Comparison

Cairns Post vs Canberra Times

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

Canberra Times

Access breaking news, in-depth analysis, and commentary from Canberra's trusted voice. Stay informed with 24/7 updates, save articles for later, and receive alerts for important stories. Premium subscribers can enjoy a digital replica of the daily paper and interactive puzzles.

Highlights
  • Breaking news updates 24/7
  • Browse articles by topic
  • Save articles for later
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Digital replica of daily newspaper
  • Interactive daily puzzles
Features
Read full description

The Canberra Times app brings together the best of your daily newspaper and its website to take your news reading experience to another level. Keep up to date with the best journalism on offer in the ACT through Canberra's trusted voice. Whether it's the breaking news you need to know from Canberra or around the nation, the latest sport results, in-depth analysis that explains the decisions that affect your life, or incisive commentary, you'll be the first to know using The Canberra Times app. The app is free to download, but you need to be a Canberra Times subscriber to read articles. Basic subscribers get access to all articles. Premium subscribers also get access to Today's Paper, a digital replica of the paper, and our interactive puzzles. Features include: - Access breaking news updates 24 hours a day - Browse the latest articles in the topics that interest you most - Save articles to read later - Alerts for breaking news and big stories - Read a digital replica of the day's newspaper (premium subscribers) - Play our daily interactive puzzles (premium subscribers) Please note: This app features Nielsen's proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research or audience ratings services. Please see http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.

Screenshots

Cairns Post4 screens
Canberra Times4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Canberra Times at 4.6 against Cairns Post's 2.4. Canberra Times also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 5%). Cairns Post's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Canberra Times sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Canberra Times holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 5% of Cairns Post's written reviews are positive against 38% of Canberra Times's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cairns Post ships an update every 2 weeks, Canberra Times every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Cairns Post versus Canberra Times: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCairns PostCanberra Times
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (18 ratings)4.6 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews5.0% of reviews37.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB59 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNews Digital MediaRural Press Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Cairns Post

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

Canberra Times

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive37.7%
Neutral15.1%
Negative47.2%

Bugs and requests

Cairns Post

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Canberra Times

Reported bugs

27 issues
  • Constant typographical errors
  • App kicks out around sports section
  • Spontaneously closes when scrolling or changing pages
  • Often shows a blank page when returning from an article
  • First lines under headlines disappear and return
Show 22 more
  • Codeword given letters can be deleted and timer does not stop
  • Cannot access tiny crossword
  • Advertisement on every reading page cannot be removed
  • Frequently have to enter password multiple times
  • Navigation between pages is clunky
  • App subscription issues, not working on all devices
  • App takes you back to previous story when clicking a link
  • Main screen keeps timing out trying to download older episodes
  • Painfully slow to load, takes multiple tries
  • Have to zoom in on every page
  • App doesn't work after upgrade
  • Expand page leads back to list of pages
  • Slower than ever, incomplete loading
  • Articles would scroll from when first accessed, rather than after ads loaded
  • Breaking news notifications open to different stories or not at all
  • Constantly have to log in
  • Won't open magazine sections
  • Advertising severely slows the app
  • Links within articles don't open in the app
  • Half the paper seems to be missing in this app
  • Letters randomly mixed with opinion pieces
  • Search function not easily findable or non-existent

Requested features

10 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improve search function
  • Include daily cartoon
  • Allow jumping between hyperlinks without logout
  • Fix links opening in external browser
Show 5 more
  • Add filter function to search
  • Setting to control old issue download
  • Improve app interface for individual stories
  • Revert to previous app formats
  • Make comments on articles available in app

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cairns Post

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

Canberra Times

Subscriptions4
  • Basic Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$24.991 Month
  • Basic Annual$129.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Annual$179.991 Year

Questions

Is Cairns Post free?
Cairns Post is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Canberra Times free?
Canberra Times is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cairns Post or Canberra Times?
Canberra Times is rated higher. Cairns Post averages 2.4 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Canberra Times averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.
Do Cairns Post or Canberra Times have ads?
Canberra Times shows ads; Cairns Post does not.
Which is updated more often, Cairns Post or Canberra Times?
Cairns Post ships an update every 2 weeks, and Canberra Times every 3 months. Most recently, Cairns Post was updated on October 26, 2026 and Canberra Times on October 27, 2026.

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