Comparison

AfterShift vs ShiftRhythm

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

Head to head
About

AfterShift

This app helps shift workers track sleep and recovery based on their unique schedules, not a standard 9-to-5. It automatically detects shifts from your calendar and provides personalized recovery plans and reminders timed to your work hours. Naps and split sleep are recognized as valid recovery.

Highlights
  • Shift detection from calendar
  • Shift-to-shift recovery tracking
  • Personalized recovery plans
  • Shift-timed reminders
  • Sleep techniques for shift work
  • On-device AI explanations (Pro)
  • Exportable recovery reports
Features
Read full description

Most sleep apps assume you sleep at night. If you work shifts, that's the whole problem — they score you against a 9-to-5 clock you don't work, so the nap you took before a night shift looks like "failure" instead of recovery. AfterShift is built the other way around. It measures your sleep and recovery between shifts — shift-to-shift, not midnight-to-midnight — so the numbers finally match the life you actually live. GLANCEABLE — WITHOUT OPENING THE APP Your next shift lives on your Lock Screen and Home Screen. Widgets show the countdown to your shift, your recovery, and your plan for right now. A Live Activity counts you down to shift start — then rolls into your wind-down window — on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. Start an anchor nap and watch it tick down there too. All free. YOUR ROSTER, READ FOR YOU Connect your calendar and AfterShift detects your shifts automatically — no typing in three weeks of rota by hand. It even spots overtime and schedule changes. Five shift types are modelled: day, evening, night, on-call, and off. RECOVERY, TIMED TO WHEN YOU CLOCK OUT See how ready you are for your next shift, how your sleep debt is trending across cycles, and a clear recovery plan for the hours you actually have — not a generic "aim for 8 hours" you can't reach before a 7pm start. YES, THE NAP COUNTS Pre-shift naps, split sleep, and on-call rest are first-class here. AfterShift knows a 90-minute nap before nights is recovery, and scores it like one. REMINDERS TIMED TO YOUR SHIFT — FREE Wind-down, caffeine cut-off, and nap-window reminders fire relative to your next shift start, not the clock on the wall. All free. A COACH FOR NIGHTS, NOT MORNINGS 21 sleep techniques chosen for shift work — fall asleep faster after a late finish, reset on a turnaround, nap without the grogginess. Each one tells you when to use it and how long it takes. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your data stays on your iPhone. No account. No cloud sync. No employer dashboard. Sleep is read from Apple Health (read-only), and on Pro, explanations are generated by on-device Apple Intelligence — your data is never sent to a server. AUTOMATIC SLEEP IMPORT Last night's sleep from Apple Health appears on its own — open the app in the morning and it's already there. EXPORT FOR YOUR DOCTOR OR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Generate a clean PDF or CSV recovery report to share with a GP, sleep clinic, or occupational health team. BUILT FOR • Nurses and rotating hospital staff • Paramedics and firefighters • Factory, logistics, and aviation ground crews • Hospitality and overnight staff • Anyone whose sleep window moves week to week FREE TO START Track your roster, import sleep, see your recovery score, add the widgets, and get shift-timed reminders — free. Upgrade to Premium for multi-calendar background sync, overtime tracking, and on-device AI explanations. One-time Lifetime option available, and Premium is shareable with your family. Available in 39 languages. Sleep isn't broken. The app finally fits the shifts. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ShiftRhythm

This app helps night shift workers optimize their sleep and light exposure based on their unique roster. It provides personalized guidance for sleep, naps, and light timing to align with your body clock and manage sleep debt.

Highlights
  • Personalized sleep and nap timing
  • Light exposure guidance
  • Circadian rhythm dial
  • Sleep score and debt tracking
  • Roster presets and custom schedules
  • Apple Watch app and widgets
Features
Read full description

Night shifts flipped your sleep? Enter your roster and ShiftRhythm tells you when to sleep, when to nap, and when to seek or avoid light — today. WHAT IT DOES • 24-hour body-clock dial — see your estimated melatonin onset (DLMO) and biological night (CBTmin) at a glance • Light, nap & caffeine guidance — timed to your circadian rhythm and updated as your shifts change • Sleep score, sleep debt & recovery — last night's sleep plus HRV and resting heart rate from Apple Watch, telling you whether to push or recover • Presets that match real rosters — Panama 2-2-3 schedule (day/night), Pitman, DuPont, Fire 48/96, 12-hour rotating shifts, plus Korean and Japanese patterns. Or build your own custom rotation • Melatonin timing card (optional) — an informational window based on your estimated body clock. Not a recommendation to take melatonin; talk to your doctor or pharmacist first BUILT FOR SHIFT WORKERS Whether you're a night shift nurse, a firefighter on 48/96, a plant operator on a DuPont rotation, or a driver on a rotating roster — ShiftRhythm adapts to your schedule, not the other way around. • Tap any calendar day to correct that day's shift • Works from your schedule alone — no Apple Watch required • Apple Watch app and widgets included; available in English, Spanish, Korean, and Japanese PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No account. No server. Your data stays on your phone. • All circadian math runs on-device — health data never leaves your iPhone • No ads, no tracking PRICING • 30-day free trial — full features, no account needed • Then Monthly or Annual (Annual saves vs. monthly), or a one-time Lifetime purchase if you'd rather not subscribe • Subscriptions auto-renew; cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://yoonspower.github.io/shiftrhythm/privacy.html ShiftRhythm is for general wellness and reference only. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, or monitor any medical condition. Values shown are estimates and may be inaccurate. Consult a professional for health concerns.

Screenshots

AfterShift4 screens
ShiftRhythm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShiftRhythm at 100% against AfterShift's 0%. ShiftRhythm also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. AfterShift sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and ShiftRhythm sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AfterShift ships an update every 9 days, ShiftRhythm every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
AfterShift versus ShiftRhythm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAfterShiftShiftRhythm
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAntti AittamaaJaeyoun Kim

Customer experience

AfterShift

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

ShiftRhythm

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

AfterShift

Subscriptions2
  • AfterShift Premium Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • AfterShift Premium Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Support the Developer$1.00
  • AfterShift Premium Lifetime$39.99
3 purchases

ShiftRhythm

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is AfterShift free?
AfterShift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShiftRhythm free?
ShiftRhythm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AfterShift or ShiftRhythm have ads?
Neither AfterShift nor ShiftRhythm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AfterShift or ShiftRhythm?
AfterShift ships an update every 9 days, and ShiftRhythm every 2 days. Most recently, AfterShift was updated on September 22, 2026 and ShiftRhythm on September 6, 2026.

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