# ActiveAlert vs Fire Shifts

The clearest difference is update cadence: ActiveAlert at every 9 days against Fire Shifts's every 27 months. ActiveAlert also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (55% vs 37%). Fire Shifts's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

ActiveAlert holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ActiveAlert has 741 ratings behind it against 59, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of ActiveAlert's written reviews are positive against 37% of Fire Shifts's.

ActiveAlert ships an update every 9 days, Fire Shifts every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ActiveAlert | Fire Shifts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (741 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activealert/id525979138/reviews)** | [3.8 (59 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fire-shifts/id981328955/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **741** | 59 |
| Positive reviews | **55.2% of reviews** | 36.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 27 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 58 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Active911](https://appshunter.io/developer/525979141) | [Kevin Jordan](https://appshunter.io/developer/981328924) |

## What reviewers say

### ActiveAlert

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activealert/id525979138)

This app provides essential call details directly on your smartphone, eliminating the need to manually record information or enter addresses while driving. It automatically maps alarm locations, facilitates real-time response coordination, and organizes past and current calls.

**Highlights:** Real-time call details on smartphone, Automatic alarm location mapping, Real-time response coordination map, Access photos and documents, Converts dispatch data, Manage past and current calls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Constant map updates
- 🚀 Reliable app
- 👍 Helpful information
- 👍 Useful features like map markers and personnel details
- 👍 Customizable alert tones

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Repetitive notifications that don't provide new information
- 🐛 Inability to delete multiple alerts at once
- 🐛 Inconsistent theme colors
- 🐛 Slow loading times and lags
- 🐛 Apple Watch compatibility issues

**Reported bugs**

- Continuous paging/re-alerting issues
- Inability to disable repeat paging
- Alerts not working when phone is on silent
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps

**Requested features**

- Favorites or saved calls list
- Ability to adjust alert volume
- More alert tone options
- Improved map routing and integration
- Customizable themes and color schemes


### Fire Shifts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fire-shifts/id981328955)

This app provides a free, customizable calendar for Fire and EMS personnel to manage their work schedules. Users can select from various shift types and personalize labels and colors for easy visual organization of their personal schedule.

**Highlights:** Customizable shift calendar, Multiple shift type options, Personalized labels and colors, Free updates, Works indefinitely

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and basic
- 👍 Works as intended
- 👍 Lots of shift options
- 👍 Minimal ad space
- 👍 Free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Cannot customize colors
- 👎 Customization limited on iOS
- 👎 "Coming soon" for features
- 👎 Inconsistent across platforms (iOS vs Android)
- 👎 Yellow color not readable

**Reported bugs**

- App shows wrong year (2020 instead of 2018)
- Black screen issue
- App crashes
- App stopped working
- Calendar not highlighting current day

**Requested features**

- Ability to change shift colors
- Ability to write notes on days
- Make current day obvious
- Add white and gray colors
- Ability to change labels


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ActiveAlert free?

ActiveAlert is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Fire Shifts free?

Fire Shifts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ActiveAlert or Fire Shifts?

ActiveAlert is rated higher. ActiveAlert averages 4.1 out of 5 from 741 ratings, while Fire Shifts averages 3.8 from 59 ratings.

### Do ActiveAlert or Fire Shifts have ads?

Neither ActiveAlert nor Fire Shifts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ActiveAlert or Fire Shifts?

ActiveAlert ships an update every 9 days, and Fire Shifts every 27 months. Most recently, ActiveAlert was updated on October 18, 2026 and Fire Shifts on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*