Comparison

FireSync Shift Calendar vs Brass Tacks

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

Head to head
About

FireSync Shift Calendar

This app is a comprehensive calendar designed for firefighters, offering robust shift tracking, event management, and cloud integration. It allows users to manage trades, overtime, and personal events, with features like CertTracker and Expenditure tracking. It also syncs with other calendars and devices for seamless organization.

Highlights
  • Firefighter shift schedule tracking
  • Event management (trades, overtime, personal)
  • Cloud integration with FireSync Enterprise™
  • CertTracker and Expenditure tracking
  • Customizable shift editor
  • Year and month calendar views
  • Report generation and emailing
Features
Read full description

FireSync is not merely a Firefighter Shift Calendar, it's also a full-featured calendar app with powerful cloud-enabled features just for firefighters. Whether or not you want to keep track of your trades, overtimes, or just your kid's soccer practices, FireSync can do it all. It also includes many powerful features such as CertTracker, Expenditures, and is fully integrated with FireSync Enterprise™ and TheHouse™ cloud services. Before you buy another shift calendar app ask yourself: 1. Do you have to pay an annual subscription for the calendar? Not with us! We support firefighters by letting you keep more of your hard-earned money. Is there a better way? 2. Is it also a full-featured calendar app? FireSync isn’t just a firefighter shift calendar, it’s also a full-featured calendar app that fully integrates with your phone's calendars. FireSync events are saved to your calendar and can be seen on other phone's using the same calendar account (e.g. phones used by family members). FireSync is more than a good firefighter calendar. It’s a good calendar app period! 3. Will you find yourself staring at the app for 15 minutes just figuring out how to use it? FireSync has a sleek modern design that is intuitive to use. 4. Does it include powerful cloud-enabled features? If your fire department uses FireSync Enterprise™ or TheHouse™ you can view all of the additional data and applets shared by your department or station from within FireSync. !!! SHIFT SUPPORT !!! FireSync supports any 24-hour shift schedule that repeats on a predictable cycle. FIRESYNC COMES PRELOADED WITH THE SHIFT CYCLES FOR OVER 1,400 FIRE DEPARTMENTS! If you do not see your fire department no problem. Our intuitive shift editor allows you to easily create your shift schedule. You can also share it with us so that others in your firehouse or department can quickly be up and running. Although FireSync does not fully support 12-hour shifts, we have countless users using FireSync to display their 12-hour shifts. If you want to display YOUR SHIFT (not all shifts) you can create 12-hour shifts. Kelly and Debit Days. Does your fire department use Kelly and Debit days? No problem. FireSync allows you to show both Kelly and Debit days. You can define them by rule or by specifying specific dates. FLSA: FireSync allows users to add FLSA periods to their calendar. Other Features: 1. Ability to add and track ordinary events, trades, overtime, comp time, benefit days, incidents and training. Since FireSync is also a full-featured cal you can also see these events on other calendars and other devices sharing the same calendar account (e.g. spouse). FireSync is your all-in-one calendar app. 2. Sleek reports that give you the info you need at a mere glance. View your shift trades, overtimes, comp time, benefits accrued or used, training and fire incidents with ease. You can also email your reports. 3. The ability to view your calendar in a year view, month view, month-list view, or day view. With FireSync you aren't just looking at your shift cycle. You can see all of your fire and non-fire events. 4. CertTracker to keep track of your training certificates. 5. Expenditure tracking. FireSync Shift Calendar is the shift calendar firefighters deserve. Get the word out to your brothers and sisters in your firehouse and IAFF local. *FireSync is the exclusive property of ForceReadiness.com. It solely developed FireSync and is responsible for its functionality. Firefighters First Credit Union has agreed to sponsor the app in order to provide it to all firefighters at no cost.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

FireSync Shift Calendar4 screens
Brass Tacks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Brass Tacks at free against FireSync Shift Calendar's paid. Brass Tacks also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). FireSync Shift Calendar's advantage is ratings volume (9.1K vs 1). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brass Tacks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FireSync Shift Calendar has 9.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FireSync Shift Calendar ships an update every 2 months, Brass Tacks weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
FireSync Shift Calendar versus Brass Tacks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFireSync Shift CalendarBrass Tacks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (9.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings9.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size176 MB27 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperForceReadiness.comSAJID INSAF

Customer experience

FireSync Shift Calendar

All ratings9,095 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral8.8%
Negative22.0%

Brass Tacks

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

FireSync Shift Calendar

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Randomly deletes events
  • Trouble with calendar access
  • Holiday icon disappeared
  • Erased all info
  • Verification not working
Show 6 more
  • No longer syncs
  • Schedule won't publish
  • Crashes on iOS 13.2 update
  • App keeps crashing
  • Bug with editing events
  • Major bug with category/location fields

Requested features

11 requests
  • Color customization for days
  • Shift designation by number
  • Custom FLSA start/end dates
  • Customizable pay days
  • Shift trade feature
Show 6 more
  • Debit day scheduling
  • Ability to share calendar with others
  • Dark mode
  • Shift color customization
  • Shift swap/back-to-back trade option
  • Ability to see which shift you're on

Brass Tacks

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

FireSync Shift Calendar

No in-app purchases

None

Brass Tacks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FireSync Shift Calendar free?
FireSync Shift Calendar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brass Tacks free?
Brass Tacks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FireSync Shift Calendar or Brass Tacks?
Brass Tacks is rated higher. FireSync Shift Calendar averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Brass Tacks averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do FireSync Shift Calendar or Brass Tacks have ads?
Neither FireSync Shift Calendar nor Brass Tacks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FireSync Shift Calendar or Brass Tacks?
FireSync Shift Calendar ships an update every 2 months, and Brass Tacks weekly. Most recently, FireSync Shift Calendar was updated on October 13, 2026 and Brass Tacks on September 24, 2026.

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