and store long shows like One Piece, but that might change with their recent price increase.
Right, same with my private torrent tracker but for $0/month. I don't think Usenet is for me, I guess. Maybe if my tracker gets nuked somehow, which it hasn't after like 20 years, then I'll have to consider Usenet. 😅
I don't have time rn, I'm literally leaving for work rn; but I'll write up some details later tonight if nobody else has.
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You need a download client (eg. SABnzbd) and an account with an indexer (which will cost money). To automate the process of downloading you can put things like Sonarr/Radarr/Lidarr on top, but those are optional.
See my comment above