Comparison

VicEmergency vs ACBM

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

ACBM

Features
Read full description

News, information and resources for the ACBM.

Screenshots

VicEmergency4 screens
ACBM3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: ACBM at 13.0 against VicEmergency's 15.0. 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, ACBM every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
VicEmergency versus ACBM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVicEmergencyACBM
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews23.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperState of Victoria - Department of JusticeAsia-Pacific Christadelphian Bible Mission Inc

In-app purchases

None

VicEmergency

No in-app purchases

None

ACBM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VicEmergency free?
VicEmergency is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ACBM free?
ACBM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VicEmergency or ACBM have ads?
Neither VicEmergency nor ACBM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VicEmergency or ACBM?
VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, and ACBM every 6 months. Most recently, VicEmergency was updated on October 10, 2026 and ACBM on October 3, 2026.

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