Comparison

SowetanLive vs RedSafe

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

Head to head
About

SowetanLive

Access breaking local news, business updates, opinion pieces, sports scores, and entertainment highlights directly on your mobile device. Stay informed with articles from the Sowetan newspaper and exclusive online content updated around the clock.

Highlights
  • Local news updates
  • Business and opinion articles
  • Sports scores and highlights
  • Entertainment news
  • Picture of the day
  • Online-only articles
Features
Read full description

The SowetanLIVE app delivers the hottest local news, business, opinion, sport, entertainment and much more to your mobile device – your news, your community. We publish articles from the Sowetan newspaper as well as plenty of online-only articles produced round the clock by our editorial team, including our picture of the day. Need help? Call our customer care line on 0860 52 52 00 or e-mail helpdesk@sowetan.co.za. View our terms and conditions: https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/terms/

About

RedSafe

Features
Read full description

RedSafe is an app provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that you can download for free and use to obtain humanitarian services. It is governed by ICRC Data Protection rules which protects and secures all personal data given to the ICRC for humanitarian purposes. Data is encrypted and is not shared with external organisations or any other external entities. In order to use RedSafe you need a smartphone; however, you can also access it on the web with limited functionalities on redsafe.icrc.org RedSafe is currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Farsi and Somalian and accessible from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Mozambique, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Switzerland. Features include: Information as Aid to access trusted and reliable information regarding humanitarian assistance and protective measures. Digital Vault to upload and safely store digital copies of your most important documents such as passports, birth certificates, medical records as well as to save a backup of your phone contacts. Alerts which the ICRC will send you urgent news about a particular location together with emergency contact numbers you might need. Humanitarian Services to find on interactive map the location of humanitarian services with their description, address, contact information and opening hours. Contact ICRC Contact the ICRC's community contact center (CCC), if available in your country, to request a call back, ask a question or send a document to the ICRC securely. Find your family Access services from the Red Cross and Red Crescent to help you find a missing relative. Messages to send and receive pre-defined messages including geolocation, selfies and contact information in a secure and confidential way to other app users. Offline features such as; selected articles from Information as Aid, points of interest from humanitarian services, personal documents or Contact list can be saved and accessed without internet. You do not need to register to view the Information as Aid section and the Alerts, however if you want to be able to use the Digital Vault or Messages you will need create an account using an e-mail and/or phone number. In the future RedSafe will increase its services, languages and countries.

Screenshots

SowetanLive4 screens
RedSafe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: RedSafe at none against SowetanLive's shown. SowetanLive's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SowetanLive ships an update every 4 weeks, RedSafe every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
SowetanLive versus RedSafe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSowetanLiveRedSafe
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks β€” betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size44 MB39 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBDFM PublishersLe Comite International de la Croix-Rouge (CICR)

In-app purchases

None

SowetanLive

No in-app purchases

None

RedSafe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SowetanLive free?
SowetanLive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RedSafe free?
RedSafe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SowetanLive or RedSafe have ads?
SowetanLive shows ads; RedSafe does not.
Which is updated more often, SowetanLive or RedSafe?
SowetanLive ships an update every 4 weeks, and RedSafe every 4 months. Most recently, SowetanLive was updated on November 3, 2026 and RedSafe on November 3, 2026.

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