Comparison

Vessa vs Planbound

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

Head to head
About

Vessa

This app helps shift workers plan their schedules and optimize sleep. It automatically generates sleep and caffeine plans based on your work shifts, adapting to changes. Features include roster import, calendar integration, and customizable sleep reminders.

Highlights
  • Shift work calendar
  • Automatic sleep and caffeine planning
  • Roster import from photos
  • iPhone Calendar integration
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Customizable sleep reminders
  • Shift change adaptation
Features
Read full description

Vessa is a shift work calendar that also plans your sleep. Enter your shifts, or photograph your roster and let Vessa read it, and see your month at a glance. Then Vessa turns the shifts you actually work into a 72-hour sleep and caffeine plan, and re-plans it when a shift moves. Night shifts, rotating blocks, short turnarounds and last-minute swaps: the calendar keeps up, and so does the plan. FREE • A shift calendar: enter shifts by hand, as many as you like, or start from templates for 3×12, fixed nights, 24/48, DuPont and other common rotations • Your first roster import from a photo • Your shifts in the iPhone Calendar: one event per shift in a "Vessa" calendar you can share from the Calendar app, with your planned sleep if you want it • Share your next four weeks as one page, as an image or a PDF • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with today's shift and your next sleep • A note on any day: where you're working, who you're with • A 72-hour sleep plan built from your shifts: main sleep, recovery sleep, pre-shift naps, off-day sleep, wind-down and caffeine cutoff • Every sleep is a switch: turn naps, recovery sleep and days-off sleep on or off, or keep your days off free of reminders • Edit any sleep for one day or for good • The plan re-plans itself when a shift changes, and tells you three days before your schedule runs out PREMIUM • Roster import, every cycle: photograph your roster, tap your name, confirm what Vessa read. Nothing to type • Alarms set by Vessa: wake-ups for every sleep in your plan go on your iPhone as real alarms, and move when your shift moves • Sleep ledger: what you planned next to what you slept, read from Apple Health, day by day and by sleep type. Needs an Apple Watch or a sleep tracker that writes to Apple Health Premium is an optional auto-renewing subscription, monthly or annual; the annual plan starts with a 14-day free trial. Cancel any time in Settings → your name → Subscriptions. PRIVACY Roster photos are read on your device and never uploaded. Apple Health data is read on your device and never leaves it. Your shifts, day notes and plan settings sync to your account so they survive a new phone. If you turn on Calendar, your shifts are written to a calendar on your iPhone, and Vessa reads only that calendar. Vessa is designed for nurses first, and works for EMS, firefighters, factory workers, security, drivers, hospitality and anyone on demanding shifts. Vessa is a planning and self-care tool. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have persistent sleep problems, please consult a qualified healthcare professional. Terms of Use: https://vessa.health/terms-of-use Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://vessa.health/privacy-policy

About

Planbound

Features
Read full description

Planbound is a simple daily planner and agenda where you time-block your day minute by minute on a timeline. Balance your week on one screen, reschedule slipped tasks instead of losing them, and see one number at night: how much you stuck to your plan. No account, no ads, no tracking. Your data stays on your phone. TIME VIEW - See your day on a timeline: a now line, the free gaps between tasks, and what you planned next to what actually happened - Tap a gap to add a task right there - Switch between List and Time on the Today screen with one tap NOTHING GETS LOST - When a task ends, one question: Done, +15 min or Move it - Move slipped work to the first free slot today or tomorrow, to the Waiting box, or let it go on purpose - A conscious decision costs fewer points than quietly skipping - In the evening, "Close today" walks you through what's left, then you plan tomorrow - Log unplanned time with "What are you doing now" WEEK - See this week and next on one screen: which days are full, which are overbooked - Tasks without a day or time wait in the Waiting box DAILY PLAN AND SCORE - Add tasks with a start and end time and build your daily routine - Mark each one Free or Phone off - Phone-off tasks open a full-screen countdown; leaving the app marks the task broken - Your day gets a fidelity score from 0 to 100 - On your off days (weekends, holidays) nothing is scored and your streak keeps its place USE IT YOUR WAY - List only: a plain to-do list, no scores, no reminders - Plan + Track: reminders and scoring, nothing is blocked BUILT TO STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY - Simple screens, one main button. No dashboards. - Light, quiet, monochrome design - Works fully offline - No account, no sign-up - No analytics, no ads, no tracking - Your data stays on your phone PLANBOUND PRO (optional) - Weekly planning flow and reminder - Weekly goals - Week templates - Calendar import (read-only, stays on your device) - Lock Screen countdown - Duration suggestions - Repeating tasks - Unlimited day templates - Unlimited history - Weekly summary - All widgets - Camp mode: pick a date range and your template is applied to every day in it Monthly, yearly (3-day free trial) or a one-time lifetime purchase. Planbound is made by one developer who wanted a planner that keeps its promises. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each period. You can turn off renewal at least 24 hours before the current period ends from your App Store account settings. The lifetime purchase is a one-time payment and does not renew. Privacy policy: https://planbound.kirkoc.com/gizlilik.html Terms of use: https://planbound.kirkoc.com/kosullar.html

Screenshots

Vessa4 screens
Planbound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Planbound at every 2 days against Vessa's every 10 days. Planbound also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Vessa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Planbound sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vessa ships an update every 10 days, Planbound every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Vessa versus Planbound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVessaPlanbound
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMurat KeskinUmit Caglayan Kirkoc

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Vessa

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Annual14 Days trial$39.991 Year
3 purchases

Planbound

Subscriptions2
  • Planbound Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Planbound Pro Yearly3 Days trial$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Planbound Pro Lifetime$17.99

Questions

Is Vessa free?
Vessa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Planbound free?
Planbound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Vessa or Planbound have ads?
Neither Vessa nor Planbound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Vessa or Planbound?
Vessa ships an update every 10 days, and Planbound every 2 days. Most recently, Vessa was updated on October 31, 2026 and Planbound on November 10, 2026.

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