# ABC News vs VicEmergency

The clearest difference is rating: ABC News at 4.6 against VicEmergency's 3.5. ABC News also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (197 vs 4). VicEmergency's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ABC News has 197 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of ABC News's written reviews are positive against 23% of VicEmergency's.

ABC News ships an update fortnightly, VicEmergency every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ABC News | VicEmergency |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (197 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abc-news/id306583229/reviews)** | [3.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vicemergency/id356559665/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **197** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **31.8% of reviews** | 23.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 111 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Australian Broadcasting Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/306583232) | [State of Victoria - Department of Justice](https://appshunter.io/developer/688084760) |

## 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 a trusted Australian news source. Access the latest updates and comprehensive information directly on your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Latest news updates, In-depth reporting, Trusted Australian source, Comprehensive information

**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


### VicEmergency

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vicemergency/id356559665)

Receive official emergency warnings and information for Victoria, Australia. Set up personalized watch zones to get alerts for areas that matter to you, and view a live incident map with real-time updates.

**Highlights:** Live incident map, Personalized watch zones, Push notifications for warnings, GPS integration for location, Forecast Fire Danger Ratings, Total Fire Ban status

**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 VicEmergency free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ABC News or VicEmergency?

ABC News is rated higher. ABC News averages 4.6 out of 5 from 197 ratings, while VicEmergency averages 3.5 from 4 ratings.

### Do ABC News or VicEmergency have ads?

Neither ABC News nor VicEmergency shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ABC News or VicEmergency?

ABC News ships an update fortnightly, and VicEmergency every 3 months. Most recently, ABC News was updated on October 31, 2026 and VicEmergency on November 1, 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.*