Comparison

Rota Calendar vs myShiftWork

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

Head to head
About

Rota Calendar

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
Read full description

Does working shifts make planning your personal life difficult? Rota Calendar helps shift workers scroll through shifts, see schedules years ahead, and plan life around work with confidence. Standard digital calendars make it hard to understand long-term shift patterns. Rota Calendar is built specifically for shift work, making it easy to see when you’re working, resting, or free — even years in advance. Enter the date of your next shift and your rotation is calculated instantly, generating your shift schedule up to five years ahead. From there, scroll smoothly through time to plan vacations, social events, family commitments, and important dates without guesswork. Designed for Real Shift Work Rota Calendar supports both repeating and irregular shift patterns. You can manually add, edit, or adjust individual shifts at any time, making it ideal for complex or changing schedules. Customize shifts with your own colors, labels, times, and emojis so different shift types are easy to recognize at a glance. Individual shifts can be edited once they are on the calendar, giving you full control over your schedule. Continuous Scroll Calendar Instead of rigid month-by-month views, Rota Calendar uses a continuous, unbroken scrolling calendar. This makes it easy to see how shifts flow across weeks and months, including where schedules overlap month boundaries. Long-term work patterns become clear and easy to understand at a glance. Sync and Compare With Your Calendar Rota Calendar syncs with calendars already on your device, including iOS, Google, and Facebook calendars. View your work shifts alongside personal events in one place, and add or edit these events directly within Rota Calendar to avoid conflicts. Simple, Clear, and Built for Individuals Rota Calendar is designed for individuals, not companies or teams. There are no accounts to create and no unnecessary features — just a clean, easy-to-use layout designed to make shift planning simple. Trusted by thousands of shift workers, Rota Calendar is used daily by people working rotating schedules, offshore roles, oil and gas, emergency services, and other non-standard work patterns. If you need a powerful yet easy-to-use shift planner that lets you scroll through years of schedules and take control of your time, Rota Calendar is built for you. Excellent - 5 Star Best app I’ve used. Extremely easy to add rota and use. Would, and have, recommended to anyone that needs a rota app. The best app I’ve got! 5 Star Of the dozens of apps I’ve got this is the best. Use it constantly and was easy to set up. I’ve moved on to a different rota but can still see my old one which is really useful. Always get a reply when I send a query and comments are taken on board. Best app out for rota - 5 Star As I work in the oil rigs 2 weeks on 2 weeks off this app was perfect for working out my rota in seconds! And worth every penny! Perfect - 5 Star This is the only shift predictor in the app store that I can actually use to plan my very random shift pattern. First class, Rota calendar - 5 Star Excellent app for offshore rotas Great great and just great - 5 Star I love this app its great for me for when i am offshore i hope they keep it on here forever Shift Cal - 5 Star Found this app so easy to use for a 3 on 3 off days and nights was done in a min forever fantastic. Rota - 5 Star This is perfect for shift workers and works well. I have a complicated shift pattern and this makes it so easy to look up future dates instantly. I rate this highly. www.facebook.com/jrwstudio www.jrw-studio.com twitter.com/jrwstudio By using this app, you agree to Apple's Standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

myShiftWork

This app helps shift workers plan, organize, and share their work schedules. It allows for custom shift creation, future date planning, and detailed reporting. Sync your shifts with your device calendar and manage multiple patterns easily.

Highlights
  • Create custom shift types with icons
  • Plan and view future shift rotations
  • Color-coded calendar with icons
  • Generate PDF and text reports
  • Cloud backup and restore
  • Sync with device calendars
  • Manage multiple shift patterns
Features
Read full description

