Binary retention is one of the key points to consider when shopping for a Usenet provider. We would rank it right up there with download speed, reliability, and customer support. If you plan to search for older content then you need a Usenet provider with high retention. Luckily there are a number of top Usenet services that offer years of binaries and continue to grow retention on a daily basis. As you’ll see in a moment.
What is binary retention anyway? There are two types of newsgroup posts; text and binary. Text posts are similar to reading an email without an attachment. Binary posts have files attached to them. Larger binaries are broken up into many parts. You can use tools like WinRAR and 7-Zip to combine the files. This post will focus on the number of days top providers hold the binary posts on their servers.
Here’s a list of leading Usenet provider’s with very high retention:
| Rank | Provider | Special | Visit | Retention | Client | Search | VPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | $5.99 Limited-Time |  | 5,725 days |  | | |
| 2 |  | $5.99 Exclusive | | 5,725 days | | | |
| 3 |  | $7.95 | | 5,724 days | | |
|
| 4 |  | €7.00 | | 5,722 days | | | |
| 5 |  | $8.33 | | 1,200 days | |
As you can see above the leading Usenet providers offer very high binary retention. You can find content over six years old by using any of the services listed above. That’s very impressive. When I started using newsgroups the providers measured retention in days. I remember when companies passed 100 days. We all thought it was the greatest thing that we could find content over three months old. Now the sky is the limit with retention still growing.
There are some other areas to consider as well. I like to use a service with multiple news server locations. For example Newshosting has server farms in the United States and Europe. They also support SSL connections and alternate ports. That helps you secure the connection and get around any bandwidth throttling from your ISP. Reliability is also key and all the services listed above have that covered.