Comparison

Cairns Post vs The Age

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Cairns Post

Access breaking news, award-winning journalism, and local perspectives from Queensland, Australia. Personalize your news feed, receive custom notifications, and read the daily digital replica of the newspaper. Explore podcasts and enjoy full digital access with a subscription.

Highlights
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Personalized news feed
  • Customizable notifications
  • Digital newspaper replica
  • Podcast discovery
  • Award-winning journalism
Features
Read full description

The Cairns Post app delivers the latest news and biggest stories as they happen, from our team of award-winning journalists in Queensland, Australia and the globe. Get a read on today with our breadth of content, award-winning journalism and trusted local perspectives. We are proud to tell the incredible stories every hour of every day with the Cairns Post app. Subscribers of the Cairns Post (other than Today's Paper digital replica subscribers) will have access to: PERSONALISE YOUR NEWS FEED Set your local news area, follow journalists and topics, plus your favourite sporting codes and teams. All of your customised preferences will appear on the home screen so you can get straight to what matters to you. CUSTOMISED NOTIFICATIONS Receive alerts on the stories that matter most as they happen. Tailor your notifications from a range of topics from breaking news, sport and entertainment to business updates and lifestyle. READ TODAY’S PAPER ON YOUR DEVICE Read the paper on the go with the digital replica of today’s newspaper. Access to the paper anytime, anywhere with the digital replica of the paper, as it’s printed. DISCOVER OUR RANGE OF PODCASTS Explore and listen to a wide range of podcasts from our team of dedicated journalists across the News+ network. The Cairns Post app for mobile and tablet is free to download, however to gain full access to the app's content and features simply subscribe for Member-only access. Member-only access gives you full digital access to thousands of subscriber only stories, the digital replica of the paper, puzzles and more of what you love. How to gain full access to the app's content and features: 1) Existing members of the Cairns Post (other than subscribers to Today's Paper digital replica) can log in to the app when prompted using their membership details; or, 2) Become a member by subscribing through the app (via iTunes) • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. For full Terms and Conditions please visit https://www.cairnspost.com.au/more-information/terms-and-conditions and our Privacy Policy, please visit preferences.news.com.au Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research. Please see www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.

About

The Age

Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth stories. Customize your news feed with topics you care about and listen to exclusive podcasts. Access premium content and daily puzzles with a subscription.

Highlights
  • Breaking headlines
  • Push notifications
  • Podcast catalogue
  • Customizable news feed
  • Today's Paper
  • Daily crosswords
  • Daily Sudoku
Features
Read full description

Get straight to the stories that matter with The Age app. Top Stories and push notifications keep you up to date with breaking headlines while our Podcast catalogue lets you tune into thought-provoking audio storytelling and discussions from our newsroom. My News lets you customise your feed, showing the topics you're interested in, in the order you want them. The app is free to download. You can unlock unlimited access to all content with a Starter Digital subscription through the App Store. To unlock premium features such as Today's Paper and puzzles including Daily Crosswords and Daily Sudoku, you can subscribe to Premium Digital via in-app purchase. Additional information about Apple subscriptions: - Purchase of an auto-renewable, monthly subscription is required to access content on The Age app - Starter Digital subscriptions are available for AU$25.99 per month (or local currency equivalent) - Premium Digital subscriptions are available for AU$37.49 per month (or local currency equivalent) - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your iTunes App Store Account Settings after purchase - Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period Terms of use and privacy policy apply when accessing content via The Age app - Privacy policy: https://login.nine.com.au/privacy?client_id=theage - Terms and conditions: https://login.nine.com.au/terms?client_id=theage

Screenshots

Cairns Post4 screens
The Age4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Age at 4.7 against Cairns Post's 2.4. The Age also leads on review sentiment (27% vs 5%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cairns Post sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and The Age sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Age holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 31 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 5% of Cairns Post's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Age's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cairns Post ships an update every 2 weeks, The Age every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Cairns Post versus The Age: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCairns PostThe Age
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (18 ratings)4.7 (31 ratings) — better
Positive reviews5.0% of reviews27.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1831 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB134 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperNews Digital MediaFairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Limited

Customer experience

Cairns Post

Written reviews20 reviews
Positive5.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative90.0%

The Age

All ratings31 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral7.8%
Negative64.9%

Bugs and requests

Cairns Post

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

The Age

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between sections
  • Issues with downloading and accessing offline content
  • Unreliable login and authentication processes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Bring back the old iPad app design and functionality
  • Improve article saving and bookmarking capabilities
  • Add more customization options for content display
  • Enhance crossword and puzzle experiences
  • Provide better support for offline reading

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cairns Post

Subscriptions2
  • Cairns Post Weekly Subscription7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Cairns Post1 Month trial$20.491 Month
2 purchases

The Age

Subscriptions2
  • Starter Digital1 Month trial$17.991 Month
  • Premium Digital1 Month trial$24.991 Month

Questions

Is Cairns Post free?
Cairns Post is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Age free?
The Age is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cairns Post or The Age?
The Age is rated higher. Cairns Post averages 2.4 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while The Age averages 4.7 from 31 ratings.
Do Cairns Post or The Age have ads?
Neither Cairns Post nor The Age shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cairns Post or The Age?
Cairns Post ships an update every 2 weeks, and The Age every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cairns Post was updated on October 14, 2026 and The Age on October 16, 2026.

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