Comparison

VicEmergency vs Alert SA

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

Alert SA

Receive timely alerts and warnings for various hazards like fires, heatwaves, severe weather, and floods. Customize notifications for up to 10 specific areas and stay informed about fire danger ratings and total fire bans. This official government app ensures you have critical public safety information.

Highlights
  • Multi-hazard alerts
  • Customizable watch zones
  • Fire danger ratings
  • Total fire ban information
  • Cross-border notifications
  • Accessibility features
Features
Read full description

The Alert SA App is the official mobile application of the South Australian Government, designed to provide timely and relevant information on a range of hazards. Stay informed and prepared with alerts and warnings for: · Fires · Heatwaves · Severe weather · Floods · Hazardous materials Additionally, receive important Fire Danger Rating and Total Fire Ban information via the app. With the Alert SA App, you can create up to 10 watch zones to receive notifications about hazards occurring in areas of interest to you. The app uses your mobile device’s GPS location and requires an internet connection to receive data. Key Features: Multi-Hazard Alerts: Receive notifications for various hazards, including fire, flood, severe weather, hazardous materials, and heatwaves. Customizable Watch Zones: Set up to 10 watch zones to get alerts for specific areas. Accessibility: Fully supports large text and voiceover features to ensure you receive information in a way that suits your needs. Cross-Border Notifications: Get fire warnings within 100km of the border of neighbouring states and territories. Modern User Interface: Enjoy a new, intuitive design with a dedicated onboarding screen and improved user experience. Please note that during emergencies and extreme weather events, such as bushfires, floods, or severe storms, telecommunications services may be unreliable. As a result, you may not receive timely information while using the app. The South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM), the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS), and the South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) recommend that you do not rely on any one single source of information during an emergency. Download the Alert SA App today and stay informed about public information and warnings in South Australia. If there’s anything you think we can improve, we’d love to hear from you at AlertSA@eso.sa.gov.au

Screenshots

VicEmergency4 screens
Alert SA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Alert SA at 4.9 against VicEmergency's 3.5. Alert SA also leads on review sentiment (53% vs 23%) and ratings volume (15 vs 4). 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

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

Alert SA holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 15 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of VicEmergency's written reviews are positive against 53% of Alert SA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VicEmergency ships an update every 6 months, Alert SA every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VicEmergency versus Alert SA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVicEmergencyAlert SA
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (4 ratings)4.9 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.1% of reviews53.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings415 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperState of Victoria - Department of JusticeGovernment of South Australia – South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission

Customer experience

VicEmergency

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

Alert SA

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews143 reviews
Positive53.1%
Neutral9.8%
Negative37.1%

Bugs and requests

VicEmergency

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Alert SA

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App freezes on welcome screen after update (version 3.3.0+)
  • Fire hazard rating button causes app crash
  • Notifications not received despite enabled settings and watch zones configured
  • Push notifications fail after iPhone OS updates
  • App stuck in portrait mode on iPad in landscape orientation
Show 5 more
  • Notifications arrive days late or not at all
  • Incidents outside watch zones still trigger alerts
  • No push notification buttons visible on some iPhone models
  • App becomes unresponsive during high-incident periods
  • Inconsistent notification delivery across devices

Requested features

16 requests
  • Customizable notification sounds with multiple options
  • Ability to filter alert types (fires only vs. all incidents)
  • Watch zones smaller than 5km for suburban areas
  • Wind direction and speed information for fire events
  • Dynamic watch zones that adjust based on fire danger levels
Show 11 more
  • Landscape mode support for iPad/tablets
  • Route-based alert zones instead of radius-only
  • Evacuation point locations with facility details (pet-friendly, horse-friendly)
  • Different zone sizes for different hazard types
  • North indicator on map
  • Road closure information integrated into app
  • Burned area visualization (black zones for completed fires)
  • Toggle to hide completed incidents
  • Ability to sort incidents by most recent first
  • Optional heatwave and non-critical alerts
  • Street address in tree-down notifications

In-app purchases

None

VicEmergency

No in-app purchases

None

Alert SA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VicEmergency free?
VicEmergency is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alert SA free?
Alert SA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VicEmergency or Alert SA?
Alert SA is rated higher. VicEmergency averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Alert SA averages 4.9 from 15 ratings.
Do VicEmergency or Alert SA have ads?
Neither VicEmergency nor Alert SA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VicEmergency or Alert SA?
VicEmergency ships an update every 6 months, and Alert SA every 3 months. Most recently, VicEmergency was updated on September 23, 2026 and Alert SA on September 23, 2026.

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