The Australian vs Alert SA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Award-winning journalism
- Breaking news alerts
- Digital paper replica
- Chart-topping podcasts
- Mind games and puzzles
- Gifting feature for subscribers
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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.
Alert SA
Receive timely alerts and warnings for various hazards like fires, heatwaves, severe weather, and floods. Customize notifications for up to 10 specific areas and stay informed about fire danger ratings and total fire bans. This official government app ensures you have critical public safety information.
- Multi-hazard alerts
- Customizable watch zones
- Fire danger ratings
- Total fire ban information
- Cross-border notifications
- Accessibility features
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The Alert SA App is the official mobile application of the South Australian Government, designed to provide timely and relevant information on a range of hazards. Stay informed and prepared with alerts and warnings for: · Fires · Heatwaves · Severe weather · Floods · Hazardous materials Additionally, receive important Fire Danger Rating and Total Fire Ban information via the app. With the Alert SA App, you can create up to 10 watch zones to receive notifications about hazards occurring in areas of interest to you. The app uses your mobile device’s GPS location and requires an internet connection to receive data. Key Features: Multi-Hazard Alerts: Receive notifications for various hazards, including fire, flood, severe weather, hazardous materials, and heatwaves. Customizable Watch Zones: Set up to 10 watch zones to get alerts for specific areas. Accessibility: Fully supports large text and voiceover features to ensure you receive information in a way that suits your needs. Cross-Border Notifications: Get fire warnings within 100km of the border of neighbouring states and territories. Modern User Interface: Enjoy a new, intuitive design with a dedicated onboarding screen and improved user experience. Please note that during emergencies and extreme weather events, such as bushfires, floods, or severe storms, telecommunications services may be unreliable. As a result, you may not receive timely information while using the app. The South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM), the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS), and the South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) recommend that you do not rely on any one single source of information during an emergency. Download the Alert SA App today and stay informed about public information and warnings in South Australia. If there’s anything you think we can improve, we’d love to hear from you at AlertSA@eso.sa.gov.au
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Alert SA at 4.9 against The Australian's 2.9. Alert SA also leads on review sentiment (53% vs 18%) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). The Australian's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (727 vs 15). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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.
Alert SA holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Australian has 727 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of The Australian's written reviews are positive against 53% of Alert SA's.
The Australian ships an update fortnightly, Alert SA every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Australian | Alert SA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (727 ratings) | 4.9 (15 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 17.8% of reviews | 53.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 727 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 108 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | News Digital Media | Government of South Australia – South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission |
Customer experience
The Australian
Alert SA
User reviews
The Australian
From 727 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Alert SA
From 15 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Customizable watch zones for personalized alerts
- 📍 Real-time incident mapping and location visibility
- 🔔 Reliable notifications for critical emergencies
- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
- 💾 Comprehensive incident information and details
Room to improve
- 🔊 Notification sound is intrusive and cannot be customized
- 📢 Alert fatigue from excessive non-critical notifications
- 🐛 Notifications fail to arrive despite enabled settings
- ❌ Frozen app after recent updates (iOS)
- 📍 Insufficient location details in notifications (missing suburb/street address)
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
Alert SA
Reported bugs
10 issues- App freezes on welcome screen after update (version 3.3.0+)
- Fire hazard rating button causes app crash
- Notifications not received despite enabled settings and watch zones configured
- Push notifications fail after iPhone OS updates
- App stuck in portrait mode on iPad in landscape orientation
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Notifications arrive days late or not at all
- Incidents outside watch zones still trigger alerts
- No push notification buttons visible on some iPhone models
- App becomes unresponsive during high-incident periods
- Inconsistent notification delivery across devices
Requested features
16 requests- Customizable notification sounds with multiple options
- Ability to filter alert types (fires only vs. all incidents)
- Watch zones smaller than 5km for suburban areas
- Wind direction and speed information for fire events
- Dynamic watch zones that adjust based on fire danger levels
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Landscape mode support for iPad/tablets
- Route-based alert zones instead of radius-only
- Evacuation point locations with facility details (pet-friendly, horse-friendly)
- Different zone sizes for different hazard types
- North indicator on map
- Road closure information integrated into app
- Burned area visualization (black zones for completed fires)
- Toggle to hide completed incidents
- Ability to sort incidents by most recent first
- Optional heatwave and non-critical alerts
- Street address in tree-down notifications
In-app purchases
The Australian
No in-app purchases
Alert SA
No in-app purchases









