# nine.com.au vs The Mercury

The clearest difference is rating: nine.com.au at 4.6 against The Mercury's 2.2. nine.com.au also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (27% vs 6%). The Mercury's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

nine.com.au holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nine.com.au has 896 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of nine.com.au's written reviews are positive against 6% of The Mercury's.

nine.com.au ships an update every 5 weeks, The Mercury fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | nine.com.au | The Mercury |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (896 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ninecomau/id1010533727/reviews)** | [2.2 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-mercury/id1104197339/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **896** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | **26.9% of reviews** | 6.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#134** | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 171 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/630496802) | [News Digital Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/369849699) |

## What reviewers say

### nine.com.au

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ninecomau/id1010533727)

**Currently charting:** #134 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Stay informed with breaking news and custom alerts from a trusted source. This app delivers local and global news, with features like 'News Near Me' and personalized notifications for topics like sports, politics, and weather. Easily manage your alert preferences for a tailored news experience.

**Highlights:** Breaking news updates, Customizable alerts, Geo-targeted 'News Near Me', Local weather forecasts, News by category subscription, Ad-supported news delivery

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Happy with the app
- 🚀 Fantastic, great
- 🚀 Variety
- 🚀 Wide coverage
- 🚀 Keeps me up to date

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Click bait ads
- 🔍 Biased international coverage
- 🐛 Latest version not playing videos
- 🔍 Bad news
- 🐛 Self starting stories

**Reported bugs**

- Latest version not playing videos
- Self starting stories
- No notifications
- 5 years later and still no option for audible breaking news notifications
- Too much annoying Advertising

**Requested features**

- Start an All Day News Channel
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Search function


### The Mercury

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-mercury/id1104197339)

Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth stories from award-winning journalists. Personalize your news feed, receive custom alerts, and access the digital replica of today's newspaper. Explore podcasts and enjoy trusted local perspectives.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, Personalized news feed, Digital newspaper replica, Journalist and topic following, Podcast discovery, Customizable notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Access to news while travelling
- 👍 Can read paper before delivery
- 👍 Good access to Australian news
- 👍 Works better than other News Limited apps

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Latest updates cause issues
- 🐛 Pop-up ads are intrusive
- 🐛 Cannot get rid of ads
- 🐛 Poor coverage of world/national issues

**Reported bugs**

- Zoom not functional
- App not in touch with other apps
- Cannot comment or respond
- Latest update displays unremovable ads
- App has over 7GB of documents and data

**Requested features**

- Fix zoom functionality
- Sync app usage between devices
- Improve coverage of world/national issues
- Get rid of intrusive ads
- Allow commenting and responding


## Frequently asked questions

### Is nine.com.au free?

nine.com.au is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Mercury free?

The Mercury is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, nine.com.au or The Mercury?

nine.com.au is rated higher. nine.com.au averages 4.6 out of 5 from 896 ratings, while The Mercury averages 2.2 from 24 ratings.

### Do nine.com.au or The Mercury have ads?

nine.com.au shows ads; The Mercury does not.

### Which is updated more often, nine.com.au or The Mercury?

nine.com.au ships an update every 5 weeks, and The Mercury fortnightly. Most recently, nine.com.au was updated on October 26, 2026 and The Mercury on October 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*