Comparison

The Age vs Hail

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

Hail

Features
Read full description

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

The Age4 screens
Hail4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
The Age versus Hail: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe AgeHail
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (31 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews27.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings31 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#196 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size135 MB42 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty LimitedHail

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

2 purchases

The Age

Subscriptions2
  • Starter Digital1 Month trial$17.991 Month
  • Premium Digital1 Month trial$24.991 Month
None

Hail

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Age free?
The Age is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hail free?
Hail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Age or Hail have ads?
Neither The Age nor Hail shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Age or Hail?
The Age ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hail every 3 months. Most recently, The Age was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hail on November 5, 2026.

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