Comparison

Shift Calendar vs Orbit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Shift Calendar

Features
Read full description

Plan your shifts, not your stress. Shift Calendar turns any rotating schedule into a clear, color-coded calendar in seconds, built for nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, EMTs, factory and offshore workers. SET UP ONCE, SEE YOUR WHOLE YEAR - Pick a ready-made pattern (4 on 4 off, DuPont, Pitman, 2-2-3, 7/7, 14/14, 5/2) or build your own - Your rotation repeats automatically, months and years ahead - Month, week and year views MADE FOR SHIFT WORKERS - Day, night, off, on-call, holiday and custom shift types with your own colors - Notes, tags and overtime on any day - Shift reminders so you never miss the start of a shift KNOW YOUR WORK-LIFE BALANCE - Hours worked, night shifts and days off per month and year - Earnings estimate from your hourly rate SHARE WITH FAMILY - Family view to see several schedules side by side - Export to PDF, calendar (ICS) or CSV and share in one tap - Share a pattern with coworkers via QR code PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-up. Works fully offline. Your schedule stays on your device. PRO Unlock detailed statistics, clean PDF export, multiple profiles, family view and smart alerts. Choose yearly (with a 7-day free trial), monthly or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Orbit

Features
Read full description

Orbit is a calendar built specifically for rotating shifts โ€” nurses, paramedics, police, firefighters, pilots and cabin crew, factory and warehouse teams, security. Set your rotation once โ€” 4 on/4 off, 2-2-3, DuPont, 24/48, or your own custom cycle โ€” and every future month fills itself in. โ€ข See today's shift and what's next at a glance โ€ข Change a single day without breaking the underlying pattern โ€ข Track hours, overtime and night differential, with a clearly labeled pay estimate โ€ข Share a day or a month as a clean image โ€ข Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets โ€ข Optional one-way sync to a dedicated "Orbit" calendar in Apple Calendar โ€ข Export hours as CSV or shifts as .ics โ€ข Back up and restore your schedule as a file โ€” no account required Orbit works entirely on your device. There is no login, no server and no account. Free shows the current month. Orbit Plus unlocks unlimited months, Hours & Pay, sharing, widgets, calendar sync and backup, with a 3-day free trial. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage them in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Shift Calendar4 screens
Orbit4 screens

Verdict

The call

Shift Calendar and Orbit are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Shift Calendar sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Orbit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Calendar ships an update fortnightly, Orbit every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Shift Calendar versus Orbit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift CalendarOrbit
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly โ€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size15 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEMRE KOTUNIlker Ozdemir

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Shift Calendar

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Premium Access$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Pro$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Access$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$59.99
2 purchases

Orbit

Subscriptions2
  • Orbit Plus Monthly3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Orbit Plus Annual3 Days trial$37.991 Year

Questions

Is Shift Calendar free?
Shift Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orbit free?
Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shift Calendar or Orbit have ads?
Neither Shift Calendar nor Orbit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shift Calendar or Orbit?
Shift Calendar ships an update fortnightly, and Orbit every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shift Calendar was updated on November 9, 2026 and Orbit on November 6, 2026.

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