SuperNews Review - The Provider On The Test Bench

So you have been looking for a Usenet provider and came across SuperNews in your search, and now you are wondering just what you should expect if you were to use it? Thankfully, I am here to help you with that, as my experience with Usenet comes in handy when handling such matters.

SuperNews is one of the Usenet providers that have been around since the late 1990s, having been first established in 1996, not too long after Usenet started its operation. Since then, the provider has offered global reach via European and North American servers and uninterrupted access to Usenet newsgroups.

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SUPERNEWS

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Supernews Customer Support
Customer Support: High quality customer care at SuperNews

Today, SuperNews offers access to over 110,000 newsgroups, with a retention rate of 3+ years on binaries and 17+ years on text groups. At first sight, this all might seem quite amazing, but let’s take a closer look at the provider in this detailed SuperNews review in which I will go into the specifics and try to find reasons to use or not use this particular provider.

Advantages and disadvantages of the provider

Pros

  • Affordable prices on monthly and yearly subscriptions
  • International Usenet servers
  • Over 110,000 newsgroups
  • Customer service available via web form 24/7

Cons

  • Actual download speeds not always optimal
  • No integrated newsreader
  • Lack of alternative subscription plans

Prices - can savings be made with a SuperNews coupon?

Pricing is one of the first things I look at when it comes to Usenet providers, as the service in general tends to be decent with most, and a significant discount in pricing can be a great upside. When it comes to SuperNews in particular, there are good news and bad news.

Let’s talk about the good news first. The overall monthly price of using SuperNews is quite affordable. If we compare it to a provider like AstraWeb, the monthly subscription comes out three times cheaper, while offering pretty much the same package of features. The deal stays really good if you choose to purchase a yearly subscription, although the difference slightly diminishes.

Subscriptions: Pick your monthly or yearly plan with Supernews

The bad news is the lack of options that SuperNews provides. Users can only choose between a monthly and a yearly plan, both of which offer 30 connections, SSL encryption and unlimited download speed. Most Usenet users these days have been spoiled with many subscription options, including block packages, none of which are available with SuperNews.

Free 3-day/10GB trial available

Usenet providers are used to giving potential users a free trial to test their service, and SuperNews is no different. Those who choose to purchase a plan can first use a three-day free trial, which allows downloads of up to 10GB from the SuperNews newsgroups. If you decide the service doesn’t quite work for you, you can cancel your subscription and go with another provider of your choosing, no strings attached.

While the overall cost of the SuperNews Usenet service is quite affordable, the lack of subscription plans is what makes this service the second best option for many Usenet aficionados. You won’t need a SuperNews coupon to get a great price however, as prices are already among the very best in the entire industry. Payments for subscriptions plans can be made using all major credit cards, but no alternative payment methods are offered.

Independent high-speed network with 110,000 newsgroups

SuperNews subscribers can gain access to a vast server network located throughout Europe and North America, which gives each user unrestricted and quick access. Whichever subscription plan you decide to go with, the provider gives you unlimited speeds, which means you will be able to make use of the entirety of your bandwidth, in theory at least.

SuperNews also offers retention of 3+ years on binaries and 17+ years on text files, which is strangely vague. While other providers often advertise in terms of exact days, only an actual SuperNews login and search will tell you if a file uploaded some years ago is still there or not. That said, SuperNews does give access to some 110,000 newsgroups and claims a record 100% article completion rate.

Features: High-end services at Supernews

In reality, speed tests have shown that SuperNews downloads don’t really use all the bandwidth they could in all cases. Oftentimes, the downloads are slower than you would expect with other Usenet alternatives, which is one of the main downsides of this provider.

Newsreader selection - The right SuperNews download for every device

While SuperNews does offer some advantages, one of the main disadvantages is the fact that getting started with Usenet via this service will not be so simple. If you are new to Usenet and expect that a SuperNews download is all you will need, you would be mistaken.

In order to actually use Usenet, you will need a newsreader on top of your provider. While many providers offer a newsreader with the service, SuperNews does not, which means you will need to get a newsreader separately and set it all up.

Whether you are new to the whole experience or have been around for a while, I can recommend downloading Holmez as a stable, easy-to-use, and free newsreader that you can use along with your SuperNews service. If you don’t quite know your way around newsreader software yet, using a different Usenet provider such as Eweka may be your best choice, since you will get an integrated newsreader along with it.

FAQs - All questions about SuperNews answered

What is SuperNews?

SuperNews is a Usenet provider that has been online since 1996. The provider offers affordable access to Usenet on a monthly or yearly basis, with unlimited connection speeds, up to 30 simultaneous connections, and over 110,000 Usenet newsgroups.

What subscription plans are available?

Unlike many other Usenet providers that offer many different subscription models, SuperNews only allows a monthly and a yearly subscription. Both plans come without any restrictions in terms of download volume and speed and are offered at affordable prices.

What are retention rates at SuperNews?

The retention rate at SuperNews is not stated as clearly as it is with some other Usenet providers. The provider claims a retention rate of 3+ years for binary downloads and 17+ years for text newsgroups, but this is a somewhat ambiguous number. SuperNews also claims a 100% article completion rate, which is higher than any of the competition.

What Usenet provider to use?

There is no definitive best Usenet provider out there, as each provider has perks and downsides. SuperNews certainly offers a reasonable and very affordable service, which puts it in the higher rank among the providers. However, alternatives such as Giganews may provide a great choice for those who decide SuperNews is not right for them.

Is SuperNews secure?

In terms of security, I can say that SuperNews is as safe as any of the other options. All connections to SuperNews software are secured by 256-bit SSL encryption, which means every connection is encoded with unbreakable code, making your data usage safe and private. The provider also has a detailed privacy policy which serves to protect any users in various legal and other scenarios.

Alternatives to SuperNews

In a sea of potential Usenet providers you could pick from, SuperNews is only one of the many options. SuperNews provides plenty of upsides and can be viewed as a solid provider overall, but it is not ideal for every single user out there. Namely, some speed issues and the lack of different subscription plans may be the breaking point for some.

Those who want more subscription options, longer retention periods, and a VPN software already included in their Usenet package may want to try Newshosting, one of the top-rated Usenet providers, which I have also rated with 5 stars in my review.

Those who prefer to use their Usenet software on the go should look at EasyNews, a Usenet provider which has made significant improvements to their mobile app over the last few years, making it, in my opinion, the leader in mobile Usenet access today.

Conclusion: Final words on SuperNews

With extremely affordable monthly and yearly subscription plans that come with no restrictions in terms of download speed or volume, SuperNews is a Usenet provider that has plenty to offer. The subscriptions can be paid for using all major credit and debit cards, but unfortunately no payments can be made using any e-wallets or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

Supernews Retention and Service

The overall service quality of SuperNews is solid compared to the closest competitors, but on many occasions the download speeds ended up being lower than what you would get with the best providers in the world. Add to that the fact that the provider does not offer an integrated newsreader or a VPN, and that no alternative subscription plans are available, and the downsides quickly start adding up.

Yet, overall the price/quality ratio at SuperNews is reasonable, especially if you are an experienced Usenet user who knows what he’s doing and won’t need any help setting things up with the appropriate newsreader and other apps. I give SuperNews a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars for their efforts.

alyn-smith

”SuperNews is an affordable Usenet provider with a reasonable set of features and services for experienced users.”

3.5 / 5.0 rated by Alyn Smith

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