UseNeXT Review
2008 Editors' Choice Winner:
Best Free Usenet Trial
Many people don't realize that UseNeXT is one of the largest Usenet providers in the world. They offer a unique newsgroup service with their own UseNeXT client which takes the place of your typical newsreader. At first we weren't sure about the interface but after a couple days it grows on you.
Speed and availability- UseNeXT offers 8 server farms including 4 located in the US (east and west coast) and 4 in Amsterdam. They advertise connections up to 25 Mbps. Our connection caps out well below that mark but we easily maxed out 8 Mbps.
In November 2007 UseNeXT held a contest for the fastest Usenet download. The winning YouTube video showed a 674 MB Ubuntu download completed in 34 seconds through the UseNext client. Wired wrote an article on how popular the winning video has been bringing in over 7 million YouTube views.
Binary retention is 120 days while text groups are held for 1,000 days. The service supports over 60,000 newsgroups with over 300 Terabytes of data. This amounts to over 2,000 Gb of new files added every day.
Security - All access is secure and unfiltered. They do not log your IP address or any information regarding files downloaded. This is common practice for Usenet providers.
Newsreader - the UseNeXT client is free to subscribers. It includes image previews, video support, one click file extraction and file searches. Download the latest version of the free UseNeXT client directly from their site or at download.com.
Pricing plans - All accounts come with unlimited 1 Mbps downloads. The high speed download volumes increased by 50% in December 2007 making UseNeXT a much better deal. Account options include 15 Gb/mo. for $9/mo., 30 Gb/mo. for $12/mo. and 75 Gb/mo. for $24/mo. Payment options include PayPal.
Free trial - to get started UseNeXT offers a 150 GB, 14 day free trial.
Bottom line - The UseNeXT client and services are a solid choice. With the 50% extra download volumes they are now also competitively priced. We understand that the UseNeXT client isn't for everyone. Some love it while others are drawn back to their favorite newsreaders. Take advantage of their free trial and decide for yourself.
