Comparison

VicEmergency vs nine.com.au

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

VicEmergency

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
Read full description

VicEmergency is the official Victorian Government app for emergency warnings and information. Download VicEmergency, set up a user profile and watch zones to ensure you receive official warnings and information for areas that interest you. Watch the VicEmergency video at www.youtube.com/channel/UCskGgVGdfEp1C3BMiiwAyzQ To review support articles or submit a request, visit http://support.emergency.vic.gov.au Main Features: • Live incident map showing current warnings, planned burns and other types of incidents across Victoria.*** • Simple to create a profile and use watch zones that ensure you get official warnings for your local area. Warnings and information* are pushed out to a user's phone when issued by Victoria’s emergency services.  • GPS integration to determine your current location** and surrounding incidents.  • Emergency Warnings, Warnings, Advice and information as issued by Victoria’s emergency services • Share incidents and warnings with friends and family. • View forecast Fire Danger Ratings on the map. • View today's and tomorrow’s Total Fire Ban status. * Your device must have an internet connection to receive warnings and information issued by Victorian emergency services.  ** To view your current location, GPS must be switched on and location functionality enabled. *** Map symbols represent the origin of the emergency, not its current location or spread. The VicEmergency app is just one tool to assist you to access warnings and information about emergencies, however you should never rely on just one information channel. Emergency services use a range of other information channels including SKY TV, ABC local radio, some commercial and designated community radio stations, VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226, VicEmergency website on www.emergency.vic.gov.au and VicEmergency Twitter and Facebook. Are you getting a message asking you to turn on notifications? You need to ensure that push notifications are enabled specifically for the VicEmergency app, as follows: For iOS10, iOS9, iOS8 and iOS6: 1. Click on the Settings icon and then select Notifications.  2. Scroll down, click the VicEmergency icon 3. Ensure 'Allow Notifications" or "Notification Centre" (iOS6) at top of the screen is set to On.  4. We recommend that you set Alert Style as 'Banners' or Alerts' and ensure that Sounds and "Show on Lock Screen" or "View in Lock Screen" (iOS6) are set to On.  For iOS7:  1. Open the device's Settings icon and then select 'Notification Center'. 2. Under 'Access on Lock Screen', check that 'Notifications View' is On (showing as green). 3. Scroll further down and ensure that VicEmergency is in the list under INCLUDE. Click it to open it. 4. At the top, set Alert Style as 'Banners' or Alerts' 5. Then ensure that everything in this section is turned On - ‘Badge App Icon’, ‘Sounds’, 'Show in Notification Center', 'Show on Lock Screen’, etc (all should be showing as green).

About

nine.com.au

Stay informed with breaking news and custom alerts from a trusted source. This app delivers local and global news, with features like 'News Near Me' and personalized notifications for topics like sports, politics, and weather. Easily manage your alert preferences for a tailored news experience.

Highlights
  • Breaking news updates
  • Customizable alerts
  • Geo-targeted 'News Near Me'
  • Local weather forecasts
  • News by category subscription
  • Ad-supported news delivery
Features
Read full description

Stay up to date with the best breaking news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle and the best videos with the new nine.com.au app. Join over 10.5million Australians who trust nine.com.au to stay informed and entertained. What you’ll enjoy about the new nine.com.au app: EVERYTHING YOU NEED ALL IN ONE PLACE All the trusted local and world news from our dedicated team of journalists, together with the best of sport, lifestyle and shopping, entertainment and travel in a new streamlined app. YOUR NEWS, YOUR WAY Follow the topics you love using our ‘For You’ feature. ALERTS Never miss a breaking news story with our real-time alerts. PREMIUM VIDEOS ON DEMAND Stream the latest breaking news, viral moments, and exclusive stories anytime, anywhere. Our mission remains the same: providing a trusted environment where you feel part of the story, not just informed about it. Questions or feedback? We’re always evolving. Reach out at contact@9news.com.au. Note: This app features Nielsen's proprietary measurement software which allows you to contribute to market research. See www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.

Screenshots

VicEmergency4 screens
nine.com.au4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: nine.com.au at 4.6 against VicEmergency's 3.5. nine.com.au also leads on ratings volume (892 vs 4) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). VicEmergency's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

nine.com.au holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nine.com.au has 892 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of VicEmergency's written reviews are positive against 27% of nine.com.au's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, nine.com.au every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
VicEmergency versus nine.com.au: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVicEmergencynine.com.au
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (4 ratings)4.6 (892 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.1% of reviews26.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4892 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB31 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperState of Victoria - Department of JusticeNINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Customer experience

VicEmergency

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews121 reviews
Positive23.1%
Neutral12.4%
Negative64.5%

nine.com.au

All ratings892 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews297 reviews
Positive26.9%
Neutral6.7%
Negative66.3%

Bugs and requests

VicEmergency

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

nine.com.au

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Latest version not playing videos
  • Self starting stories
  • No notifications
  • 5 years later and still no option for audible breaking news notifications
  • Too much annoying Advertising
Show 5 more
  • Extremely jumpy with numerous unnecessary background refreshes
  • Clunky, Confusing and Clicksore
  • App doesn't refresh without WiFi
  • Videos not related to content
  • Needs some work on alerts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Start an All Day News Channel
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Search function

In-app purchases

None

VicEmergency

No in-app purchases

None

nine.com.au

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VicEmergency free?
VicEmergency is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is nine.com.au free?
nine.com.au is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VicEmergency or nine.com.au?
nine.com.au is rated higher. VicEmergency averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while nine.com.au averages 4.6 from 892 ratings.
Do VicEmergency or nine.com.au have ads?
nine.com.au shows ads; VicEmergency does not.
Which is updated more often, VicEmergency or nine.com.au?
VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, and nine.com.au every 5 weeks. Most recently, VicEmergency was updated on October 14, 2026 and nine.com.au on October 14, 2026.

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