# Roster vs Simple Rota Maker

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Roster at 74% against Simple Rota Maker's 23%. Roster also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (63 vs 2). Simple Rota Maker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Roster sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Simple Rota Maker sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Roster holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roster has 63 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Roster's written reviews are positive against 23% of Simple Rota Maker's.

Roster ships an update every 2 months, Simple Rota Maker every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Roster | Simple Rota Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (63 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roster-calendar/id536118948/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-rota-maker/id1290921414/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **63** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **74.2% of reviews** | 23.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 26 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [michael heinz](https://appshunter.io/developer/292745639) | [Members of Us Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1124075762) |

## What reviewers say

### Roster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roster-calendar/id536118948)

Easily manage your work shifts by entering them into your calendar with a single tap. Customize shift times, colors, and names to fit your specific needs. Quickly create complex shift patterns and add notes for each day.

**Highlights:** Quick shift entry, Customizable shift details, Editable templates, Add notes to days, Double shifts, Recurring shift cycles

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Website+Extras | $1.49 | per month |
| Extra 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extra 2 - Security | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extra 3 - Overtime | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extra 4 - Audio | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extra 5 - Pictures | $0.99 | one-time |
| "More comfortable" | $1.99 | one-time |
| No advertising | $1.99 | one-time |
| All Extras | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for shift work
- 💡 Customizable color coding
- 🚀 Efficient scheduling

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult navigation
- 💸 Too many ads
- 🔒 Sync and backup issues

**Reported bugs**

- App suddenly stops working
- Notes and schedules disappearing
- Inability to access past/future months
- Compatibility issues with device updates

**Requested features**

- Add multiple shifts per day
- Improve month-to-month navigation
- Integrate with other calendar apps
- Provide better customer support


### Simple Rota Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-rota-maker/id1290921414)

This app helps you create and manage work schedules and personal appointments. It can automatically generate rolling rota patterns for multiple workers and includes a task manager for to-do lists and audio notes. Share schedules easily with dynamic links.

**Highlights:** Automatic rolling rota generation, Manual schedule creation, Integrated task manager, Audio note recording, Shareable dynamic links, Export rotas to spreadsheets, Worker availability settings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Simple Rota Maker Pro | $1.99 | one-time |
| Monday to Saturday Rota | $2.99 | one-time |
| Saturday To Sunday Rota | $2.99 | one-time |
| Simple Rota Maker Ad Free | $3.99 | one-time |
| Customise day of week roster | $4.99 | one-time |
| Rolling Block Scheduler | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Roster free?

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

### Is Simple Rota Maker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Roster or Simple Rota Maker?

Roster is rated higher. Roster averages 4.4 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while Simple Rota Maker averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Roster or Simple Rota Maker have ads?

Both Roster and Simple Rota Maker show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Roster or Simple Rota Maker?

Roster ships an update every 2 months, and Simple Rota Maker every 2 weeks. Most recently, Roster was updated on October 23, 2026 and Simple Rota Maker on October 10, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*