Create, plan, publish and share your shift schedule. myShiftWork (My Shift Work) is a useful and simple calendar for shift workers. You can use it as a shift planner, shift scheduler or a shift calendar. View your rotations one month at a time in a clear, colour-coded format, with icons for each date, then easily navigate to future dates to check your schedule as far into the future as you need. It is suitable for any repeating pattern and will prove useful to shift workers. You can organize all your shift patterns and can see at a glance what shift or roster you are on what day. - Create shift types with the title, characters, an icon as many as you want. - Enter shifts on the calendar months. - Create or enter shift rotations on the calendar for future dates. - Jump easily to any date by selecting a specific date from the date picker. - Multi-Language Support. - Send a detailed pdf report to others or to yourself via email. - Send a text list of your shifts to others or to yourself via email. - Backup and Restore your data to the cloud. - Facebook and Gmail login. - Manage different shift patterns if you want to see shift patterns of another person. You can create different shift types and rotations for this shift pattern. - Calendar sync with device calendar(s). - Multiple custom patterns. - Set payday on a specific date or recurring paydays via preferences. - Create custom events. - Create personalized notes for any date on the calendar. - Switch month by swapping left or right. - Export calendars screenshots - Event reminders - Employee Calendar Manager - Manage Holiday Calendar - Shift Planner - Holiday Planner - Shift Work Scheduling Calendar You may purchase an auto-renewing subscription through an In-App Purchase and use calendar sync subscription • Auto-renewable subscription • 1 month ($1), 6 month ($4.5) and 12 month ($10) durations • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase •Privacy policy: http://www.myshiftworkapp.com/privacy-policy •Terms of use: http://www.myshiftworkapp.com/Terms_Conditions.aspx The calendar sync subscription will allow the users to have the following features: 1- Users can sync their shifts & events with any calendar. 2- Users can sync the edited shifts & events with any calendar. 3- Users can delete the synced shifts & events with any calendar. 4- Users can sync the shifts & events edited in Shift Manager with any calendar. 5- Users can delete the shifts & events from their calendar by deleting it from Shift Manager. Subscription features are the same for any subscription plan (1 month, 6 months or 12 months) - Auto-renewal of your subscriptions. Cancel anytime. - Subscribe for one month, six months or twelve months - One month subscription costs $1 per 1 month. Six months subscription costs $4.5 per 6 months. Twelve months subscription costs $10 per 12 months. Please email your questions and concerns by using Contact Developer in the app. Please leave your rating! Thank you Email: support@myshiftworkapp.com

Screenshots

Rota Calendar4 screens
myShiftWork4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Rota Calendar at every 5 days against myShiftWork's every 3 months. Rota Calendar also leads on ratings volume (732 vs 141). myShiftWork's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

Both are free to download. Rota Calendar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and myShiftWork sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rota Calendar holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rota Calendar has 732 ratings behind it against 141, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Rota Calendar's written reviews are positive against 71% of myShiftWork's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rota Calendar ships an update every 5 days, myShiftWork every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Rota Calendar versus myShiftWork: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRota CalendarmyShiftWork
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (732 ratings) — better4.5 (141 ratings)
Positive reviews65.4% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings732 — better141
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJRW Studio LimitedVozye SMC-PVT LTD

Customer experience

Rota Calendar

All ratings731 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive65.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative28.7%

myShiftWork

All ratings141 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.1%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative26.5%

User reviews

Rota Calendar

From 732 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

myShiftWork

From 141 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick and easy shift entry
  • 📅 Excellent calendar synchronization with Google Calendar and iCal
  • 🎨 Customizable shift icons and color coding
  • 💰 Affordable pricing with bi-annual subscription option
  • 🔄 Automatic shift pattern rotation feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent data loss and deletion of shifts
  • 😞 Poor customer support responsiveness
  • 📵 App crashes and freezes after updates
  • 💸 Hidden additional costs (iCloud sync, calendar features)
  • 📺 Unwanted ads appearing in paid version

Bugs and requests

Rota Calendar

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Shift-specific alarms/notifications

myShiftWork

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Data mysteriously deleted after app updates
  • Unable to restore purchases and account data
  • Shift time input fields cut off screen on some devices
  • Black text on dark background making notes unreadable
  • Shifts disappear when using airplane mode in different time zones
Show 7 more
  • December 2020 date selection not available
  • App unable to open after June 14th update
  • Paid version features reverting to free version after update
  • In-app purchase errors when upgrading to paid version
  • iCloud backup and restore functionality not working
  • App icons appearing as unloaded images
  • Login loop preventing account access

Requested features

6 requests
  • More shift icon options
  • Better notes functionality for personal and work use
  • Ability to add non-shift appointments and events
  • Improved app design and layout
  • Google Calendar sync (in addition to iCal)
Show 1 more
  • More streamlined and intuitive interface

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Rota Calendar

Subscriptions10
  • Rota Calendar Supporter Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Platinum Special Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly: Unlimited Edits7 Days trial$2.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Gold Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Platinum Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Supporter Yearly: Backup Only7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Platinum Special Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Pro Yearly: 5 Years Cloud Sync7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Gold Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Platinum Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
7 purchases

myShiftWork

Subscriptions6
  • 1 month subscription$0.991 Month
  • 1 month subscription$2.991 Month
  • Biannual subscription$4.496 Months
Show 3 more
  • 1 year subscription.$9.991 Year
  • Biannual subscription$14.996 Months
  • 1 year subscription$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads and Limitations$4.99

Questions

Is Rota Calendar free?
Rota Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is myShiftWork free?
myShiftWork is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rota Calendar or myShiftWork?
Rota Calendar is rated higher. Rota Calendar averages 4.7 out of 5 from 732 ratings, while myShiftWork averages 4.5 from 141 ratings.
Do Rota Calendar or myShiftWork have ads?
Neither Rota Calendar nor myShiftWork shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rota Calendar or myShiftWork?
Rota Calendar ships an update every 5 days, and myShiftWork every 3 months. Most recently, Rota Calendar was updated on November 6, 2026 and myShiftWork on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons