Comparison

ShiftLens Calendar vs Howbout

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

Head to head
About

ShiftLens Calendar

Features
Read full description

** ShiftLens is the smarter way to plan, track, and understand your work schedule. ** Built for shift workers, freelancers, rotating schedules, and anyone who needs a clear overview of their work life, ShiftLens turns your calendar into a powerful, flexible, and beautifully organized shift planner. Whether you work mornings, nights, split shifts, rotating patterns, or anything in between, ShiftLens helps you stay on top of your time — without spreadsheets, guesswork, or clutter. ** A Clear View of Your Work Life ** ShiftLens gives you a clean, structured calendar designed specifically for shift‑based work. Create shifts in seconds, customize your schedule, and instantly see your upcoming days, weeks, and months at a glance. - Add shifts with custom times - Color‑code roles, locations, or shift types - Track multiple jobs or positions - View your schedule by day, week, or month - Plan ahead with a layout built for real‑world work patterns ** Your Next Shift — Right on Your Lock Screen ** ShiftLens includes a Lock Screen Accessory Inline widget that shows your next upcoming shift at a glance. - No need to open the app — your schedule is always visible, always up to date, and always where you need it. - Perfect for early mornings, busy days, or anyone who wants instant clarity. ** Powerful Insights — Automatically ** ShiftLens helps you understand your work, not just record it. - Total hours per day, week, month - Overtime and extra hours - Pay estimates (optional) - Workload trends and patterns - Multi‑day summaries Your time becomes data — clear, visual, and actionable. ** Custom Fields for Real‑World Flexibility ** Every job is different. ShiftLens adapts to yours. - Add notes, tags, or custom fields - Location address with map preview - tap to go to your destination! - Track breaks, locations, tasks, or anything else - Build the workflow that matches your work style - iCloud Sync Across All Devices - Your schedule stays up to date everywhere. ** iCloud Sync Across All Devices ** Your schedule stays up to date everywhere. - Automatic iCloud sync - Seamless updates between iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Private, secure, and fast Your data is yours — always. ** Smart Notifications & Conflict Detection ** ShiftLens helps you avoid surprises. - Notifications before each shift - Alerts for overlapping or conflicting shifts - Notifications for long days or double‑bookings Stay organized without thinking about it. ** Export & Share ** Need to send your schedule to your manager, partner, or team? - Export to PDF - Export to calendar - Share your monthly or weekly plan - Save reports for payroll or HR ShiftLens makes your schedule portable and professional. ** Multi‑Day Plans & Templates ** For repeating patterns or rotating schedules: - Create templates for common shift types - Apply multi‑day plans in one tap - Build complex rotations effortlessly - Perfect for nurses, retail workers, hospitality, aviation, logistics, emergency services, and more. ** ShiftLens Pro ** Upgrade to unlock the full experience: - Full insights & analytics - Unlimited custom fields - Unlimited exports - Advanced reminders - Conflict rules - Multi‑day plans - iCloud sync - Lock Screen widget - All future Pro features Available as Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime. SUPPORT THE APP * Enjoy the app? We'd appreciate if you could take a moment to rate it! SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK * Do you have a suggestion or a question you'd like to ask? Please contact Support! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy URL: https://ops-eng.github.io/ShiftLens/privacy.html - ShiftLens is free to download and use. ShiftLens Pro Subscription gives you unlimited access to our premium content and features. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of your subscription. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period.

About

Howbout

Features
Read full description

Howbout - Shift Planner is a simple and modern way to organize your work schedule. Whether you're managing your own shifts, rotating schedules, or weekly work plans, Howbout - Shift Planner gives you a clean and intuitive way to organize your work life. With a subscription, you can create, edit, and track shifts, view your schedule by day, week, or month, plan recurring shifts, monitor your working hours, and keep your work calendar organized in one place. Designed for employees, freelancers, healthcare workers, retail staff, hospitality teams, and anyone working rotating schedules, Howbout - Shift Planner makes it easy to stay on top of every shift. Premium Subscription Required A subscription is required to access and use the app's features. New subscribers can start with a 3-day free trial. After the trial, your selected subscription automatically renews unless canceled. You can manage or cancel your subscription through your App Store account settings. Start your 3-day free trial and discover a smarter, faster, and more organized way to manage your shifts and work schedule. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://www.igorstojanovic.com/privacy

Screenshots

ShiftLens Calendar4 screens
Howbout3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Howbout at none against ShiftLens Calendar's 3. Howbout also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). ShiftLens Calendar's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ShiftLens Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Howbout asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShiftLens Calendar ships an update every 2 weeks, Howbout monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
ShiftLens Calendar versus Howbout: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShiftLens CalendarHowbout
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEfthymios TampourisIgor Stojanovic

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ShiftLens Calendar

Subscriptions2
  • ShiftLens Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • ShiftLens Pro Yearly$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • ShiftLens Pro Lifetime$24.99
None

Howbout

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShiftLens Calendar free?
ShiftLens Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Howbout free?
Howbout is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShiftLens Calendar or Howbout have ads?
Neither ShiftLens Calendar nor Howbout shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShiftLens Calendar or Howbout?
ShiftLens Calendar ships an update every 2 weeks, and Howbout monthly. Most recently, ShiftLens Calendar was updated on October 8, 2026 and Howbout on September 29, 2026.

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