The Age vs Hail
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Breaking headlines
- Push notifications
- Podcast catalogue
- Customizable news feed
- Today's Paper
- Daily crosswords
- Daily Sudoku
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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
Hail
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The Hail app is the mobile feed for everything your school, sports club or organisation publishes in Hail. When they publish something new — news, notices, newsletters or publications — it appears instantly in your feed. Always current. Always accurate. No searching websites. No missed emails. Just the updates that matter. Download the Hail App, find your organisation and follow. No login or password required. As more schools, sports clubs and community groups join Hail, you’ll be able to follow them all in one live feed. For participating schools, parents can also report absences directly through the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hail at none against The Age's 2. The Age's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#196 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. The Age sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Hail asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Age ships an update every 2 weeks, Hail every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Age | Hail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (31 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 31 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #196 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 135 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Limited | Hail |
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
Hail
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The Age
- Starter Digital1 Month trial$17.991 Month
- Premium Digital1 Month trial$24.991 Month
Hail
No in-app purchases









