Skip to content
alsoreported
  1. Home
  2. Outlet guides
  3. The Sydney Morning Herald
Outlet guide

How to read The Sydney Morning Herald free or for less

The Herald lets casual visitors read a few stories before it asks them to subscribe, and full access needs a paid digital plan. Its Melbourne sister paper, The Age, is run by Nine on the same model, so most routes here (university Campus Access, library editions, PressReader) also cover The Age. Students at partner universities and members of several state and council libraries can read the Herald free.

Last checked 6 Nov 2026. Offers change often, so confirm the price on the outlet's own page before you pay.

Quick answer

If your university is in Nine's Campus Access scheme you can activate a free Premium Digital subscription with your uni email; otherwise a state or council library card gets you the Herald's digital edition free.

Australia

Library

City of Sydney Library digital editions

Free

City of Sydney Library members can read a print-replica Herald from 2006 onward (and an archive from 1955 to 1995) from home by logging in through the library catalogue. The library's NewsBank access also carries Herald text from 1986.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source
Library

State Library Victoria: The Age and SMH digital editions

Free

Victorian residents with a free State Library Victoria membership can read full digital editions of the Herald and The Age from 2006, usually up to the current day, from home.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2
Library

State Library of Queensland: SMH Library Edition

Free

State Library of Queensland members can open the SMH Library Edition, a page-for-page replica of the printed paper, from home. It opens on The Age by default, so switch titles using the 'Select title' menu.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2
Library app

Library PressReader

Free

PressReader added the Herald's full digital replica to its library catalogue in August 2026, with no stated delay. If your public library offers PressReader, sign in with your library card under 'Libraries & Groups'.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2
School / university

Campus Access for university students and staff

Free

Nine licenses Premium Digital access to whole universities. Students and staff at the University of Sydney, UNSW, Western Sydney University and Swinburne can activate it on their university's Campus Access page using their university email; it covers the Herald and The Age, apps and puzzles.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2
Other

Starter Digital plan in the SMH app

A$25.99/month (App Store in-app price)

The SMH app is free to download, and a Starter Digital plan bought through Apple costs A$25.99 a month. Premium Digital costs more, and the App Store listing shows conflicting prices for it. Offers on smh.com.au itself may be cheaper.

See the offer Confirmed on an official page Source

Questions

Yes. City of Sydney Library, State Library Victoria (for Victorian residents), the State Library of Queensland and any library offering PressReader let members read the Herald's digital edition online at no cost.

At some universities, yes. Students and staff at the University of Sydney, UNSW, Western Sydney University and Swinburne can activate free Premium Digital access through Nine's Campus Access scheme with their university email.

Yes. Since August 2026 the Herald, The Age and the AFR have been on PressReader, so you can read them free if your library subscribes.

No. Nine's mastheads, including the Herald and The Age, are not on Apple's Australian Apple News+ publication list.

Mostly. Campus Access, the State Library Victoria and Queensland library editions, and PressReader all include The Age as well as the Herald.