Usenet retention refers to the length of time Usenet articles are stored on a Usenet server. This is a crucial factor to consider when choosing a Usenet provider, as it directly impacts how long you can access an article after it’s posted. Providers with longer retention times allow users to retrieve older articles, including binary articles such as videos, music, and software. The longer the Usenet retention, the better access you have to more articles over time.
As Usenet has evolved, retention periods have steadily increased, with leading providers now offering retention times that exceed 5,000 days. This extended availability is especially crucial for users who rely on accessing older content that may not be easily found elsewhere on the Internet.
A longer retention period is particularly valuable for users who need to access older posts or media files, whether for research, entertainment, or software recovery purposes. As retention times increase, the breadth of available content expands, giving you a richer Usenet experience. Our best rated Usenet providers, Newshosting and Eweka, both have 6230+ days of retention.
Retention: The Key Indicator of Usenet Provider Quality
The articles that are uploaded by users to newsgroups are stored in Usenet servers that are owned and maintained by Usenet providers. Text and binary posts require massive hardware, software, network, energy, and data center space resources to store and deliver the Usenet posts you are looking for. Many providers do not have the size and scale to maintain a large Usenet archive and simply delete older content to make room for new data that is continually being uploaded to Usenet.
What is the Difference Between Binary Retention and Text Retention?
When discussing Usenet retention, it’s important to understand the distinction between binary retention and text retention.
Binary retention
refers to the period that binary files (like media, software, or images) are available on the server. Since binary files can be larger and take up more storage space, they often have a shorter retention time compared to text articles.Text retention, on the other hand, refers to how long text-based articles (such as discussions or messages in newsgroups) are stored. Providers usually offer longer retention periods for text articles since they require less storage space.
For example, a Usenet provider offering 5,000 days of binary retention means you can still access binary articles posted nearly 14 years ago. This can be particularly valuable for users looking for older files.
Why Does Usenet Retention Matter for You?
Choosing a Usenet provider with long Usenet retention is essential for maximizing your access to both old and new Usenet articles. Here are a few key reasons why retention should be a primary consideration:
Greater access to older articles: With longer retention periods, you can access articles that were posted many years ago, even if you only recently subscribed to the Usenet provider.
More complete access to binary articles: Long binary retention ensures that you can still retrieve binary files (like videos, software, or images) long after they’ve been posted.
No rush to download immediately: Higher retention times give you the flexibility to search and access content at your convenience. You won’t need to download articles the moment they’re posted to ensure you don’t miss them.
Our top rated Usenet providers store more than 5,300 days of retention which is more than 14 years of access to the full Usenet archive of all 120,000+ newsgroups.
Full binary retention means that every post uploaded to Usenet is stored in the provider’s server platform for the entirety of their advertised retention period. More important than the number of retention days, is choosing a provider that actively grows (spools) their retention archive day by day to include all new incoming Usenet posts.
In short, a provider with high Usenet retention gives you better access to binary files and text articles, which can improve your overall Usenet experience.
Understanding How Some Usenet Providers Advertise Retention
Retention is such an important service component; many providers claim to offer high retention and maybe even claim “up to” X days of retention in their advertising.
These providers are likely caching (storing) only the most popular Usenet posts for their advertised retention period to make it seem like they have a full retention service when they in fact, don’t. Posts that are not requested within a few days or weeks are dropped from their service. It might even be argued that providers caching only popular posts are not really Usenet services at all.
Of course, some users are satisfied with low retention as long as they can access newer content. However, there are many affordable Usenet providers that match or come very close to the highest full retention rates. Why settle for a second rate service, when top quality providers are the same price?
Additional Retention Terms
Cached Retention
Some providers pull articles from third party partnered providers to combat the lack of specific content. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Providers share storage space while providing competitive prices for their users. However, there may be speed differences from download to download.
Full Binary Retention
Full binary retention simply means that the rate offered is reflective of all their binary content. This also means that the files are all stored locally on the provider’s servers (not cached).
How to Choose a Usenet Provider Based on Retention
When selecting a Usenet provider, it’s important to evaluate their retention periods for both binary articles and text articles. Providers offering higher binary retention and text retention are better equipped to give you access to the broadest range of Usenet articles.
Look for a provider that offers:
- At least 5,000 days of binary retention for the most complete access to older binary files.
- Text retention of a similar or greater length for robust access to discussion posts and messages.
Binary Retention vs. Completion Rate: What’s the Difference?
While retention is important, another critical factor to consider is the completion rate. Completion rate refers to the percentage of articles that are successfully retained without missing pieces. Even with high retention times, a provider with a poor completion rate might leave you with incomplete or missing articles.
Providers with high retention and completion rates ensure that you can access full and complete articles, whether they’re binary articles or text posts. So, when choosing a Usenet provider, make sure you consider both factors together to get the best overall experience.
Bottom Line
Retention rate is the most important metric that ultimately determines the richness of your Usenet experience. When shopping for a provider, it is also important to dig out the type of retention they are advertising, since not all of 
them mean “Full Binary Retention”.
The providers we recommend: Newshosting, Eweka, UsenetServer, and EasyNews all go head-to-head with 6230 days of full binary retention and growing daily.
How to Get Started with a High Retention Usenet Provider
To get started with our top choice, Newshosting, sign up for their 30GB free trial today. Read our full review of Newshosting as a Usenet provider here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Usenet retention period?
A good Usenet retention period for binary files is typically at least 4,000 to 5,000 days. For text articles, even longer retention periods may be available.
Why does binary retention matter?
Binary retention is crucial because it determines how long you can access binary files such as videos, software, or other large media files. Longer binary retention means more access to older files, giving you greater flexibility when retrieving them.
How does Usenet retention affect me as a user?
Longer Usenet retention gives you access to a larger database of Usenet articles. This includes older discussions in newsgroups and archived binary files. If you want access to a wider range of content, choose a provider with longer retention times.
