Last updated Jun 3, 2026

Providers#

A Usenet provider gives you access to newsgroup servers to download content. Without a provider, your indexers can find releases but SABnzbd has nowhere to download them from.

This setup uses Frugal Usenet as the provider.

Frugal Usenet#

Frugal Usenet is a Swiss Usenet provider offering unlimited and block-based plans.

• Site: frugalusenet.com
• Server: news.frugalusenet.com
• SSL port: 563
• Non-SSL port: 119 (not recommended)

Plans#

Frugal Usenet offers both monthly unlimited access and prepaid block accounts. Either works with this setup. Block accounts are a good option if your download volume is irregular.

Retention#

Frugal Usenet offers over 3,000 days of retention, which covers most content you will realistically want to download.

Newshosting — starter deal#

If you are new to Usenet and do not want to commit to a monthly plan yet, Newshosting has a limited-time starter offer that is hard to beat.

• $23 for a full year of unlimited access
• EasyNews included free for one year (normally a separate subscription)
• Over 5,700 days of retention
• 100 SSL connections
• Free newsreader and zero-log VPN

This is the promo link:

Newshosting yearly deal↗

After signing up, use the credentials Newshosting emails you. The server details go into SABnzbd the same way as any other provider (see the configuration section below).

For a home server that pulls a few shows per week, this $23 plan covers more than a year of use. There is no cheaper way to try Usenet with full retention and speed.

Configuring in SABnzbd#

Go to Config → Servers → Add Server and enter:

After saving, use Test Server to verify the connection. A successful test confirms SABnzbd can reach the server and authenticate.

Using multiple providers#

You can add a backup provider in SABnzbd under the same Servers section. Mark it as a backup so it is only used if the primary fails or a file is not available on the primary server. This is optional for a home setup.