Usenet is more like a server dead-drop. Usenet providers host servers, and people upload content to those servers. Then anyone who also has access to those Usenet servers can swing by and grab a copy. You use a Usenet reader to actually browse and download the files, sort of like how you use a torrent client to download torrents. The upside is that you don’t need to worry about whether or not a torrent is properly seeded; There’s a dedicated server that is hosting the file. The big downside here is that you actually need access to those servers. This requires a Usenet subscription, the same way you subscribe to your ISP for internet service. Not all Usenet providers have access to every server, (though many providers make attempts at parity with partnered companies.) So it’s common to need more than one Usenet subscription, for access to multiple servers for your various types of media.

Usenet subscriptions typically work in one of two ways; By usage, or by time. Usage is like a prepaid cell phone. Maybe you buy 100GB, and you can then download 100GB from the usenet servers before needing to pay again. These tend to be cheaper in the short term, but more expensive if you’re downloading tons of data constantly. Then there are the timed subscriptions, which are just like a subscription you’d expect; You pay for a month, and you have access for a month. Many people will keep a monthly subscription with their main provider, then a usage subscription with a backup. So even if their main doesn’t have a file, their backup might, and they’re only paying for the backup when their main is failed.

If this sounds similar to cloud server sites like Mega or Google Drive, that’s because it is. And it suffers from the same hurdles; Content owners can issue DMCA takedown notices on the media they own, and force the Usenet provider to remove it from their server. Usenet has historically been a more solid way to find full file downloads, but that was largely because content owners hadn’t bothered checking them for potential takedowns. In the past few years that has changed, and files often get taken down shortly after they’re posted. If a download fails on usenet, it’s often because the file got taken down while you were downloading it.