Comparison

Spireworks vs AlertAware

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Spireworks

Control iconic building spire lights from your phone, choosing colors and special effects. Request an invite to participate in this unique experience and support charitable causes.

Highlights
  • Sign in and control spire lights
  • Select colors and special effects
  • View real-time light changes
  • Support charities and special events
  • Request an invite
Features
Read full description

Transform the skyline with a touch. Select refined colors and animations, and watch the city respond in real time. Experience a dynamic calendar of skyline lighting events. Select moments are interactive, giving members and guests the ability to shape the lights in real time. Show your support along the way. Spireworks partners with cause-based nonprofit organizations throughout the year, using special moments on the skyline to raise awareness and spotlight their work.

About

AlertAware

This app provides emergency communication and safety solutions for organizations to protect their members. It allows administrators to manage incidents and recipients to receive alerts, respond, and access safety features.

Highlights
  • Emergency communication
  • Incident management
  • Role-based features (admin/recipient)
  • Receive and respond to messages
  • Safety reporting
  • Assistance options
Features
Read full description

AlertAware is the latest innovation offering personal emergency communication and safety solutions to protect your employees, students, visitors, and community. When an emergency hits, every second counts. AlertAware provides the most robust solution on the market to manage any incident. The AlertAware app is for all users, so no need to download multiple apps. The app will provide features based on your role as administrator or recipient. Super simple to use and fully functional. Administrators and system users are offered a full set of features. Anything you can do in the web version, you can do in this native application. For message recipients, download the app to receive and respond to messages as well as utilize important safety reporting and assistance options when needed. What is the purpose of your app? The purpose of the AlertAware app is to provide mobile access to manage and utilize the AlertAware application for emergency communication and management. In addition, recipients may use the app to interact with their organization during important events that may impact them.

Screenshots

Spireworks4 screens
AlertAware4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Spireworks at 135 against AlertAware's 8. Spireworks also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 50%). AlertAware's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.6 for Spireworks against 3.5 for AlertAware. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spireworks has 135 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Spireworks's written reviews are positive against 50% of AlertAware's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spireworks ships an update every 2 months, AlertAware every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Spireworks versus AlertAware: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpireworksAlertAware
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (135 ratings) — better3.5 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings135 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpireworks LLCJason Volk

Customer experience

Spireworks

All ratings133 ratings
Positive58.6%
Neutral9.8%
Negative31.6%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative36.1%

AlertAware

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Spireworks

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App doesn't work
  • No difference in building lights
  • App requires donation every time
  • App didn't work after donation
  • App shows only yellow, doesn't change spire
Show 3 more
  • App not working on latest OS
  • Error message, try again later
  • Unable to open the app

Requested features

8 requests
  • Subscription all-access fee
  • Fundraiser events
  • Access to all buildings
  • One-time donation option
  • Unlimited access option
Show 3 more
  • Monthly donation option
  • Invite me to the app
  • Send invite link/invitation

AlertAware

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Spireworks

No in-app purchases

None

AlertAware

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spireworks free?
Spireworks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AlertAware free?
AlertAware is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Spireworks or AlertAware?
Spireworks is rated higher. Spireworks averages 3.6 out of 5 from 135 ratings, while AlertAware averages 3.5 from 8 ratings.
Do Spireworks or AlertAware have ads?
Neither Spireworks nor AlertAware shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spireworks or AlertAware?
Spireworks ships an update every 2 months, and AlertAware every 3 weeks. Most recently, Spireworks was updated on October 19, 2026 and AlertAware on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons