Comparison

VicEmergency vs The Courier

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

The Courier

Access local and national news, sports results, and in-depth analysis from your community's trusted source. Stay informed with breaking news alerts and a digital replica of the daily newspaper. Includes interactive puzzles.

Highlights
  • Breaking news updates 24/7
  • Browse articles by topic
  • Save articles for later
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Digital newspaper replica
  • Daily interactive puzzles
Features
Read full description

The Courier app brings together the best of your daily newspaper and its website to take your local news experience to another level. As Ballarat's trusted voice, we keep you up to date seven days a week with news that’s important to our community. Whether it's the breaking news you need to know from around the region or across the nation, the BFL, CHFL or other sporting results, in-depth analysis explaining the decisions and events affecting our lives, or incisive commentary, you will be the first to know using The Courier app. The app is free to download, but you need to be a Courier digital subscriber to read articles. Features include: - Access to breaking news updates 24 hours-a-day - Browse the latest articles in the topics that interest you most - Save articles to read later - Alerts for breaking news and big stories - Read a digital replica of the day's newspaper - Play our daily interactive puzzles Please note: This app features Nielsen's proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research or audience ratings services. Please see http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.

Screenshots

VicEmergency4 screens
The Courier4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Courier at 5.0 against VicEmergency's 3.5. The Courier also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 23%). VicEmergency's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence 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. The Courier sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. VicEmergency asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Courier holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of VicEmergency's written reviews are positive against 38% of The Courier's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, The Courier every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
VicEmergency versus The Courier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVicEmergencyThe Courier
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.1% of reviews38.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB59 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperState of Victoria - Department of JusticeRural Press Pty Ltd

Customer experience

VicEmergency

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

The Courier

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive38.5%
Neutral15.4%
Negative46.2%

In-app purchases

None

VicEmergency

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

The Courier

Subscriptions2
  • Courier Monthly Subcription$12.991 Month
  • Courier Annual Subscription$129.991 Year

Questions

Is VicEmergency free?
VicEmergency is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Courier free?
The Courier is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VicEmergency or The Courier?
The Courier is rated higher. VicEmergency averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while The Courier averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do VicEmergency or The Courier have ads?
The Courier shows ads; VicEmergency does not.
Which is updated more often, VicEmergency or The Courier?
VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, and The Courier every 4 months. Most recently, VicEmergency was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Courier on October 25, 2026.

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