# ABC News vs The Spinoff

The clearest difference is rating: ABC News at 4.7 against The Spinoff's 4.0. ABC News also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (212 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

ABC News holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ABC News has 212 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of ABC News's written reviews are positive against 35% of The Spinoff's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ABC News ships an update fortnightly, The Spinoff every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ABC News | The Spinoff |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (212 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-news/id306583229/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spinoff/id1194728952/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **212** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 32.8% of reviews | **34.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 112 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Australian Broadcasting Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/306583232) | [Hex Work Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1621203519) |

## What reviewers say

### ABC News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-news/id306583229)

Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth reporting from Australia's trusted news source. Access a wide range of articles, videos, and analysis on national and international events.

**Highlights:** Breaking news alerts, In-depth articles, Video and audio content, National and international news, User-friendly design

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Objective news coverage
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy source
- 🚀 Clean and user-friendly app design
- 👍 Good regional and national news coverage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unstable app performance
- ⚠️ Perceived political bias in reporting
- 🔀 Cluttered and confusing layout changes
- 🔍 Poor search and navigation functionality
- 🔇 Unreliable video and audio playback

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent behavior when switching networks
- Issues with article loading and refreshing
- Broken universal links and in-app navigation

**Requested features**

- Customizable font sizes and themes
- Improved local news and weather coverage
- Ability to save and bookmark articles
- Better notification and alert controls
- Integration with smart home devices


### The Spinoff

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spinoff/id1194728952)

This app delivers daily news and cultural commentary from Aotearoa. It features a mix of current affairs, humor, and in-depth stories presented through text, podcasts, and video.

**Highlights:** Daily Aotearoa publications, Current affairs coverage, Cultural commentary, Text articles, Podcasts, Video content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ABC News free?

ABC News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Spinoff free?

The Spinoff is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ABC News or The Spinoff?

ABC News is rated higher. ABC News averages 4.7 out of 5 from 212 ratings, while The Spinoff averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ABC News or The Spinoff have ads?

Neither ABC News nor The Spinoff shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ABC News or The Spinoff?

ABC News ships an update fortnightly, and The Spinoff every 3 months. Most recently, ABC News was updated on November 10, 2026 and The Spinoff on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*