PostalCal vs BottleDrop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PostalCal
This calendar app is designed for postal employees with rotating days off. It displays paydays and postal holidays, eliminating the need for annual paper calendars. Optional in-app purchases allow for color customization and adding personal events.
- Rotating days off calendar
- Payday display
- Postal observed holidays
- Customizable color rotations
- Add personal events
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Postal Employee Day Off Calendar Are you a postal employee with rotating days off? This app is for you. Postal Employee Day Off Calendar is a simple, purpose-built calendar for USPS postal workers and their families. It clearly shows every pay day and postal‑observed holiday so you always know what’s coming. Instead of buying a new paper color calendar every year, make a one‑time purchase and keep everything on your phone. Want more control? Unlock two optional upgrades: Customize calendar colors to match your own rotation. Add your own events directly to the calendar.
BottleDrop
Easily return deposit containers and receive your refund. Access your account card, view your balance and bag history, and find nearby return locations. Manage your account information and receive important notifications.
- Return deposit containers
- Receive refunds
- Access account card
- View account balance
- Track bag history
- Find return locations
- Update account information
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BottleDrop is the easiest way to return your deposit containers and get your refund. With the app, you can access your account card, view your account balance and bag history, find locations, update your account information, receive account notifications, and more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: PostalCal at 72% against BottleDrop's 11%. PostalCal also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.3) and chart position (#193 vs unranked). BottleDrop's advantage is price (Free vs $5.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
BottleDrop is free to download; PostalCal costs $5.99 up front. PostalCal sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. BottleDrop asks for nothing beyond the download.
PostalCal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BottleDrop has 104 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of PostalCal's written reviews are positive against 11% of BottleDrop's.
PostalCal ships an update every 9 months, BottleDrop every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PostalCal | BottleDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 2.3 (104 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews — better | 10.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 104 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #193 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Franco | Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative |
Customer experience
PostalCal
BottleDrop
User reviews
PostalCal
From 1 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use calendar
- 🗓️ Helpful for planning
- 👨👩👧👦 Simplifies family scheduling
- 🎨 Customizable colors
- ✅ Great functionality
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashing issues
- 📅 Outdated information
- ⏳ Lacks future year updates
- ❌ Re-purchase required
- 🐛 App not opening
BottleDrop
From 104 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Balance tracking functionality works reliably
- 📍 Location finder helps users find drop-off points
- 🎯 Core service concept is useful and appreciated
- 📱 Improved UI in recent updates (June 2021 onwards)
- 🔐 QR code/barcode scanning feature when functioning
Room to improve
- 🚪 Frequent unexpected logouts requiring re-authentication
- 🔑 Persistent login failures and authentication errors
- 🌐 Chronic internet connectivity issues despite active connection
- 🐛 App crashes when accessing locations tab
- 💾 Missing or non-functional transfer buttons (Venmo/PayPal/bank)
Bugs and requests
PostalCal
Reported bugs
15 issues- Re-purchase required after payment
- No dates after 11th day
- No 10 shows up
- Last weeks of months have dots instead of dates
- Month & Year not displayed
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Juneteenth holiday not updated
- Memorial Day date incorrect (May 24th instead of 31st)
- Graphic issues on iPad
- App crashes on opening
- App won't open after iOS update
- App crashes on current month
- Error on August 23rd (should be black, not blue)
- Pay period info missing
- Cannot swipe back
- App kicks out when selecting a month
Requested features
13 requests- Sync with other calendars (iCal)
- Add custom events option
- Ability to add notes
- Integrate weather
- Add mail volumes manually
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- See a couple years ahead
- Update for future years
- Add events to days
- Link days off with iOS calendar
- Ability to shut off unwanted colors
- Mark days taken off (s/l or a/l)
- Add non-postal holidays
- Option to add notes for a fee
BottleDrop
Reported bugs
18 issues- Unexpected logout after period of inactivity
- Login failed errors despite correct credentials
- App won't progress past splash/start screen
- Crashes when accessing locations tab
- Internet connectivity error messages despite active connection
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- QR code unreadable by kiosk scanners
- Transfer buttons hidden behind other UI elements
- Venmo/PayPal transfer functionality non-functional
- Password expiration without notification
- Account recognition failures after logout
- Brightness settings not respecting system preferences
- App freezes during account activation
- Bag history not displaying or updating
- Virtual card not appearing in app despite website signup
- Force close required to restore functionality
- Deposits showing as pending indefinitely
- QR code positioning incompatible with larger phones
- Facial recognition not working despite activation
Requested features
11 requests- Dark mode for reduced eye strain in low light
- Biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, PIN)
- Manual QR code entry option for unscanned bags
- Transaction history and detailed bag credit breakdown
- In-app bag and label ordering
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Apple Wallet integration for digital card
- GPS-based location finder instead of manual entry
- Persistent login sessions to avoid constant re-authentication
- In-app cash withdrawal/transfer without kiosk visits
- Email notifications for password resets and account changes
- Account activity notifications
In-app purchases
PostalCal
- Custom Calendar Colors$3.99
- Calendar Events$4.99
BottleDrop
No in-app purchases
