# Rota Calendar vs Pocket Tools.

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pocket Tools. at none against Rota Calendar's 10. Pocket Tools. also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 65%). Rota Calendar's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) 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. Pocket Tools. asks for nothing beyond the download.

Rota Calendar ships an update every 3 days, Pocket Tools. fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rota Calendar | Pocket Tools. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (728 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rota-calendar-shift-planner/id430229059/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **728** | — |
| Positive reviews | 65.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 38 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JRW Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/430229062) | [Koti Sai Thotakura](https://appshunter.io/developer/6793588840) |

## 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


### Pocket Tools.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-tools/id6794903903)

This app helps you manage daily tasks, finances, and important information with a modern, intuitive interface. It offers features like a daily planner, bill tracking, calendar management, and secure document storage to simplify everyday organization.

**Highlights:** Daily planner and reminders, Bill and payment tracking, Appointments and calendar management, Family budget planner, Secure document storage, Notes and checklists

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rota Calendar free?

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

### Is Pocket Tools. free?

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

### Do Rota Calendar or Pocket Tools. have ads?

Neither Rota Calendar nor Pocket Tools. shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rota Calendar or Pocket Tools.?

Rota Calendar ships an update every 3 days, and Pocket Tools. fortnightly. Most recently, Rota Calendar was updated on October 17, 2026 and Pocket Tools. on September 30, 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.*