Comparison

shift vs OSC Timer

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

Head to head
About

shift

This tool helps lighting designers and electricians monitor show progress on an Eos family console. It allows observation of pending and active cues, annotation of any cue, and live streaming of channel levels. Users can manage notes, track progress, and even edit console labels directly from their device.

Highlights
  • Connect to Eos consoles
  • Monitor cue details
  • Annotate cues with custom tags
  • View live channel levels
  • Manage and filter notes
  • Edit console labels and notes
  • Apple Watch app for cue monitoring
Features
Read full description

An essential new tool for Lighting Designers and Electricians Shift-Label allows you to monitor the progress of your show on an eos family console - observe the pending and active cue and annotate any cue you wish. Key features include (note that some features require an in app purchase): - Connect to any Eos family console with minimal setup - Monitor details of all cues in any cue list, viewing labels, times and other attributes - divided by scene if required - Follow along with the current cue - Add multiple notes to cues, tagging notes with categories such as "Plotting", "Cueing" or "Focus" - all tags are user definable - View live streaming channel levels directly on your device (uses sACN) - Review all notes, or filter them down by taf - Mark notes as completed, or 'sleep' notes for a set time period to revisit later - Maintain separate sets of notes for different shows (great for when working in rep, or revisiting an old production) - Keeps cue details cached on device, allowing you to review details of the show and your notes when not at the console - On iPad run app in "split view" so you can monitor your show while using another app (such as safari or reading a pdf) - Jump directly to a cue on the console from a note - Edit the console label and notes fields directly from your iPad - Keypad control for basic channel manipulation from within app - Apple Watch app - monitor your console's current cue on your wrist! Note that for the watch app to function it must be paired with an iPhone with Shift-Label active and open, I suggest enabling "stop device from sleeping" in shift-label's settings Note that Shift-Label is not an official ETC product and is not authorised or endorsed by ETC in any way. ETC technical support will have no knowledge of the app

About

OSC Timer

This app provides advanced, customizable timer functionality controlled via Open Sound Control (OSC). It allows for real-time adjustments, multiple simultaneous timers, and dynamic display layouts for presentations and entertainment.

Highlights
  • Real-time OSC control
  • Multiple simultaneous timers
  • Customizable display layouts
  • Broadcast time and messages
  • Extensive OSC API
  • System time display
Features
Read full description

In the fast-paced world of presentations and entertainment, timing is everything. Yet, integrating show control software with traditional timer equipment has long been a challenge. Enter OSC Timer—a powerful, customizable solution designed to seamlessly bridge this gap. With Open Sound Control (OSC) embedded in nearly every show control software today, OSC Timer offers a robust and scalable timer that perfectly fits into any networked AV setup. Whether you need a single timer or multiple, OSC Timer adapts to your needs, providing unparalleled control and flexibility. Real-time Control & Customization: Thanks to OSC, you can control every aspect of the timer in real time—from starting, stopping, and resetting to adjusting colors, scaling, and at-end behaviors—all on the fly. The app’s versatility allows for multiple timers to run simultaneously, display system time, and even send OSC messages triggered at user-defined intervals. Enhanced Broadcast Features: Broadcast time, warnings, or custom messages across your network with ease. OSC Timer can subscribe to or unsubscribe from specific OSC messages, ensuring precise communication throughout your show. Dynamic Layout & Display: Arrange your timer display to suit your event’s needs—whether it’s a single timer dominating the screen or a multi-slot layout showing different timers, broadcasts, or even a system clock. The display is fully flexible, allowing you to tailor it perfectly to your requirements. Extensive OSC API: Explore the full potential of OSC Timer with an extensive OSC API that lets you manipulate everything from font size and alignment to background colors and border styles. Whether it’s adjusting the brightness, setting the text alignment, or configuring alert zones, OSC Timer gives you the tools to create the perfect timing setup. Growing Feature Set: OSC Timer is constantly evolving. We welcome feature requests at osctimer@rasmuskreiner.dk, and we’re committed to making this app the ultimate tool for time management in the entertainment and presentation industries. For a complete list of features, templates, and the full OSC API, visit http://rasmuskreiner.dk/OSCTIMER/OSCTIMER.html.

Screenshots

shift4 screens
OSC Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: OSC Timer at 100% against shift's 0%. OSC Timer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). shift's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On ads 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

shift is free to download; OSC Timer costs $3.99 up front. shift sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OSC Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

shift ships an update every 2 months, OSC Timer every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
shift versus OSC Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametershiftOSC Timer
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS10.2 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRichard WilliamsonRasmus Kreiner

Customer experience

shift

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative80.0%

OSC Timer

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

shift

One-time1
  • Full Access$10.99
None

OSC Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is shift free?
shift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OSC Timer free?
OSC Timer costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do shift or OSC Timer have ads?
Neither shift nor OSC Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, shift or OSC Timer?
shift ships an update every 2 months, and OSC Timer every 9 months. Most recently, shift was updated on June 3, 2026 and OSC Timer on September 10, 2026.

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