# HotSchedules vs Shiftfish Employees

The clearest difference is price: Shiftfish Employees at Free against HotSchedules's $2.99. Shiftfish Employees also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.1). HotSchedules's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (67K vs 2). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Shiftfish Employees is free to download; HotSchedules costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HotSchedules holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HotSchedules has 67K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of HotSchedules's written reviews are positive against 0% of Shiftfish Employees's.

HotSchedules ships an update every 8 days, Shiftfish Employees fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HotSchedules | Shiftfish Employees |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (67K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hotschedules/id294934058/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftfish-employees/id6451487646/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **67K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **21.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 59 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.1 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HotSchedules](https://appshunter.io/developer/294934061) | [Big Banyan Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/1693887188) |

## What reviewers say

### HotSchedules

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hotschedules/id294934058)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Business, #3 Top Paid, #112 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

This app simplifies employee scheduling and team communication. It allows for easy shift management, time-off requests, and calendar syncing. Managers benefit from faster schedule creation and performance monitoring, while teams stay connected through messaging.

**Highlights:** Shift swapping and pickup, Time off requests, Automatic calendar sync, Manager schedule building, Sales and labor monitoring, Team messaging

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient for checking schedules
- 💡 Ability to pick up and swap shifts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- ⏱️ Slow loading times
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find information
- 🔄 Constant need to update app
- 💰 Paid app for employees

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues after updates
- Calendar sync problems
- Disappearing messages and data loss
- Incompatibility with dark mode

**Requested features**

- Show shift end times
- Categorize and filter inbox messages
- Ability to view full team schedules
- Automatic shift rotation algorithm
- Integrated payroll and earnings tracking


### Shiftfish Employees

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiftfish-employees/id6451487646)

This app gives employees control over their work schedules, eliminating the need for traditional time off requests or availability changes. It provides the flexibility of gig work while maintaining the benefits of a single employer.

**Highlights:** Employee schedule control, Eliminates time off requests, Manages availability changes, Flexible on-demand scheduling, Single employer benefits

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HotSchedules free?

HotSchedules costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shiftfish Employees free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HotSchedules or Shiftfish Employees?

HotSchedules is rated higher. HotSchedules averages 4.6 out of 5 from 67K ratings, while Shiftfish Employees averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do HotSchedules or Shiftfish Employees have ads?

Neither HotSchedules nor Shiftfish Employees shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HotSchedules or Shiftfish Employees?

HotSchedules ships an update every 8 days, and Shiftfish Employees fortnightly. Most recently, HotSchedules was updated on October 28, 2026 and Shiftfish Employees on October 19, 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.*