VicEmergency vs Emergency WA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Live incident map
- Personalized watch zones
- Push notifications for warnings
- GPS integration for location
- Forecast Fire Danger Ratings
- Total Fire Ban status
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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).
Emergency WA
This app provides official alerts and warnings for emergencies in Western Australia. Receive customized notifications for fires, storms, floods, and more, directly from emergency responders. Access information quickly to make informed decisions and stay safe.
- Custom watch zone notifications
- Near real-time emergency alerts
- Selectable alert types
- Guest or account access
- Live emergency radio broadcasts
- MyBushfirePlan upload
- Accessible information formats
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The Emergency WA app is Western Australia’s trusted, official source for fast and accurate information during emergencies – helping you make informed decisions to stay safe. Information on Emergency WA comes directly from emergency responders. The app provides all the features of the Emergency WA website with the ability to set up customised notifications so you receive the types of alerts that are important to you. Key Features: - Set custom watch zones to receive alerts and warnings for specific areas. - Receive near real-time notifications about emergencies that impact you. - Create an emergency plan tailored to your needs and receive automatic prompts to activate your plan when linked to a watch zone. - Choose which alert types you receive, including fires, storms, floods, burn-offs, Total Fire Bans and Fire Danger Ratings plus many more. - Experience all features of the app as a Guest or create an Account to receive notifications across multiple devices. - Listen to live, local emergency radio broadcasts. - Upload and store critical documents in one place. - Tailor the app to receive accessible emergency information in multiple formats. Emergency WA is managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services on behalf of the Government of Western Australia.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Emergency WA at 4.5 against VicEmergency's 3.5. Emergency WA also leads on review sentiment (41% vs 23%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Emergency WA holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of VicEmergency's written reviews are positive against 41% of Emergency WA's.
VicEmergency ships an update every 3 months, Emergency WA monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VicEmergency | Emergency WA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (4 ratings) | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | 41.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 153 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | State of Victoria - Department of Justice | Department of Fire and Emergency Services |
Customer experience
VicEmergency
Emergency WA
Bugs and requests
VicEmergency
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Emergency WA
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to add watch zones
- Repeated notifications for the same incident
- Authentication issues when modifying watch zones
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to increase radius for watch zones
- Option to define boundaries based on regions/LGAs
- Add scale to map
- Retain previous settings when opening app
In-app purchases
VicEmergency
No in-app purchases
Emergency WA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is VicEmergency free?
Is Emergency WA free?
Which has better reviews, VicEmergency or Emergency WA?
Do VicEmergency or Emergency WA have ads?
Which is updated more often, VicEmergency or Emergency WA?
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