ABC News vs SZapp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ABC News
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.
- Breaking news alerts
- In-depth articles
- Video and audio content
- National and international news
- User-friendly design
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The ABC NEWS app makes it easier for you to stay up to date with the latest news and information from Australia's most trusted news source.
SZapp
Stay connected with your school community. Access newsletters, documents, and receive live notifications directly from your school.
- Access school newsletters
- View school documents
- Receive live notifications
- Stay connected with school community
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SZapp allows school communities to stay connected with their school. View and access Schoolzine newsletters, documents and get live notifications from your school!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ABC News at 32% against SZapp's 4%. SZapp's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ABC News ships an update fortnightly, SZapp every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | ABC News | SZapp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (204 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.7% of reviews — better | 4.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 204 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 112 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Schoolzine Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
ABC News
SZapp
User reviews
ABC News
From 204 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Objective news coverage
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy source
- 🚀 Clean and user-friendly app design
- 👍 Good regional and national news coverage
Room to improve
- 🐛 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
SZapp
From App Store reviewsWhat we love
- 👍 New interface praised
- 🚀 Fast and easy to use (rarely mentioned)
Room to improve
- 🐛 App won't load/open
- 🐛 Constant login issues
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Notifications not working
- 🐛 Incompatible with latest iOS
Bugs and requests
ABC News
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
SZapp
Reported bugs
20 issues- App does not load after latest updates
- App remains on cover/home screen
- App fails to display/load content
- Absentee form is not received
- User is logged out after quitting the app
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Notifications default to off after logout
- Cannot log in after auto-updating
- Incorrect login details error
- Cannot click subscribe or cancel buttons
- App opens web browser within itself and cannot return
- Red notification badge persists even after reading all notifications
- Cannot add news from two different years from the same school
- App crashes when typing in reason field
- App does not rotate to landscape mode
- Cannot select UK as a region
- Search UX is terrible
- Password requirements are too restrictive
- App reports no internet connectivity
- Cannot get past the choose a region option
- Cannot finish form to create login on iPhone 8 S
Requested features
16 requests- Fix app compatibility with latest iOS
- Improve login stability
- Ensure absentee forms are received
- Fix notification issues
- Allow users to stay logged in
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Implement a search function for articles
- Improve app stability and reduce crashes
- Allow users to add news from multiple years
- Improve font size and readability
- Make the interface more intuitive
- Remember previously entered information
- Fix the persistent red notification badge
- Allow users to select regions beyond Australian states
- Improve password reset functionality
- Add an in-app contact link to developers
- Allow landscape mode for documents
In-app purchases
ABC News
No in-app purchases
SZapp
No in-app purchases
