Comparison

The Age vs The Courier

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

Head to head
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

About

The Courier

Access local and national news, sports results, and in-depth analysis from your community's trusted source. Stay informed with breaking news alerts and a digital replica of the daily newspaper. Includes interactive puzzles.

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

The Courier app brings together the best of your daily newspaper and its website to take your local news experience to another level. As Ballarat's trusted voice, we keep you up to date seven days a week with news that’s important to our community. Whether it's the breaking news you need to know from around the region or across the nation, the BFL, CHFL or other sporting results, in-depth analysis explaining the decisions and events affecting our lives, or incisive commentary, you will be the first to know using The Courier app. The app is free to download, but you need to be a Courier digital subscriber to read articles. Features include: - Access to 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 - Play our daily interactive puzzles 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

The Age4 screens
The Courier4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: The Age at none against The Courier's shown. The Age also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (31 vs 1). The Courier's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (38% vs 27%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. The Age sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and The Courier sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Courier holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Age has 31 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of The Age's written reviews are positive against 38% of The Courier's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Age ships an update every 2 weeks, The Courier every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
The Age versus The Courier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe AgeThe Courier
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (31 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.3% of reviews38.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#181 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size135 MB59 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperFairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty LimitedRural Press Pty Ltd

Customer experience

The Age

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

The Courier

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive38.5%
Neutral15.4%
Negative46.2%

Bugs and 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

The Courier

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Age

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

The Courier

Subscriptions2
  • Courier Monthly Subcription$12.991 Month
  • Courier Annual Subscription$129.991 Year

Questions

Is The Age free?
The Age is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Courier free?
The Courier is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Age or The Courier?
The Courier is rated higher. The Age averages 4.7 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while The Courier averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do The Age or The Courier have ads?
The Courier shows ads; The Age does not.
Which is updated more often, The Age or The Courier?
The Age ships an update every 2 weeks, and The Courier every 4 months. Most recently, The Age was updated on November 11, 2026 and The Courier on November 11, 2026.

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