You have to be at least 18 years in order to sign up for a FreeDiscussions account.
There are several payment methods you can choose from:
- Worldwide: PayPal, Credit Card
- Germany, Netherlands, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium: PayPal, Credit Card, Direct Debit
FreeDiscussions offers access to the Usenet, a global discussion forum consisting of over 200,000 newsgroups.
To access the Usenet you need your usenet.nl account and a newsreader. A newsreader is software you can compare to your internet browser, just for the Usenet instead of the Internet. As a pure access provider, FreeDiscussions does not offer its own newsreader. You can find examples of newsreaders in your member area under "Newsreaders".
No, the account is only supposed to be used by you. You should keep your access information safe at all times and should not give it to third parties.
After the initial term, your contract will automatically be extended to an unlimited term if you do not cancel. You can choose other packages at any time in the members area under "My Subscription" - with just a few clicks.
You can find an overview of our current plans here.
If you subscribe to newsgroups, you define where your search commands are executed. This gives you the option of excluding certain parts of the Usenet which you do not want to be searched. The quality of your results will be increased.
Subscribing to newsgroups does neither imply any additional charges nor does it use download volume.
Yes, downloads can be made via SSL encoding.
In addition to the ports 119 and 443, port 563 can be used for SSL encrypted connection to the Usenet. Please check in the settings of the newsreader you are using whether you have activated encryption.
If you do not know where to find the setting, please contact the manufacturer of the newsreader program directly.
With the PowerMode you can download with unlimited speed. In EcoMode you can only download up to 2000 Kbit/s. Depending on the desired download speed, the following settings must be stored in the client:
PowerMode (maximum download speed)
Newsserver: power.freediscussions.com
Port: 119/443 for unencrypted connections or port 563 for SSL connections
Your username (unf-xxxxxxxxxxx-xxx)
Your password EcoMode (with up to 2,000 kbit/s)
Newsserver: eco.freediscussions.com
Port: 119/443 for unencrypted connections or port 563 for SSL connections
Your username (unf-xxxxxxxxxxx-xxx)
Your password
In a search, you do not search the Usenet itself, but an index. Your advantage is that the search in over 800 terabytes of data is completed within fractions of a second.
Very rarely, however, it may happen that the file you are looking for is not currently available. In this case, please carry out the search again at a later time.
Please note that we cannot help you with detailed questions about content, as we are purely an access provider to the Usenet and have no influence on the content.
You can use our service with any newsreader. In order to configure any newsreader please use depending on the desired download speed the following settings:
Access provider: FreeDiscussions
Please note: Some newsreader developers might not have updated their software yet. If you do not see the option FreeDiscussions they might still have usenet.nl in their provider list. If so, select usenet.nl.
PowerMode (maximum download speed)
Newsserver: power.freediscussions.com
Port: 119/443 for unencrypted connections or port 563 for SSL connections
Your username (unf-xxxxxxxxxxx-xxx)
Your password EcoMode (with up to 2,000 kbit/s)
Newsserver: eco.freediscussions.com
Port: 119/443 for unencrypted connections or port 563 for SSL connections
Your username (unf-xxxxxxxxxxx-xxx)
Your password
To access Usenet, it is necessary to have an unrestricted connection via ports 119 and 443 (and 563 for SSL encryption). Is your firewall or antivirus software blocking these ports? Please unblock both ports.
You can find information on how to do this in the help file of the respective product or directly from the manufacturer.
Please also make sure that you are using the latest version of your chosen newsreader.
Please note that it can take up to 10 minutes after ordering for your account to be activated. If you are still unable to login, please make sure to use the correct case - your access data is case-sensitive. Please copy and paste your unf-username from the e-mail "Your login details for FreeDiscussions" and enter your self-selected password. You can change your password here if necessary. If you are still unable to log in with a new password, please contact us with the specific error message you are receiving. Our contact details are as follows:
- Phone: +44 113 892 1109 (Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:30)
- E-mail: [email protected]
This can be the case if you have activated many applications at the same time. It can also often happen if you are downloading other data from the internet at the same time. Answering the following questions will help to isolate the cause:
- Have you activated the EcoMode?
- Do you have many programmes open that access the internet? Try to see if the download speeds up if you close some of the programmes.
- Are downloads from other websites also slow? Please check your internet connection and contact your internet provider if necessary. If none of the above possibilities leads to success, our competent service team is available to you in writing and by telephone. Our contact details are as follows:
- Phone: +44 113 892 1109 (Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:30)
- E-mail: [email protected]
If you have already cancelled your account, you can reactivate your account. You can reactivate your account directly in the member area.
You can also contact our customer success team at +44 113 892 1109 (Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:30) or send an e-mail to [email protected].
If your subscription has already expired, you need to sign up for a new account should you wish to use our service again. Please register here.
We are happy to welcome you again!
The subscription can be terminated as follows: -FASTEST OPTION: By calling to +44 113 892 1109 (Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:30)
- In writing by letter or e-mail to [email protected]
- Via online support form - Via cancellation form These are our Notice periods: - For packages with unlimited duration, termination is possible on a monthly basis
- For packages with a term of up to one month that were concluded before 01.03.2022, the notice period is 7 days to the end of the contract term.
- For annual packages and other contracts with a term of several months, the period of notice is 1 month to the end of the contract term.
- Special right of termination for free trial periods: Free trial periods within the initial term can be terminated without giving reasons before the end of the last day of the trial period.