Comparison

Spark vs Check The Dose

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

Head to head
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!

About

Check The Dose

This app provides customizable, automated medication and equipment dosing guides for pre-hospital and hospital providers. It offers access to updated databases, checklists, reference materials, and contact lists, with features for drip rate confirmation and filtered medication views.

Highlights
  • Customizable automated dosing
  • Web-based database updates
  • Upload checklists and reference materials
  • Contact list with door codes
  • Drip rate confirmation
  • Filtered medication views
Features
Read full description

Check The Dose is a fully customizable and automated dosing guide for Pre-Hospital and Hospital Providers that is used for dosing Medications and Equipment for both Pediatrics and Adults patients - Newborn to 100kgs. The Check The Dose app is linked to a web-based database that if maintained by your department administrator. This means that the app is always current. When you add/remove/or change a medication on the website the app updates as well. The app is always current and providing accurate information when you need it. It not only provides medication dosing, but it also allows for you to upload Checklists, Reference Materials, Protocols, and it even has a contact list for keeping your phone numbers, addresses, and door codes up to date. It also includes a mapping feature to map to hospitals from your current location. Additional features include a way to confirm your drip rate, as well as show you only medications based on a specific treatment. That means that only the medications that are needed are shown. Check The Dose is not for individual use. It is designed for Fire Departments, Ambulance Companies, and other Pre-Hospital Type agencies. This app is to be used by providers within those agencies who have an account with Check The Dose. A login will be provided by your agency to obtain your customized dosing guide. MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The information displayed on the Check The Dose App is provided and controlled by the individual Agency whom has subscribed to use Check The Dose. Any questions or concerns with a dosing amount displayed should be directed to the Agency responsible for the data. The user of this app, who is assigned by the subscribed agency, can and should contact a Medical Control Doctor if any questions about medications or treatments come up. Check The Dose does not diagnose patients. It is not for use by an individual private consumer. It is to be used only by trained medical professionals who work for an agency who is subscribed with Check The Dose. This agency also manages the content that their employees see on the app. Check The Dose does not monitor or modify any of the data except under the written request by the subscribing agency. For further information please visit www.checkthedose.com

Screenshots

Spark4 screens
Check The Dose1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Check The Dose at none against Spark's 2. Check The Dose also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Spark's advantage is ratings volume (7.5K vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Spark sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Check The Dose asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Check The Dose holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spark has 7.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Spark's written reviews are positive against 100% of Check The Dose's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Spark versus Check The Dose: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparkCheck The Dose
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.5K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.5K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB117 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperE.L.K. Equities LLCCheck The Dose

Customer experience

Spark

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

Check The Dose

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

Check The Dose

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Spark

One-time2
  • Annual Subscription Renewal$0.99
  • Initial Annual Subscription$5.99
None

Check The Dose

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spark free?
Spark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Check The Dose free?
Check The Dose is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Spark or Check The Dose?
Check The Dose is rated higher. Spark averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.5K ratings, while Check The Dose averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Spark or Check The Dose have ads?
Neither Spark nor Check The Dose shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spark or Check The Dose?
Spark ships an update every 5 weeks, and Check The Dose every 5 weeks. Most recently, Spark was updated on October 22, 2026 and Check The Dose on October 3, 2026.

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