Special Dates vs Next Shift
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Special Dates
Easily save and track important dates with a minimalist countdown widget. This app helps you remember upcoming events like birthdays or bills, syncing them across your devices.
- Save important dates
- Track days remaining
- Periodic event saving
- Birthday reminders
- Bill tracking
- iOS 14 widget support
- Cross-device syncing
Read full descriptionHide full description
Save your important dates and track the days that have left. Simplest app to save dates and see a countdown of each one. Allows to save periodically events like birthday or bills. Supports all the widget sizes that have iOS 26 and the dates will be synced between your devices
Next Shift
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your next shift should never be hard to find. Next Shift gives you an exact live countdown to the work that matters next — in the app, on your Home Screen, on your Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island. BUILT FOR A QUICK GLANCE • See exactly when your next shift starts or ends • Keep a live countdown visible without opening the app • View upcoming shifts and explicit rest days in one clear calendar FAST SHIFT PLANNING • Create the shift hours you actually work • Save your own reusable presets • Add daily or weekly repeats when you need them • Edit or delete any shift without rebuilding your schedule NATIVE iPHONE FEATURES • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • Live Activities and Dynamic Island • Configurable shift reminders • 24-hour time support PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your schedule stays on your device and the app works without a connection. Try every feature free for 7 days. After the trial, unlock Next Shift forever with one purchase. There is no subscription and no recurring charge. Your saved schedule remains readable even if you do not unlock. Next Shift is intentionally focused. It is a clear personal shift companion — not payroll software, a team roster, or an HR system.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Next Shift at daily against Special Dates's every 3 months. Next Shift also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Special Dates's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Special Dates sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Next Shift sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Special Dates ships an update every 3 months, Next Shift daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Special Dates | Next Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 61.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ernesto Fernández Calles | Ismail Semih PEHLIVAN |
In-app purchases
Special Dates
- Coffee$0.99
- Cake$2.99
- Party$4.99
Next Shift
- 7-Day Free TrialFree
- Lifetime Unlock$4.99
