# The Australian vs nine.com.au

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Australian | nine.com.au |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (727 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-australian/id369849696/reviews) | **[4.6 (896 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ninecomau/id1010533727/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 727 | **896** |
| Positive reviews | 17.9% of reviews | **26.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 108 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [News Digital Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/369849699) | [NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/630496802) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### nine.com.au

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ninecomau/id1010533727)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Start an All Day News Channel
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Search function


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*