Comparison

The Australian vs nine.com.au

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Australian

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
Read full description

The Australian app provides the best news experience designed for when you’re on the move. Stay informed throughout the day with our breadth of content and award-winning journalism from Australia and around the world. Subscribers of The Australian (other than Today's Paper digital replica subscribers) will have access to: AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM Stay informed with the latest news from Australia and around the world with our leading opinion, commentary and analysis from the most experienced journalists and correspondents, including trusted sources from The Times of London, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WITH NOTIFICATIONS Receive alerts on the stories that matter most as they happen. Tailor your notifications on a range of topics from breaking news, and curated news updates via editions, business, commentary, lifestyle and travel. READ TODAY’S PAPER In the Today’s Paper section, you can easily read a digital copy of the paper exactly as it was printed, as well as explore our many lift-outs and magazines including The Weekend Australian Magazine, Wish, The List and more. STREAM, FOLLOW AND DOWNLOAD OUR POPULAR PODCASTS You can find all of The Australian’s chart-topping podcasts in one place. Enjoy the premium listening experience in the app, on the go or in the car. CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH MIND GAMES Pass the time with our Mind Games section full of puzzles and games, including The Times of London’s world-famous cryptic crossword. GIFTING * Eligible subscribers can use The Australian app to gift up to 10 gift links in each successive 28 day period. Each gift link can be used by only one person to access one article on a single device. When you generate the gift link, this counts towards your 10 gift link limit even if you don't gift it to anyone. The right to gift up to 10 gift links does not accrue from one 28 day period to the next. Only send a gift link to someone who has consented to receive it. For full terms see www.theaustralian.com.au/subscriptionterms. The Australian app for mobile and tablet is free to download, however, to gain access to the app's content and features, simply subscribe for Member-only access. Member-only access gives you digital access to thousands of subscriber-only stories, the digital replica of the paper, puzzles, podcasts and more of what you love. How to gain access to the app's content and features: 1) Existing members of The Australian (other than subscribers to Today's Paper digital replica) can log in to the app when prompted using their membership details; or, 2) Become a member by subscribing through the app (via iTunes) • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. For full Terms and Conditions please visit https://www.theaustralian.com.au/termsconditions and our Privacy Policy, please visit preferences.news.com.au Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research. Please see www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.

About

nine.com.au

Stay informed with breaking news and custom alerts from a trusted source. This app delivers local and global news, with features like 'News Near Me' and personalized notifications for topics like sports, politics, and weather. Easily manage your alert preferences for a tailored news experience.

Highlights
  • Breaking news updates
  • Customizable alerts
  • Geo-targeted 'News Near Me'
  • Local weather forecasts
  • News by category subscription
  • Ad-supported news delivery
Features
Read full description

Stay up to date with the best breaking news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle and the best videos with the new nine.com.au app. Join over 10.5million Australians who trust nine.com.au to stay informed and entertained. What you’ll enjoy about the new nine.com.au app: EVERYTHING YOU NEED ALL IN ONE PLACE All the trusted local and world news from our dedicated team of journalists, together with the best of sport, lifestyle and shopping, entertainment and travel in a new streamlined app. YOUR NEWS, YOUR WAY Follow the topics you love using our ‘For You’ feature. ALERTS Never miss a breaking news story with our real-time alerts. PREMIUM VIDEOS ON DEMAND Stream the latest breaking news, viral moments, and exclusive stories anytime, anywhere. Our mission remains the same: providing a trusted environment where you feel part of the story, not just informed about it. Questions or feedback? We’re always evolving. Reach out at contact@9news.com.au. Note: This app features Nielsen's proprietary measurement software which allows you to contribute to market research. See www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.

Screenshots

The Australian4 screens
nine.com.au4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: nine.com.au at 4.6 against The Australian's 2.9. nine.com.au also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (27% vs 18%). The Australian's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ratings volume 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 Australian sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.49 per month. nine.com.au asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

nine.com.au holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 727 and 896 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of The Australian's written reviews are positive against 27% of nine.com.au's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Australian ships an update fortnightly, nine.com.au every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Australian versus nine.com.au: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Australiannine.com.au
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (727 ratings)4.6 (896 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.9% of reviews26.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings727896 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB31 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperNews Digital MediaNINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Customer experience

The Australian

All ratings36 ratings
Positive58.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews330 reviews
Positive17.9%
Neutral13.0%
Negative69.1%

nine.com.au

All ratings892 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews297 reviews
Positive26.9%
Neutral6.7%
Negative66.3%

User reviews

The Australian

From 727 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

nine.com.au

From 896 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Happy with the app
  • 🚀 Fantastic, great
  • 🚀 Variety
  • 🚀 Wide coverage
  • 🚀 Keeps me up to date

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Click bait ads
  • 🔍 Biased international coverage
  • 🐛 Latest version not playing videos
  • 🔍 Bad news
  • 🐛 Self starting stories

Bugs and requests

The Australian

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

nine.com.au

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Latest version not playing videos
  • Self starting stories
  • No notifications
  • 5 years later and still no option for audible breaking news notifications
  • Too much annoying Advertising
Show 5 more
  • Extremely jumpy with numerous unnecessary background refreshes
  • Clunky, Confusing and Clicksore
  • App doesn't refresh without WiFi
  • Videos not related to content
  • Needs some work on alerts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Start an All Day News Channel
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Search function

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Australian

Subscriptions1
  • The Australian App1 Month trial$24.491 Month
None

nine.com.au

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Australian free?
The Australian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is nine.com.au free?
nine.com.au is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Australian or nine.com.au?
nine.com.au is rated higher. The Australian averages 2.9 out of 5 from 727 ratings, while nine.com.au averages 4.6 from 896 ratings.
Do The Australian or nine.com.au have ads?
nine.com.au shows ads; The Australian does not.
Which is updated more often, The Australian or nine.com.au?
The Australian ships an update fortnightly, and nine.com.au every 5 weeks. Most recently, The Australian was updated on October 19, 2026 and nine.com.au on October 20, 2026.

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