Comparison

Spark vs FireSwap

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

FireSwap

Features
Read full description

FireSwap is a shift trade coordination app built specifically for career fire departments. FireSwap replaces the chaos of group texts, paper logs, and forgotten IOUs with a simple, focused tool designed for how career firefighters actually trade shifts. KEY FEATURES Trade Requests Post a shift you need covered. See open trades from your department. Propose swaps, owed shifts, partial coverage, or urgent fills — all with a few taps. IOU Tracking Never lose track of who owes who again. FireSwap remembers the trades you've made and keeps the count straight, so you can settle up cleanly. Station Chat Group messaging built into the app. Coordinate trades with your crew, your platoon, or your whole department without leaving FireSwap. Direct Messages Reach out to the right person fast. DM anyone in your department to discuss specific trades or coverage. Calendar See your schedule, your traded shifts, and what's coming up — all in one place. Push Notifications Get notified when someone proposes a trade, accepts your shift, or messages you. Never miss a coverage opportunity. Watchlist Mark trades you're interested in and get updates when they change. Member Directory Quickly find and connect with anyone in your department. BUILT FOR FIREFIGHTERS FireSwap understands how fire departments work. We support 24-hour shifts, platoon structures, partials, IOUs, urgent coverage, and the realities of trading when you have kids, second jobs, and a life outside the hall. DEPARTMENT BILLING AVAILABLE Departments can sign up for centralized billing, where one admin pays for the entire department's seats. See fireswap.ca for department pricing. Built and maintained by FireSwap Software Inc. Privacy Policy: https://fireswap.ca/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://fireswap.ca/terms/

Screenshots

Spark4 screens
FireSwap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: FireSwap at every 10 days against Spark's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and FireSwap sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spark ships an update every 5 weeks, FireSwap every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Spark versus FireSwap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparkFireSwap
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperE.L.K. Equities LLCFireSwap Software Inc.

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

FireSwap

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
1 purchases

FireSwap

Subscriptions1
  • FireSwap Monthly$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Spark free?
Spark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FireSwap free?
FireSwap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Spark or FireSwap have ads?
Neither Spark nor FireSwap shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spark or FireSwap?
Spark ships an update every 5 weeks, and FireSwap every 10 days. Most recently, Spark was updated on October 22, 2026 and FireSwap on October 10, 2026.

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