SWITCH FROM BUILDFIRE
BuildFire to Calisto Apps
Apps builds a business's own mobile app from its industry's design: live screens over its menu, services, bookings and orders, published as an installable app the same day and as a store app under its own developer accounts, with push, in-app messages, members, store reviews and crash reports.
Feature by feature
Calisto Apps beside BuildFire
- 16 In both
- 3 Only in BuildFire
| 19 features | Calisto Apps | BuildFire |
|---|---|---|
| Build | ||
| Interactive PreviewCalisto: the builder opens at phone width and previews the app before publishing.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Brand Design ControlsCalisto: the brand studio and custom CSS set the app's look.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Plugin MarketplaceCalisto: a widget library and an extensions marketplace add features to the builder.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Native | ||
| Native iOS and Android AppsCalisto: Calisto builds the iOS and Android store apps and handles releases.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Store Accounts in the Business's NameCalisto: store apps are submitted under the business's own developer accounts, with its own store listing.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Publish | ||
| Progressive Web AppCalisto: the app publishes as a PWA that installs from the browser with no store review.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Engage | ||
| Push NotificationsCalisto: pushes go now or on a schedule, open a chosen screen and respect quiet hours and a daily limit.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| In-App MessagingCalisto: in-app messages show on a chosen screen to a tagged audience and count impressions, clicks and dismissals.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| CouponsCalisto: offers run inside the app.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Referral ProgramCalisto: referral programs run inside the app.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Members | ||
| Audience Segments and TagsCalisto: members are tagged, and pushes and in-app messages target those tags.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Member Registration and Sign-InCalisto: customers are invited by email and sign in with a one-time code.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Analytics | ||
| App Usage AnalyticsCalisto: analytics count installs, sessions, screen views and visitors.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Notification AnalyticsCalisto: each push reports its send stats, and each in-app message its impressions, clicks and dismissals.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Data | ||
| Appointment BookingCalisto: live booking shows real availability, and customers see their own bookings, with Bookings.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Customer FeedbackCalisto: form sections collect answers, and the business reads every response.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Gaps | ||
| Geofenced PushBuildFire sends push notifications triggered by a user's location inside a geofenced area.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| Community WallBuildFire adds a moderated social feed where members post updates and photos, with categories and private groups.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| Developer SDKBuildFire lets developers build new app features in JavaScript, HTML and CSS with their framework of choice, deployed by BuildFire.Checked Oct 28, 2026Source | No | Yes |
What moves
Bringing your data from BuildFire
Your data is read in your own browser and sent to your Calisto account. Calisto never sees your login for the old system.
From an export file
Export your data from BuildFire and drop the file in. It is read in your browser and mapped onto Calisto.
Any spreadsheet you export from BuildFire can be mapped onto Calisto, column by column.
Moving from BuildFire
Questions about switching
Do we rebuild our menu, services and events inside the app?
No. The app reads the records the business already keeps in Calisto, so an item turned on for the app shows there as soon as it is saved.
Do we need a store listing to start?
No. The app publishes to its own address and installs from a link or a QR code. A store build is added when a listing matters, under the business's own developer accounts.
Is the app the same thing as our website?
Yes. The app and the website are one record: build the phone screens in Apps and continue to the desktop site in Sites, with one theme and one publish.
Learn more
Everything Calisto does here
The pages behind this comparison: the sector, the apps and the guides.