# Amber vs Shift Calendar

The clearest difference is price: Shift Calendar at Free against Amber's $2.99. Shift Calendar also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). Amber's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Shift Calendar is free to download; Amber costs $2.99 up front. Shift Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Amber asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Amber against 5.0 for Shift Calendar. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Amber ships an update fortnightly, Shift Calendar every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Amber | Shift Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amber-simple-markdown/id6760438057/reviews) | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-work-planner/id6762512550/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 14 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DONGWOOK LEE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871320322) | [YUSUF CAKMAK](https://appshunter.io/developer/1816181434) |

## What reviewers say

### Amber

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amber-simple-markdown/id6760438057)

A Markdown notes app designed for efficient writing and a clear reading experience. Organize notes in folders, search your library, and sync across Apple devices. Includes built-in tutorials for easy onboarding.

**Highlights:** Markdown styling as you type, Folder organization, Fast writing and calm reading view, Search across library, Photo attachments, iCloud syncing across devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shift Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-calendar-work-planner/id6762512550)

Plan rotating work schedules, track overtime pay, and sync shifts to your phone calendar. This app supports complex rotation patterns and automatically calculates earnings, working offline for convenience.

**Highlights:** Smart rotation engine for any shift pattern, Overtime and pay tracking, Syncs with Google Calendar and Apple Calendar, Offline functionality, Color-coded calendar views, Home screen widgets, Dark mode for OLED screens

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime (IAP) | $34.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Amber free?

Amber costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shift Calendar free?

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

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

Amber and Shift Calendar are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 5 ratings respectively.

### Do Amber or Shift Calendar have ads?

Neither Amber nor Shift Calendar shows ads.

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

Amber ships an update fortnightly, and Shift Calendar every 5 days. Most recently, Amber was updated on August 29, 2026 and Shift Calendar on September 15, 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.*