CHARACTER SELECT · PROVIDER FILE #03 · TESTED 28 JUL – 02 AUG 2026

03 / 12 · PROVIDER CLASS

THUNDERNEWS

A clear, quotable privacy statement — bytes transferred only, nothing about which groups you read — bundled with OctaneVPN. Runs on the UsenetExpress spool, so retention tracks that network.

UNLIMITEDFREE VPNBLOCKS

RETENTION

5,700+ D

CONN

50

SERVERS

US + EU

FROM

$2.50/M

TOTAL SCORE

9.2

A RANK

RANK 3 OF 12
NOT PUBLICLY VERIFIED (ANDERSON, SC CONTACT)

PROVIDER · RANK 03

STAT SHEETCLICK A STAT TO EXPAND

01SPEEDWEIGHT 20%9.5▲

Gigabit reported. A clear, quotable privacy statement — bytes transferred only, nothing about which groups you read — bundled with OctaneVPN. Runs on the UsenetExpress spool, so retention tracks that network.

SCORE

9.5

WEIGHT

20%

DETAIL

Gigabit reported

02RETENTIONWEIGHT 18%9.9▼

03BACKBONEWEIGHT 15%7.7▼

04COMPLETIONWEIGHT 15%9.9▼

05SERVERSWEIGHT 8%9.0▼

06LOCATIONSWEIGHT 8%9.0▼

07SECURITYWEIGHT 8%9.2▼

08VPNWEIGHT 5%9.5▼

09PAYMENTSWEIGHT 3%9.0▼

VS MODE

SPEC

THUNDERNEWS

EWEKA

SPEED

9.5

9.2

RETENTION

9.9

9.7

BACKBONE

7.7

8.9

COMPLETION

9.9

9.8

SERVERS

9.0

8.9

LOCATIONS

9.0

6.4

SECURITY

9.2

9.5

VPN

9.5

7.4

PAYMENTS

9.0

9.4

+ WINS

▸One of the plainest no-monitoring statements in the category.

▸107,000+ newsgroups with unlimited posting and 24/7 support.

▸OctaneVPN bundled on the VPN plans; UK-specific annual tier available.

− LOSSES

▸Its own FAQ says 4,451 days while checkout shows 5,830+.

▸Reseller — no infrastructure of its own, so no redundancy against UsenetExpress.

▸Community-reported soft caps on "unlimited"; ownership is not disclosed.

FINAL VERDICT_

Newshosting is the benchmark the rest of the roster gets measured against: the Omicron group's flagship network, the deepest advertised retention pool anywhere, 100 connections, and the best bundled newsreader in the business. The caveats are real but small — US DMCA jurisdiction, cards-and-PayPal-only payments, and renewal prices that jump after the promo year. Take the annual promo, skip month-to-month, and verify the price at checkout — retention figures are advertised, not independently measured.

9.2

RANK 3 OF 12 PROVIDERS
LAST BENCHED 02 AUG 2026