# VicEmergency vs The Australian

The clearest difference is rating: VicEmergency at 3.5 against The Australian's 2.9. VicEmergency also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5). The Australian's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (727 vs 4). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Australian sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.49 per month. VicEmergency asks for nothing beyond the download.

VicEmergency holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Australian has 727 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 18% of The Australian's.

VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, The Australian fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | VicEmergency | The Australian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vicemergency/id356559665/reviews)** | [2.9 (727 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-australian/id369849696/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **727** |
| Positive reviews | **23.1% of reviews** | 17.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 15 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [State of Victoria - Department of Justice](https://appshunter.io/developer/688084760) | [News Digital Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/369849699) |

## What reviewers say

### VicEmergency

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vicemergency/id356559665)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### The Australian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-australian/id369849696)

Access award-winning journalism and breaking news from Australia and around the world. Stay informed with tailored notifications, read the digital paper, listen to podcasts, and enjoy mind games. Subscription required for full content access.

**Highlights:** Award-winning journalism, Breaking news alerts, Digital paper replica, Chart-topping podcasts, Mind games and puzzles, Gifting feature for subscribers

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Australian App | $24.49 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great digital version of daily paper
- 🚀 Comprehensive, mostly objective news coverage
- 🚀 Easy to use and navigate app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 💰 Expensive subscription, difficult to cancel
- 🔍 Difficult to find and access old articles
- 🔍 Cluttered with ads despite paid subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Inability to access saved articles
- Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
- Sync issues between app and website

**Requested features**

- Ability to read articles offline
- Improved search and article organization
- Customizable font size and layout options
- Better integration with other devices/platforms
- More balanced and objective news coverage


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VicEmergency free?

VicEmergency is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Australian free?

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

### Which has better reviews, VicEmergency or The Australian?

VicEmergency is rated higher. VicEmergency averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while The Australian averages 2.9 from 727 ratings.

### Do VicEmergency or The Australian have ads?

Neither VicEmergency nor The Australian shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, VicEmergency or The Australian?

VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, and The Australian fortnightly. Most recently, VicEmergency was updated on October 27, 2026 and The Australian on October 27, 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.*