# Roster vs Shift Calendar

Roster and Shift Calendar both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Roster's written reviews are positive against 51% of Shift Calendar's. Shift Calendar's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Roster sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Shift Calendar sells 4 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 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 63 and 144 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Roster's written reviews are positive against 51% of Shift Calendar's.

Roster ships an update every 2 months, Shift Calendar every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Roster | Shift Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (63 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roster-calendar/id536118948/reviews)** | [4.2 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-schedule/id1338193231/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 63 | **144** |
| Positive reviews | **74.2% of reviews** | 51.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 26 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [michael heinz](https://appshunter.io/developer/292745639) | [章健 杨](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566849627) |

## 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


### Shift Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-schedule/id1338193231)

Easily manage your work schedule with this app designed for shift workers. Customize your shifts, generate schedules automatically, and add important notes to your calendar.

**Highlights:** Customizable shift work, Automatic cycle scheduling, Calendar notes, Clear shift display

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calendar Notes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pro Version | $0.99 | one-time |
| Add User | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Good for tracking shifts
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Customizable shift times
- 👍 Useful for irregular schedules

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Excessive ads
- 😠 Ads interrupt workflow
- 😠 Ads in free version are frequent
- 😠 Paid version still has issues
- 😠 Limited shift cycle (31 days)

**Reported bugs**

- One year old records are missing
- Calendar does not always show the correct day
- Data not included in backups
- Recurring shifts require manual setup even in paid version
- Full-length ads for multiple date additions

**Requested features**

- Add hourly payment tracking
- Add advance payment tracking
- Add black theme (dark mode)
- Increase character limit for shift names
- Expand emoji usage for shifts


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Roster free?

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

### Is Shift Calendar free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Roster or Shift Calendar?

Roster is rated higher. Roster averages 4.4 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while Shift Calendar averages 4.2 from 144 ratings.

### Do Roster or Shift Calendar have ads?

Both Roster and Shift Calendar show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Roster or Shift Calendar?

Roster ships an update every 2 months, and Shift Calendar every 3 months. Most recently, Roster was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shift Calendar on October 29, 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.*