# Rota Calendar vs Shift Planning Calendar

The clearest difference is update cadence: Rota Calendar at every 5 days against Shift Planning Calendar's every 5 weeks. Shift Planning Calendar's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (83% vs 65%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rota Calendar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Shift Planning Calendar sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Rota Calendar against 4.7 for Shift Planning Calendar. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 731 and 816 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Rota Calendar's written reviews are positive against 83% of Shift Planning Calendar's.

Rota Calendar ships an update every 5 days, Shift Planning Calendar every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rota Calendar | Shift Planning Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-calendar-shift-planner/id430229059/reviews) | **[4.7 (816 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-planning-calendar/id547035346/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 731 | **816** |
| Positive reviews | 65.4% of reviews | **82.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 38 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JRW Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/430229062) | [Kosuke Hamada](https://appshunter.io/developer/515812363) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Shift Planning Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-planning-calendar/id547035346)

This app simplifies shift work management for individuals. It allows for quick entry of recurring shifts, comparison of schedules with friends, and easy sharing of your work calendar via email or as a lock screen image.

**Highlights:** Quick shift input with icons, Compare schedules with friends, Auto-create email of shifts, Bluetooth shift exchange, Calendar snapshot for lock screen, All features available from start

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Icon Set  theme01 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Icon Set  theme02 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Icon Set  theme03 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Icon Set  theme04 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Icon Set  theme05 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Calendar Frame  theme01 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Calendar Frame  theme02 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Calendar Frame  theme03 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Reasonable Icons Set  theme01~05 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Reasonable Calendar Frame Set  theme01~05 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Customizable icons
- 👍 Helps stay organized
- 👍 Great for shift work
- 👍 Convenient to have schedule on phone

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with data transfer on new device
- 🔒 Concerns about paid subscription
- 💡 Could use more icon options
- 💡 Wish it had more features like sharing calendar

**Reported bugs**

- Shift data not transferring to new device
- Paid subscription not recognized on new device
- Calendar not displaying properly on larger screens

**Requested features**

- Ability to repeat/copy shifts
- Automatic shift pattern generation
- Integration with other calendars
- More customization options
- Notifications for upcoming shifts


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rota Calendar free?

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

### Is Shift Planning Calendar free?

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

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

Shift Planning Calendar is rated higher. Rota Calendar averages 4.7 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while Shift Planning Calendar averages 4.7 from 816 ratings.

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

Neither Rota Calendar nor Shift Planning Calendar shows ads.

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

Rota Calendar ships an update every 5 days, and Shift Planning Calendar every 5 weeks. Most recently, Rota Calendar was updated on October 23, 2026 and Shift Planning Calendar on October 22, 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.*