Comparison

FDNY vs Spark

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

Head to head
About

FDNY

This app simplifies managing your work schedule, including mutuals, vacations, and paydays. It also provides a directory of firehouses with map and contact information. Track overtime and special events with ease.

Highlights
  • Six-year schedule display
  • Mutual partner tracking
  • Banked mutual recording
  • Firehouse directory with maps
  • Overtime and pay tracking
  • Event logging
  • Retirement countdown
Features
Read full description

Tired of fumbling with your FDNY Chart to figure out when you’ll be working two months from now? Sick of coloring the boxes and adding reminders about your mutuals? FDNY to the rescue! Custom-designed with the help of New York City firefighters, FDNY is smart about your chart. It knows about the 25 groups and their schedules, pairing of mutual partners, vacations, RSOT, and so on. The calendar screen always shows your day and night tours and your partner’s tours (using colors of your own choosing) for the next six years from “today.” It takes only a few taps to enter a mutual with your partner. A few more taps and you’ve got a banked mutual recorded with somebody else. Separate balances are maintained for each person. And, there’s no need for a new chart every year. FDNY also contains a list of NYC firehouses and callboxes, complete with locations (one touch to see maps) and firehouse phone numbers (one touch to make calls). Features: • Displays your schedule for the next six years, including vacations, holidays, and paydays. • Double-tap any day to see the day and night group numbers, just like the printed chart. • You can enter colleagues for other groups. • Records banked mutuals. Tracks tours earned or owed on a person-by-person basis. • Formats emails for sending out mutual offers. • Contains a Logbook for keeping track of tours or hours of your choosing. • Shows your vacation periods. • Logs “events” with date, time and location — you can edit the title, text, and location details when you have time. • Displays your tours and those of your mutual partner simultaneously. • Adjustable colors for day/night tours, vacations, RSOT holidays, etc. • Track all overtime, P/P, A2R, and CFR-D by pay period. • Mark special days such as training or medical appointments. • Quickly locate any NYC firehouse on a map. Sort the list by engine or ladder. • Countdown to retirement. • Extensive Help pages for every feature and screen; indexed. If you need help, or have questions or comments, the best way to contact me is by using the in-app email button on the Help screen (2nd best: fdny@buddy.com).. Please don't put questions or suggestions in a review; there's no way for me to reply directly to you. -- Jeff I reply to all emails immediately (or within a few hours if I'm sleeping or traveling, which isn't often). If you didn't hear from me promptly, it means there was failure in the "Tubes." Please try again to contact me. FDNY is for members of the New York City FD (including Fire Marshals, EMS, ABCD, and Light Duty). If you’re not a member of that department, then you do not want this app. Instead, check out Scheduler, which can handle repeatable shift schedules and on which FDNY is based.

About

Spark

This app simplifies shift work for professionals like first responders and healthcare workers. It offers full customization, secure cloud syncing, and streamlined shift trading. Plan your life and stay organized with instant visual cues and reliable support.

Highlights
  • Full shift customization
  • Secure cloud sync
  • Streamlined shift trades
  • Instant visual cues
  • Comprehensive shift coverage
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Spark: Your Ultimate Shift Calendar App For over 15 years, Spark has been the go-to app for simplifying shift work. Loaded with powerful, user-friendly features, Spark helps you balance work and personal life in one place—trusted daily by fire, police, EMS, healthcare professionals, and shift workers worldwide. With Spark’s unique "Cloud Connect" system, you can sync and share your schedule across all devices, keeping you and your loved ones in the loop anytime, anywhere. Why Spark? Here’s why your colleagues love it: Full Customization Spark is designed for you. Track and log anything you need—vacation, sick time, comp time, overtime, trades, and more. Can’t find something? Add it with ease! Spark’s sleek, intuitive design lets you personalize everything to suit your work style. Secure & Reliable Your data is safe with us. Spark’s "Cloud Connect" syncs your encrypted calendar across devices, linked to your email. Lose or upgrade your phone? Just log back in, and it’s like you never left. Comprehensive Shift Coverage From pre-loaded schedules to custom department setups, Spark supports thousands of shift calendars. Don’t see yours? Easily create it, and it’s saved for you and your team. Streamlined Shift Trades & Swaps Manage and track all your trades and swaps down to the individual. Spark’s “Trade Board” lets you request and confirm trades within the app, automatically updating your calendar and stats—no extra steps. Instant Visual Cues Color-code shifts, events, and stats for at-a-glance planning. With Spark, you’ll know exactly what’s on the agenda without extra clicks. Unmatched Customer Support Our app thrives on user feedback. We’re committed to fast, helpful support, with most emails resolved in under two hours. Spark evolves with your input, making it the app you can rely on for years to come. Try Spark free for 30 days, and experience the app that’s helping shift workers around the world stay organized. Visit www.LeakyNozzle.com to learn more!

