SBS News vs Before Zero
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SBS News
Access a comprehensive range of Australian and world news, including politics, culture, and current affairs. Receive breaking news alerts, watch live streams, and explore in-depth stories. Customize your experience with personalized features and share articles easily.
- Australian and world news headlines
- Breaking news alerts
- Live news video streams
- Personalized experience options
- In-depth story exploration
- Curated news newsletters
- Seamless article sharing
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Discover a world of news with the SBS News app. From Australian news to world news, find key news headlines, context and perspectives that matter to you and your community. Whether it's politics, culture, or current affairs, access accurate and reliable information effortlessly. Get real-time notifications for breaking news and stay ahead of the curve. Join us for a seamless news experience that keeps you connected. - Global News: Discover the latest news from Australia and around the world - Instant Updates: Receive breaking news alerts and updates on topics you want to follow - Live Streams: Video live streaming of news events; SBS World News - Personalised Access: Dark Mode, iOS 14 Widget, and 3D Touch for a tailored experience - In-Depth Exploration: Dive into explainers, related stories and trending topics - Curated Newsletters: Subscribe for a customised news briefing at your preferred time - Seamless Sharing: Share stories with friends via social networks, email, or SMS - Trusted Journalism: Explore unbiased, diverse perspectives - Stay connected: Read the context behind the headlines, discover inspiring and informative stories
Before Zero
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Prepare before the unexpected happens. Before Zero brings emergency checklists, internet network status, shelter maps and relevant news into one place. Build your household supplies, plan for life offline and take preparedness one step at a time. EMERGENCY CHECKLISTS Organize essential water, food, lighting, first-aid and other supplies for nuclear emergencies and power outages. Set your household size, see calculated quantities and track your progress. PLAN FOR INTERNET OUTAGES Create your offline checklist before connectivity disappears. Remember to download books, films, music, games and maps, and save important contacts and documents using your preferred apps. NETWORK STATUS View available status signals for four major networks: Cloudflare, Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft. Expand the network list to see each monitored network's status. SHELTER MAP Explore mapped bunker and shelter records from OpenStreetMap. View locations on the map and browse discovered entries in a list. Records may include historical structures and do not confirm public access or suitability. RELEVANT NEWS Browse separate news feeds covering nuclear developments, power disruptions and internet outages. KEEP MAKING PROGRESS Save checklist progress on your device and enable weekly reminders to continue preparing. Choose your preferred language in settings. No ads. Practical preparation, without the clutter. IMPORTANT Before Zero is a preparedness and information tool, not an official emergency alert service. It does not predict emergencies or guarantee safety. Network information, news and map records may be delayed, incomplete or unavailable. Always follow instructions from local authorities and official emergency services.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: SBS News at 3 against Before Zero's 1. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SBS News ships an update monthly, Before Zero every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SBS News | Before Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (13 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 23.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Special Broadcasting Service Corporation | Yigit ERKAL |
Bugs and requests
SBS News
Reported bugs
40 issues- App body of articles not showing
- App stopped working
- Stories not fully loading
- App height restricted in landscape mode on iPad
- Cannot enlarge photos
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- No search function
- Ads relocate and cause headlines to jump
- Interface jumping/defeating scrolling efforts
- Page goes blank, reloads, flickers when scrolling
- Cumbersome to navigate to other news stories
- Old news content remains for too long
- Notifications sent multiple times, wrong language, against preference
- Notifications in Chinese
- App requires frequent updates
- Live stream not accessible
- Cannot zoom in on photos
- Widget doesn't work
- App uses excessive storage/memory
- Instagram stories style buttons are pointless
- Red icon is ugly
- Back button inaccessible on iPhone XR/12/X
- Return arrow competes with search function
- App freezes on welcome screen
- No sound on video or audio clips
- App locks up on startup
- Video quality flaky, shuts off app
- Slow to load, won't play multimedia videos
- App crashes when attempting to watch video
- App crashes on startup
- App doesn't display well on iPhone SE 1gen
- App stopped working on iPhone 8 Plus
- Dark mode requested
- Gambling advert in feed
- 30-second ads with no option to remove
- Trackers detected
- App keeps crashing
- Return/back button doesn't work
- Swipe right navigates to previous news instead of home
- Return arrow in terrible position on iPhone
- App won't load past homescreen
Requested features
13 requests- Allow users to save articles
- More obvious identification of advertisements
- Option to adjust layout (linear vs. grid, remove images)
- Search function
- Dark mode
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- Ability to zoom/enlarge photos
- More control over content filters
- Option to adjust font size
- Playlist/queue for audio/video
- Swipe right to return home option
- Allow live stream viewing anywhere
- Show Christian News
- Improve iPadOS windowing and multitasking support
Before Zero
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SBS News
No in-app purchases
Before Zero
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SBS News free?
Is Before Zero free?
Do SBS News or Before Zero have ads?
Which is updated more often, SBS News or Before Zero?
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