# Rota Calendar vs ReturnRadar

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ReturnRadar at none against Rota Calendar's 10. ReturnRadar also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). Rota Calendar's advantage is ratings volume (728 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rota Calendar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ReturnRadar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReturnRadar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rota Calendar has 728 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Rota Calendar ships an update every 3 days, ReturnRadar daily. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rota Calendar | ReturnRadar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (728 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-calendar-shift-planner/id430229059/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/returnradar-return-tracker/id6775556489/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **728** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 65.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 38 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JRW Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/430229062) | [Christopher Kirkland](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775556491) |

## 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


### ReturnRadar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/returnradar-return-tracker/id6775556489)

Effortlessly track purchases, return windows, and warranty coverage to avoid losing money. Add item details, set custom timings, and receive local reminders before deadlines. Your purchase data is stored locally for privacy and speed.

**Highlights:** Track purchases, return windows, and warranties, Add item details including price and dates, Set custom return and warranty timings, Receive local reminders before deadlines, Categorize items by status (urgent, returnable, etc.), Local-only data storage for privacy

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rota Calendar free?

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

### Is ReturnRadar free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Rota Calendar or ReturnRadar?

ReturnRadar is rated higher. Rota Calendar averages 4.7 out of 5 from 728 ratings, while ReturnRadar averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Rota Calendar or ReturnRadar have ads?

Neither Rota Calendar nor ReturnRadar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rota Calendar or ReturnRadar?

Rota Calendar ships an update every 3 days, and ReturnRadar daily. Most recently, Rota Calendar was updated on October 17, 2026 and ReturnRadar on October 7, 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.*