The Sydney Morning Herald: iPhone vs Android
The Sydney Morning Herald by Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Limited is on both the App Store and Google Play. Here are both versions together: downloads, users, revenue, ratings and chart positions, store by store with totals.
Magazines & Newspapers GrossingThe Sydney Morning Herald at a glance
AI summary written from our chart and store data, 2026-10-23. It can be wrong: check the numbers above.
The Sydney Morning Herald app is a free-to-download news platform for Australian and international readers, offering customizable feeds, podcasts, and breaking headlines with optional paid digital subscriptions. The app currently ranks #2 in Australia's Magazines & Newspapers Grossing chart and #5 in News Grossing, indicating strong monetization performance in its home market despite limited visibility in other regions like the UK (#73) and China (#86).
Similar apps: The Guardian, The New York Times, ABC News
App Store
App details
App privacy Measured
The Sydney Morning Herald’s App Store privacy label declares 0 data categories used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, 1 linked to your identity and 3 collected anonymously.
As declared by the developer on the App Store — Apple requires every app to publish this label. We track changes over time.
Google Play
App details
Tech stack
Trackers and permissions of build v3.15.0, from the εxodus privacy report (CC BY-SA).
The Sydney Morning Herald downloads & installs
Both stores, worldwide. Bands are open; exact numbers are free with an account.
| Store | Downloads / day | Lifetime installs |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | 50+ | 100k+ |
| Google Play | 10+ | 100k+ Measured |
| Total | 50+ Confidence | 100k+ Confidence |
How this is calculated
Where The Sydney Morning Herald's downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
Retention · share of new users still active
Time spent · per daily user
How this is calculated
In-app revenue
Worldwide, what users spend before Apple and Google take their fee.
| Store | Per day | Per month | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store | |||
| Google Play | |||
| Total | Confidence | 100% |
Business model: In-app purchase-led
How The Sydney Morning Herald makes money: subscriptions, one-off purchases and ads.
Top in-app purchases · App Store US, most popular first
| 1 | Starter Digital | |
| 2 | Premium Digital subscription |
Where it ranks now
Both stores, across every country we track.
Ratings
Both stores. Store data, measured.
| Store | Rating | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| App Store | 4.5 ★ | 29 |
| Google Play | 4.6 ★ | 1.6k 9 written reviews |
| Both stores | 4.6 ★ weighted by ratings | 1.6k |
What users say about The Sydney Morning Herald
From the 10 most recent App Store reviews in the US.
Users appreciate the quality of journalism and global coverage but are frustrated by broken layout issues and missing features like comments. Complaints also focus on unexpected subscription costs and paywall restrictions.
Mixed but leaning positive (70% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). Recent reviews are more negative than earlier ones.
About The Sydney Morning Herald
The app is free to download. You can unlock unlimited access to all content with a Starter Digital subscription through the App Store. To unlock premium features such as Today's Paper and puzzles including Daily Crosswords and Daily Sudoku, you can subscribe to Premium Digital via in-app purchase.
Additional information about Apple subscriptions:
- Purchase of an auto-renewable, monthly subscription is required to access content on The Sydney Morning Herald app
- Starter Digital subscriptions are available for AU$25.99 per month (or local currency equivalent)
- Premium Digital subscriptions are available for AU$37.49 per month (or local currency equivalent)
- Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
- 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 your iTunes App Store Account Settings after purchase
- Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period
- No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period
Terms of use and privacy policy apply when accessing content via The Sydney Morning Herald app
- Privacy policy: https://login.nine.com.au/privacy?client_id=smh
- Terms and conditions: https://login.nine.com.au/terms?client_id=smh
The Sydney Morning Herald iPhone
The Sydney Morning Herald is #2 in Magazines & Newspapers Grossing in Australia and charting in 7 of 30 countries we track.
Updated 25 Oct 2026 · rankings refresh through the day
24 Sep 2026 Magazines & Newspapers GrossingThe Sydney Morning Herald at a glance
AI summary written from our chart and store data, 2026-10-23. It can be wrong: check the numbers above.
The Sydney Morning Herald app is a free-to-download news platform for Australian and international readers, offering customizable feeds, podcasts, and breaking headlines with optional paid digital subscriptions. The app currently ranks #2 in Australia's Magazines & Newspapers Grossing chart and #5 in News Grossing, indicating strong monetization performance in its home market despite limited visibility in other regions like the UK (#73) and China (#86).
Similar apps: The Guardian, The New York Times, ABC News
The Sydney Morning Herald on the App Store
App details
App privacy Measured
The Sydney Morning Herald’s App Store privacy label declares 0 data categories used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, 1 linked to your identity and 3 collected anonymously.
As declared by the developer on the App Store — Apple requires every app to publish this label. We track changes over time.
The Sydney Morning Herald downloads
Worldwide, per day, and installs to date. The band is open; the exact number is free with an account.
How this is calculated
Where The Sydney Morning Herald's downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
Retention · share of new users still active
Time spent · per daily user
How this is calculated
In-app revenue
Worldwide, what users spend in The Sydney Morning Herald before Apple and Google take their fee.
How this is calculated
Business model: In-app purchase-led
How The Sydney Morning Herald makes money: subscriptions, one-off purchases and ads.
