# Shift Worker vs Rota Calendar

The clearest difference is price: Rota Calendar at Free against Shift Worker's $1.99. Rota Calendar also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and review sentiment (65% vs 46%). Shift Worker's advantage is chart position (#69 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Rota Calendar is free to download; Shift Worker costs $1.99 up front. Shift Worker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Rota Calendar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Rota Calendar holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rota Calendar has 731 ratings behind it against 103, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Shift Worker's written reviews are positive against 65% of Rota Calendar's.

Shift Worker ships an update every 6 days, Rota Calendar every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shift Worker | Rota Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.7 (103 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-worker/id352000376/reviews) | **[4.7 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-calendar-shift-planner/id430229059/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 103 | **731** |
| Positive reviews | 46.3% of reviews | **65.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#69** | — |
| Size | 8 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Production Shed Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/317720850) | [JRW Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/430229062) |

## What reviewers say

### Shift Worker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-worker/id352000376)

**Currently charting:** #69 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Easily enter and view your work schedule with custom shift types, icons, and colors. Quickly add entire months or years of shifts and share them with others. Save your schedule to your device's background for instant access.

**Highlights:** Custom shift types with icons and colors, Quick shift entry for months/years, Multiple calendar support, Share shifts with others, Save schedule to background, Personalized notes for dates, Timeline view

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shift Worker Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Shift Worker Premium Yearly | $17.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent for shift workers
- 📅 Easy to organize schedules
- 🎨 Customizable icons and colors
- 🧭 Helpful for managing complex rotations
- 🤝 Useful for couples/families to align schedules

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when adding notes
- 📝 Limited note display
- 🔄 Lack of sync between devices
- 🗓️ Issues with iOS updates deleting data
- 🔍 Difficulty finding support

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to add notes
- Notes disappearing after iOS updates
- Calendar dates/days not displaying correctly
- Inability to export/import schedules

**Requested features**

- Add ability to view full notes
- Implement iCloud/calendar sync
- Allow multiple shift entries per day
- Add recurring note/reminder features
- Develop Apple Watch app integration


### Rota Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-calendar-shift-planner/id430229059)

Easily plan your life around work with this shift worker's calendar. See your schedule years in advance, customize shifts with colors and emojis, and sync with your existing calendars. Share your availability with others.

**Highlights:** Scrollable calendar view, Generate schedules up to 5 years ahead, Customizable shift colors and labels, Sync with existing calendars, Share schedules via AirDrop (iOS), Supports repeating and irregular shifts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rota Calendar Supporter Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Platinum Special Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly: Unlimited Edits | $2.99 | per month |
| Gold Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Platinum Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Supporter Yearly: Backup Only | $19.99 | per year |
| Platinum Special Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Pro Yearly: 5 Years Cloud Sync | $29.99 | per year |
| Gold Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Platinum Yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to program repeatable rota/roster pattern
- 👍 Keeps track of work and personal life
- 👍 Ideal for shift work schedules
- 👍 Syncs with other calendars
- 👍 Configurable for different shift types

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with recent updates overriding or deleting existing shifts
- 🐛 Crashes when trying to airdrop shifts
- 🐛 Inability to save individual shift changes
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🔒 Concerns over subscription model and loss of functionality for previous paid users

**Reported bugs**

- Rota not properly accounting for holidays and days off
- Inability to handle complex shift patterns beyond 9 weeks
- Sync issues between iPad and iPhone versions
- Day/month display not working after recent update

**Requested features**

- Ability to share rota/schedule with partner
- More color options for shifts
- Separate view for each month
- Ability to add travel days to shifts
- Integration with Apple Watch


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shift Worker free?

Shift Worker costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Rota Calendar free?

Rota Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Shift Worker or Rota Calendar?

Rota Calendar is rated higher. Shift Worker averages 3.7 out of 5 from 103 ratings, while Rota Calendar averages 4.7 from 731 ratings.

### Do Shift Worker or Rota Calendar have ads?

Neither Shift Worker nor Rota Calendar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shift Worker or Rota Calendar?

Shift Worker ships an update every 6 days, and Rota Calendar every 5 days. Most recently, Shift Worker was updated on October 29, 2026 and Rota Calendar on October 23, 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.*