Spark vs Brass Tacks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Full shift customization
- Secure cloud sync
- Streamlined shift trades
- Instant visual cues
- Comprehensive shift coverage
- User-friendly interface
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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!
Brass Tacks
This app helps individuals overcome overwhelm and procrastination by focusing on one task at a time. It offers smart prioritization, task breakdown, timed focus sessions, and AI assistance to boost productivity and manage workload effectively.
- One task at a time prioritization
- Task breakdown with AI assistance
- Timed focus sessions
- Focus companion mode
- Rescue mode for overwhelm
- Context memory for task switching
- AI assistant for task queries
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Brasstacks is a focus and productivity companion for people who struggle with overwhelm, prioritization, and getting started. Most apps give you a list and expect you to just do the things. That doesn't work when your brain fights you on deciding what matters, starting, and staying on track. Brasstacks takes a different approach. ONE TASK AT A TIME Instead of overwhelming lists, Brasstacks shows you one task — the right task, right now. Smart prioritization weighs urgency, importance, deadlines, and your own productivity patterns to surface what matters most. ONE TASK AT A TIME Instead of overwhelming lists, Brasstacks shows you one task — the right task, right now. Smart prioritization weighs urgency, importance, deadlines, and your own productivity patterns to surface what matters most. BREAK IT DOWN Big tasks cause paralysis. Break any task into micro-steps — small, concrete actions you can actually start. Use pre-built templates or let AI generate steps for you. FOCUS SESSIONS & FOCUS COMPANION Timed focus sessions with gentle transition warnings at 80%. Focus companion mode provides check-ins every 5 minutes — like having someone quietly working alongside you. RESCUE MODE For those moments when everything feels like too much. Four options: do just 5 minutes on one thing, park it with a note for later, box breathing, or a grounding exercise. No judgment, just support. CONTEXT MEMORY When you switch away from a task, Brasstacks asks where you left off. When you come back, that note is waiting. No more losing time trying to remember what you were doing. GENTLE NUDGES, NEVER GUILT Customizable reminders — supportive, direct, or playful. Quiet hours when you need silence. No streaks, no shame, no red "overdue" warnings. LEARNS YOUR PATTERNS Over time, Brasstacks notices when you're most productive and adjusts suggestions. Track your energy levels and let the app work with your natural rhythms. AI ASSISTANT Ask questions in plain English: "What tasks do I have?", "What did I finish this week?", "How does focus companion work?" Uses your own AI provider (Claude, OpenAI, or Gemini) — bring your own API key. YOUR DATA STAYS PRIVATE Your tasks, notes, and patterns are never sold, shared with advertisers, or used to train AI models. Rescue mode data gets the highest privacy protection. NOT A MEDICAL DEVICE Brasstacks is a productivity companion, not a medical device or therapy replacement. It does not diagnose, treat, or cure any condition.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brass Tacks at none against Spark's 2. Brass Tacks also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Spark's advantage is ratings volume (7.5K vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Spark sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Brass Tacks asks for nothing beyond the download.
Brass Tacks 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Spark ships an update every 5 weeks, Brass Tacks weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spark | Brass Tacks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (7.5K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7.5K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | E.L.K. Equities LLC | SAJID INSAF |
Customer experience
Spark
Brass Tacks
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
Brass Tacks
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Spark
- Annual Subscription Renewal$0.99
- Initial Annual Subscription$5.99
Brass Tacks
No in-app purchases








