# SA Fires vs The Age

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SA Fires at 76% against The Age's 27%. SA Fires also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). The Age's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

The Age is free to download; SA Fires costs $0.99 up front. The Age sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. SA Fires asks for nothing beyond the download.

SA Fires holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Age has 31 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of SA Fires's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Age's.

SA Fires ships an update every 5 months, The Age every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SA Fires | The Age |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sa-fires/id352740821/reviews)** | [4.7 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-age/id1411569220/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **31** |
| Positive reviews | **76.5% of reviews** | 27.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#77** | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [P4G Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/296948831) | [Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/319908649) |

## What reviewers say

### SA Fires

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sa-fires/id352740821)

**Currently charting:** #77 Top Paid · News (US App Store)

Access up-to-date fire information from South Australia's Country Fire Service. View incidents by recency, severity, or proximity, and see their locations on a map.

**Highlights:** Real-time fire information, Sort by latest, severity, or proximity, Map fire locations, Country Fire Service data

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### The Age

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-age/id1411569220)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Digital | $17.99 | per month |
| Premium Digital | $24.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗞️ Trusted news source
- 📰 Comprehensive news coverage
- 🗺️ Useful local news and information
- 💯 Excellent journalism and reporting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🤖 Lack of user-friendly features and poor navigation
- 💰 Expensive subscription with diminishing value
- 📦 Frustrating download and offline reading experience
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality and personalization

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SA Fires free?

SA Fires costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Age free?

The Age is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SA Fires or The Age?

SA Fires is rated higher. SA Fires averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while The Age averages 4.7 from 31 ratings.

### Do SA Fires or The Age have ads?

Neither SA Fires nor The Age shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SA Fires or The Age?

SA Fires ships an update every 5 months, and The Age every 2 weeks. Most recently, SA Fires was updated on October 27, 2026 and The Age on October 26, 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.*