# Rota Calendar vs Shift Calendar, Work Calendar

The clearest difference is update cadence: Rota Calendar at every 5 days against Shift Calendar, Work Calendar's every 3 months. Rota Calendar also leads on ratings volume (731 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 Calendar, Work Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. 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 Calendar, Work Calendar. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rota Calendar has 731 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Rota Calendar ships an update every 5 days, Shift Calendar, Work Calendar every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rota Calendar | Shift Calendar, Work Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-calendar-shift-planner/id430229059/reviews)** | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-work-calendar/id6738417701/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **731** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 65.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JRW Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/430229062) | [Faycal Bessayah](https://appshunter.io/developer/1691545197) |

## 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 Calendar, Work Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-work-calendar/id6738417701)

Manage your work schedule and track earnings with this comprehensive shift work manager. Easily add shifts, set up custom rotations, and calculate wages accurately. Export earnings reports to CSV for accounting or sharing.

**Highlights:** Effortless shift management, Custom rotation setup, Comprehensive wage tracking, Accurate earnings calculation, Detailed earnings reports, CSV export for reports, On-device privacy

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $12.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Purchase | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rota Calendar free?

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

### Is Shift Calendar, Work Calendar free?

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

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

Rota Calendar is rated higher. Rota Calendar averages 4.7 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while Shift Calendar, Work Calendar averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Rota Calendar or Shift Calendar, Work Calendar have ads?

Neither Rota Calendar nor Shift Calendar, Work Calendar shows ads.

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

Rota Calendar ships an update every 5 days, and Shift Calendar, Work Calendar every 3 months. Most recently, Rota Calendar was updated on October 23, 2026 and Shift Calendar, Work Calendar on October 24, 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.*