UsenetServer Global Search is the search tool that comes free with every UsenetServer plan. You type in what you’re looking for, it searches the newsgroups, and then it makes an NZB file for you, so you don’t need a separate indexer to get started. It’s one of the reasons we rate UsenetServer so highly, and right now you can get UsenetServer 70% off with 3 free months through our link. Here’s what it does, how to use it and how it stacks up against Binsearch.
What Is UsenetServer Global Search?
It’s a global Usenet search, which just means it looks through all the newsgroups at once instead of one group at a time. UsenetServer calls it their award-winning Global Search, and it’s included with every plan with no usage limits. It searches the posts on UsenetServer’s own servers. When you find what you want, it builds the NZB for you, so you can search Usenet and download in one place. Then you open that NZB in your newsreader and it pulls the files down from UsenetServer. If you’re new to all this, our page on what an NZB file is explains how they work.
Why Use a Usenet Search Like This?
Finding things on Usenet on your own is really hard. UsenetServer carries over 125,000+ newsgroups, and there are millions of posts in them. A search tool does the digging for you. Free sites like Binsearch are fine, but they only look back about a year now. Global Search looks through everything UsenetServer keeps, which is over 6,600 days of posts, so it finds a lot more of the older stuff. And since it comes with your account, there’s nothing else to sign up for or pay.
UsenetServer Global Search Features
It Makes the NZB for You
Most search sites make you download an NZB from them, or put one together yourself with another program. With Global Search you just tick the posts you want, add them to your cart and click Generate NZB. Everything you picked goes into one NZB file, which saves a lot of time.
Over 6,600 Days of Posts
How far back a search can look matters a lot. If a file was posted before that cut-off, it won’t show up at all. UsenetServer keeps over 6,600 days of posts, and the number goes up every day. That’s more than 18 years, compared to about a year on Binsearch.
Filters That Narrow It Down
You can search by subject, by newsgroup or by who posted it. You can also pick how far back to look and how many results show on each page. So if you know roughly when something was posted, you can cut the list down fast.
SSL on Every Plan
Every UsenetServer plan comes with SSL connections, so your downloads are encrypted. The yearly deal also gives you their VPN for free, and our UsenetServer VPN review covers that.
How Much Does It Cost?
Global Search doesn’t cost anything extra, because it comes with every UsenetServer plan. Through our link you get 12 months plus 3 free for $5.99 a month, which is 70% off. That plan has 55 connections and the VPN is free. If you’d rather go month to month, it’s $10 a month with 20 connections, and the VPN is $4.99 extra. There’s no free trial anymore. But they do have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can still try it and get your money back if it’s not for you. You can see the UsenetServer plans here.
How to Use UsenetServer Global Search
These screenshots are from when we first reviewed it, so the pages may look a little different now.
1. First, sign up for UsenetServer and pick a plan. The longer plan is the better deal.
2. Once you’ve paid, log in to your UsenetServer account with your email and password.
3. On your account page, click Global Search at the top.
4. Type what you’re looking for in the Subject box. You can also fill in the group or the poster, pick how far back to look, and then hit Search.
5. We searched for Ubuntu. Tick the box next to each post you want and click Add Selected. That puts them in your NZB cart.
6. Open your cart with the button at the top right and click Generate NZB. You get one NZB for everything in the cart. The NZB isn’t the file itself, it just tells your newsreader where to find all the pieces.
7. Open the NZB in your newsreader, like SABnzbd, and it starts downloading. When it’s done, the files show up in the folder you picked. If you don’t have a newsreader yet, see our list of the best newsreaders.
UsenetServer Global Search vs Binsearch
Binsearch is the best known free Usenet search, so here’s how the two compare.
Price: Binsearch is free. Global Search is free too, but only once you have a UsenetServer plan. You still need a provider to download anything you find on Binsearch, though, so it pretty much evens out.
How far back it looks: This is the big one. Binsearch only goes back about a year now, while Global Search goes back over 6,600 days.
Making NZBs: Both of them let you make an NZB from what you find.
Account: Binsearch doesn’t need an account, and Global Search needs your UsenetServer login.
Our Binsearch review has more on it, and our Usenet search engine sites page compares the other options.
Is UsenetServer Global Search Worth It?
If you’re getting UsenetServer anyway, yes, because it’s free and it’s right there in your account whenever you need it. It isn’t as fancy as a paid indexer, and a lot of people use it alongside one of the best NZB sites. But for a quick search with years of posts behind it, it does the job well. Our UsenetServer review covers the rest of the service.