Screenshots

FDNY4 screens
Spark4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Spark at Free against FDNY's $7.99. Spark also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (7.5K vs 84). FDNY's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Spark is free to download; FDNY costs $7.99 up front. Spark sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. FDNY asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spark holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spark has 7.5K ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of FDNY's written reviews are positive against 75% of Spark's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FDNY ships an update every 9 days, Spark every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
FDNY versus Spark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFDNYSpark
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating3.2 (84 ratings)4.8 (7.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews74.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings847.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Buddy System, LLCE.L.K. Equities LLC

Customer experience

FDNY

All ratings84 ratings
Positive52.4%
Neutral8.3%
Negative39.3%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral10.9%
Negative28.1%

Spark

All ratings7,510 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews159 reviews
Positive74.8%
Neutral8.8%
Negative16.4%

User reviews

FDNY

From 84 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for FDNY chart
  • 👍 Useful for schedule tracking
  • 👍 Good for OT and mutuals
  • 👍 Firehouse locator helpful
  • 👍 Syncs with iCal

Room to improve

  • 👎 New version complicated
  • 👎 Older version preferred
  • 👎 Not user-friendly
  • 👎 Cluttered interface
  • 👎 Difficult to navigate

Spark

From 7.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent calendar app
  • 👍 Easy to use and set up
  • 🔒 Secure and reliable
  • 💡 Customizable and feature-rich
  • 👍 Great for shift work and emergency services

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Subscription model and pricing issues
  • 🔧 Needs more frequent updates
  • 🔧 Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • 🔧 Lack of certain features (e.g., widgets, dark mode)

Bugs and requests

FDNY

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Overtime hours not adding up
  • Events not saving on calendar
  • App crashes regularly
  • All data lost
  • New version unusable
Show 3 more
  • Erased old events
  • Paycheck button crashes app
  • Dark mode unreadable elements

Requested features

18 requests
  • Comprehensive user guide
  • Tutorial video
  • iCloud syncing
  • Native iPad support
  • ABCD chart for modified schedule
Show 13 more
  • Military leave tracking
  • Vacation entry feature
  • Alarm integration for scheduler
  • Mutual exchange via text messages
  • Highway boxes
  • New transit boxes
  • Vacation letter chart integration
  • EMS side support
  • Add station numbers to contacts
  • OT shifts slot
  • EMS only stations slot
  • Ability to turn off dark mode
  • Revert to older version

Spark

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login and authentication problems
  • Data loss and sync issues after updates
  • Unreliable performance on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to sync with more calendar services
  • More customization options
  • Improved user interface and design
  • Ability to view past schedules and events

In-app purchases

None

FDNY

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Spark

One-time2
  • Annual Subscription Renewal$0.99
  • Initial Annual Subscription$5.99

Questions

Is FDNY free?
FDNY costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spark free?
Spark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FDNY or Spark?
Spark is rated higher. FDNY averages 3.2 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Spark averages 4.8 from 7.5K ratings.
Do FDNY or Spark have ads?
Neither FDNY nor Spark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FDNY or Spark?
FDNY ships an update every 9 days, and Spark every 5 weeks. Most recently, FDNY was updated on October 14, 2026 and Spark on October 14, 2026.

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