Top in-app purchases · App Store US, most popular first
| 1 | Starter Digital | |
| 2 | Premium Digital subscription |
Where it ranks now
Every top chart it appears in across 30 countries.
| Country | Charts | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #2 |
| Australia | NewsGrossing | #6 |
| Australia | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #11 |
| Australia | NewsFree | #21 |
 China | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #86 |
 United Kingdom | NewsGrossing | #70 |
 India | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #40 |
| United Kingdom | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #84 |
| India | NewsGrossing | #50 |
 Indonesia | NewsGrossing | #43 |
| Indonesia | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #48 |
 Saudi Arabia | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #79 |
 United Arab Emirates | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #58 |
| United Arab Emirates | NewsGrossing | #88 |
Apps near The Sydney Morning Herald on the chart
Magazines & Newspapers Grossing, around #2.
Ratings
App Store, worldwide.
What users say about The Sydney Morning Herald
From the 10 most recent App Store reviews in the US.
Users appreciate the quality of journalism and global coverage but are frustrated by broken layout issues and missing features like comments. Complaints also focus on unexpected subscription costs and paywall restrictions.
Mixed but leaning positive (70% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). Recent reviews are more negative than earlier ones.
About The Sydney Morning Herald
The app is free to download. You can unlock unlimited access to all content with a Starter Digital subscription through the App Store. To unlock premium features such as Today's Paper and puzzles including Daily Crosswords and Daily Sudoku, you can subscribe to Premium Digital via in-app purchase.
Additional information about Apple subscriptions:
- Purchase of an auto-renewable, monthly subscription is required to access content on The Sydney Morning Herald app
- Starter Digital subscriptions are available for AU$25.99 per month (or local currency equivalent)
- Premium Digital subscriptions are available for AU$37.49 per month (or local currency equivalent)
- Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
- 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 your iTunes App Store Account Settings after purchase
- Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period
- No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period
Terms of use and privacy policy apply when accessing content via The Sydney Morning Herald app
- Privacy policy: https://login.nine.com.au/privacy?client_id=smh
- Terms and conditions: https://login.nine.com.au/terms?client_id=smh
Latest updates
More from Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Limited
The Sydney Morning Herald Android
The Sydney Morning Herald is #4 in News & Magazines Grossing on Google Play in Australia and charting in 10 of 23 countries we track.
Updated 25 Oct 2026 · rankings refresh through the day
News & Magazines GrossingThe Sydney Morning Herald at a glance
AI summary written from our chart and store data, 2026-10-01. It can be wrong: check the numbers above.
The Sydney Morning Herald app is a free-to-download news platform for Australian readers, offering customizable feeds, podcasts, and breaking headlines with optional paid subscriptions for unlimited access and premium features. It ranks #4 in Australia's News & Magazines Grossing chart, indicating strong monetization relative to its #39 position in the Free chart, while maintaining consistent top-40 grossing positions across several international markets including South Africa, UAE, Indonesia, and India.
Similar apps: The Guardian, The New York Times, ABC News
The Sydney Morning Herald on Google Play
App details
Tech stack
Trackers and permissions of build v3.15.0, from the εxodus privacy report (CC BY-SA).
The Sydney Morning Herald downloads
Worldwide, per day, and installs to date. The band is open; the exact number is free with an account.
How this is calculated
Where The Sydney Morning Herald's downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
How this is calculated
In-app revenue
Worldwide, what users spend in The Sydney Morning Herald before Apple and Google take their fee.
How this is calculated
Business model: In-app purchase-led
How The Sydney Morning Herald makes money: subscriptions, one-off purchases and ads.
Top in-app purchases · App Store US, most popular first
| 1 | Starter Digital | |
| 2 | Premium Digital subscription |
Where it ranks on Google Play
Every top 200 chart it appears in across 23 countries.
| Country | Charts | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | News & MagazinesGrossing | #4 |
| India | News & MagazinesGrossing | #33 |
| Australia | News & MagazinesFree | #33 |
| Australia | All AppsGrossing | #115 |
| Indonesia | News & MagazinesGrossing | #29 |
 Mexico | News & MagazinesGrossing | #36 |
| Saudi Arabia | News & MagazinesGrossing | #34 |
 Turkey | News & MagazinesGrossing | #32 |
| United Arab Emirates | News & MagazinesGrossing | #32 |
 Netherlands | News & MagazinesGrossing | #38 |
 Thailand | News & MagazinesGrossing | #34 |
 Vietnam | News & MagazinesGrossing | #33 |
Apps near The Sydney Morning Herald on the chart
News & Magazines Grossing, around #4.
Ratings
Google Play, worldwide.
What users say about The Sydney Morning Herald
From the 64 most recent Google Play reviews in the US.
Users report severe technical regressions including excessive battery drain, unstable scrolling due to ad loading, and broken navigation features like dark mode and text resizing. Subscribers express strong frustration over intrusive ads despite paying for the service, alongside difficulties with offline access and subscription management.
Mostly negative (28% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). People like it for being easy to use, and its features and content. The main complaints are about price and subscriptions, and ads. Recent reviews are more negative than earlier ones.
What people like
- Ease of use: “A good, easy to use news app”
- Features & content: “The app works very well, and the smh content is first class”
Common complaints
- Price & subscription: “Why do I have to pay on line?”
- Ads: “Ads are driving me insane”
- Speed & performance: “incredibly slow to load pages”
- Updates: “The updated app is terrible”
About The Sydney Morning Herald
The app is free to download. You can unlock unlimited access to all content with a Starter Digital subscription through the App Store. To unlock premium features such as Today's Paper and puzzles including Daily Crosswords and Daily Sudoku, you can subscribe to Premium Digital via in-app purchase.
What's new in 4.8.0
Similar apps
Apps people compare with The Sydney Morning Herald: the same core purpose or gameplay, checked one by one.
