Usenet is a disaster zone

It doesnt have to be that way though. it already is (and has been) the type of discussion network (no logging, no ads, no selling our data, etc) we all want already set up and ready for discussions and we all keep trying to reinvent the wheel year after year. The spam can be dealt with and could be quickly cleaned. Your insane people comment is silly. There are “insane” people on every platform (unless you are just saying anyone who doesnt agree with you is insane) so that wont go away. What usenet needs is good software so that reddit type folks can access the network.

There are more than just 8 separate usenet servers that are out there. Many might not carry binaries but that does not define a usenet server. https://top1000.anthologeek.net/top1000.current.txt

Yes plenty of other providers. you see those 4 or 5 in search because they pay big money to be there. There are also a lot of fake review websites that pimp them because they pay a lot of money to those sites to suggest them. something the small providers can not compete with.

one thing that bothers me greatly: I’ve checked the privacy policy for the most 3 known providers (news hosting, Usenet server and euweka) and, first of all, i find incredibly sus that these seemingly 3 different providers have a sort of copy pasted privacy policy. Then, I noticed there is this magic line on it

they are all owned under the same company, these are just three different brands they operate under. they arent the best privacy wise and would probably roll over on you if push came to shove.

if you just want the popular stuff they will be fine since they keep that since many download it but if you veer off that path they have poor completion since their system does not keep everything. but even then with other services at similar prices you can get better for the same price.

blocks could be a bit restrictive unless you reliably download the same each month so you have predictable usage. if you ever deviate or find yourself having to hold back so you dont burn up your block, an unlimited account may be better and then you dont have to worry. unlimited is cheap enough now.

newsdemon is sadly just not that good with their selective retention when better alternatives are there at a similar price.

i think most others covered it but for provider Frugal usenet is probably best bang for your buck as you get access to two separate systems.

get frugal usenet, install SabNZB as your downloader. download NZbs for what you want from drunkenslug, load NZB into SabNZB and it will download from the frugal servers. sometimes things are missing depending on what you are after so if that happens move on or find a repost. once you master the manual way you can set up automation with sonarr and what not.

Frugal Usenet is on the same backbone as Usenet.Farm

the unlimited frugal servers are newshosting / omicron backbone. frugals bonus server is what is usenetfarm so both backbones together when you subscribe. shouldnt be any real need for a usenetexpress block account since you would have the usenetfarm backup already but i guess if you find a great sale you could throw it into your newsreader.

i think the only real spot for a curated list of bf deals will be the usenet subreddit. otherwise the shitty affiliate sites wont really show you all the actual deals, just their pay per sign up links.

but they are literally the same servers operated the exact same way. a take down happens on newshosting will be reflected at the same exact time on all resellers, astraweb included. astraweb moved over to nh / omicron a few years back where prior they were their own system and i remember when the dmca thing was a big thing for them but that was like a decade+ ago. newshosting or any reseller are all connecting to the same servers, look at the IPs and how close they are, follow the traces to the same location.

astraweb hasnt been their own thing for years. they sell the same thing (omicron backbone access) others sell for cheaper.

true, but if you are paying in cash with presumably a burner email of some sort, what is there to worry about getting out? also, historically, europe (and organizations located there) has been the bigger pricks when it comes to usenet servers and in some cases, users.

there are plenty of newshosting resellers that use the same exact servers that are much cheaper than $15 a month or even $10 a month. use one of the backbone maps to see all of the various ones.

US versus EU servers as far as server content goes will be the same thing.

Astraweb is the same exact servers as Newshosting that you glowingly recommended up thread. cant be that bad i guess. ;)

that map is a bit out of date but also doesnt show all the sellers. this might show things better, https://whatsmyuse.net/

blocknews, frugal usenet and usenetnow take cash in the mail, an option at checkout. maybe others will but they dont make it obvious so you would have to contact them directly. but honestly i wouldnt worry aboutr using your card. paying for usenet access is just as legal as paying for isp access.

i dont think any service is going to give you free weeks or a month with no strings attached. if they did everybody would use them and not pay. you can just buy 1 unlimited month of frugal usenet for 5 bucks (not a subscription) and call it good.