# nine.com.au vs Hail

The clearest difference is ads: Hail at none against nine.com.au's shown. Hail also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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 ships an update every 5 weeks, Hail fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | nine.com.au | Hail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (892 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ninecomau/id1010533727/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **892** | — |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/630496802) | [Hail](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893216226) |

## What reviewers say

### nine.com.au

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

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


### Hail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hail/id6762168645)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is nine.com.au free?

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

### Is Hail free?

Hail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do nine.com.au or Hail have ads?

nine.com.au shows ads; Hail does not.

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

nine.com.au ships an update every 5 weeks, and Hail fortnightly. Most recently, nine.com.au was updated on October 18, 2026 and Hail on October 9, 2026.

---

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