# Calendars vs Shift Calendar

The clearest difference is rating: Calendars at 4.7 against Shift Calendar's 4.2. Calendars also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 months). Shift Calendar's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.2). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calendars sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Shift Calendar sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Calendars holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calendars has 122K ratings behind it against 144, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Calendars's written reviews are positive against 51% of Shift Calendar's.

Calendars ships an update every 11 days, Shift Calendar every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calendars | Shift Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (122K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendars-schedule-planner/id608834326/reviews)** | [4.2 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-schedule/id1338193231/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **122K** | 144 |
| Positive reviews | **55.4% of reviews** | 51.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#117** | — |
| Size | 408 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [章健 杨](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566849627) |

## What reviewers say

### Calendars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendars-schedule-planner/id608834326)

**Currently charting:** #117 Top Grossing · Productivity, #126 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app combines a calendar, task manager, daily planner, and habit tracker. It helps users plan their day, build habits, boost productivity, and stay organized with seamless syncing across all Apple devices. Features include event creation, to-do list management, natural language input, and integration with popular meeting platforms.

**Highlights:** Calendar, task, and habit management, Daily, weekly, and monthly views, Natural language event creation, To-do list organization, Cross-device syncing, Meeting platform integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calendars PRO 1 Month | $3.99 | per month |
| Calendars by Readdle: Interesting Calendars | $3.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Month | $3.99 | per month |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $21.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $29.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO Lifetime | Free | one-time |
| Invites & Attendees Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Smart Input Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full Upgrade | $4.99 | one-time |
| Interesting Calendars | $5.99 | one-time |
| My schedule planner, Organizer | $6.99 | one-time |
| Full Pack | $12.99 | one-time |
| Reminders & Calendars | $19.99 | one-time |
| Recurring Events | $31.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent calendar app
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🎨 Helpful color-coding
- 📆 Seamless integration with other calendars
- 🗓️ Detailed monthly/weekly views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and data loss
- 💰 Concerns over subscription model
- 🕰️ Cumbersome date/time selection process
- 🔍 Limited location search functionality
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing events and appointments
- Upgrade process causing data loss
- Freezing and crashing on certain devices

**Requested features**

- Recurring events for free users
- Customizable widgets and app icons
- Ability to archive/restore past events
- Improved Apple Watch integration
- Shared calendars and family management


### 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 |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calendars free?

Calendars 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, Calendars or Shift Calendar?

Calendars is rated higher. Calendars averages 4.7 out of 5 from 122K ratings, while Shift Calendar averages 4.2 from 144 ratings.

### Do Calendars or Shift Calendar have ads?

Shift Calendar shows ads; Calendars does not.

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

Calendars ships an update every 11 days, and Shift Calendar every 3 months. Most recently, Calendars was updated on September 27, 2026 and Shift Calendar on September 25, 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.*