The Shift vs Pirates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Shift
Easily view your work schedule without opening your work app. Upload a screenshot of your shifts, and get instant updates via home screen widgets or export to your personal calendar. Never miss a shift again.
- Smart schedule import from screenshots
- Live countdown widget for next shift
- Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
- Direct calendar export
- Local data processing and storage
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Stop logging in just to see your schedule. Screenshot it once. The Shift reads your schedule and pulls out the exact start and end times for each shift. Your next shift is right on your Lock Screen, and your whole schedule shows up in your calendar. No typing. No picking dates. No entering shifts one by one. A screenshot is all it takes. ―――――――――― SOUND FAMILIAR? It's 10 PM and you just want to know tomorrow's shift. So you unlock your phone, open your work app, wait for it to load, log in (again), find the schedule menu, scroll… Or the app is down. The night before a 5 AM opening. And even when it works, your shifts still live in your work app — not in your calendar, next to the rest of your life. That's why you already screenshot your schedule. The Shift does the rest. HOW IT WORKS 1. Screenshot your schedule from your scheduling app, or snap a photo of a posted schedule. 2. The Shift reads the dates and times for every shift. 3. Done. Your shifts are on your calendar, your Home Screen, and your Lock Screen. The Shift doesn't just find the dates — it captures each shift's exact times. That's the whole point. WHAT YOU GET - Your work schedule, added to your calendar from one screenshot — no manual entry, ever - Lock Screen widgets — your next shift and a live countdown, without unlocking your phone - Home Screen widgets — today, this week, or the next two weeks at a glance - Weekly hour totals — know your hours before payroll does - Days off clearly shown — plan your life, not just your work - Works offline — no Wi-Fi, no problem "AM I EVEN ALLOWED TO USE THIS?" Fair question. Here's what The Shift does — and doesn't do: - The Shift never connects to your employer's systems. It only reads a schedule screenshot you provide. - No account. No sign-up. No email. - Your schedule stays on your device. It isn't uploaded, shared, or sold. - Delete the app, and your local schedule data goes with it. Your schedule is yours. We built The Shift so it stays that way. BUILT BY A SHIFT WORKER The Shift was built by a barista who was tired of checking the work app just to see a schedule. Word spread among baristas, and The Shift reached 1,000+ downloads in its first month, mostly through coworkers sharing it. Now it works for shift workers everywhere: baristas, servers, nurses, retail and warehouse teams, grocery crews — anyone whose week never looks the same twice. If your schedule doesn't import correctly, let us know in the app — we usually add support within 24 hours. SCREENSHOT YOUR NEXT SCHEDULE Download The Shift, take one screenshot, and see your whole week — on your Lock Screen, Home Screen, and calendar. You'll never log in just to check a shift again.
Pirates
Take back control of your time by blocking distracting apps and websites. Utilize a focus timer with custom soundscapes to enhance productivity. Enjoy a fun, engaging experience with unique characters and ships while gaining clear insights into your progress.
- App and website blocking
- Focus timer with Pomodoro
- Customizable soundscapes
- Engaging character and ship designs
- On-device blocking via Screen Time API
- Progress insights
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A cozy Pomodoro timer with a crew of cat pirates. Start a focus round, sail with your cats, and earn gold when the timer ends. Your distracting apps stay locked until you're done. No accounts, no ads, no tracking. A TIMER THAT FEELS LIKE A GAME • Pick your focus and break lengths, or use the classic 25/5 • Earn gold every time a round ends, not at the end of the week • Recruit 7 cats, dress them in 170+ outfits, and decorate your ship and camp • Come home to a cozy camp with a hammock, a campfire, and cats wandering around while you work BUILT FOR DISTRACTED BRAINS • One big button to start. No setup, no to-do list first • Short rounds with a visible timer, so time stops feeling invisible • Streaks start at 1 day, so a bad week never wipes you out • Mix your own ambient sound: waves, rain, fireplace, lo-fi, and a purring cat KEEPS YOUR PHONE QUIET • Optional app and website blocking with iOS Screen Time. No VPN, no servers • You pick which apps lock during a round. Calls and texts always work • Quit a round early and you lose the reward. Hard mode locks the timer so you can't end it early MORE ON DECK • Live Activity keeps the timer on your lock screen and Dynamic Island • Three daily missions arrive in your mailbox and pay extra gold • Climb 11 pirate ranks from Deckhand to Legend of the Seven Seas • The Captain's log charts every focus minute PERFECT FOR • Students who want study sessions to feel less lonely and more finished • ADHD brains that do better with short rounds and instant rewards • Writers, developers, and anyone whose work needs long stretches of focus PRICING A monthly subscription, an annual subscription with 14 days free, or a one-time lifetime purchase. All unlock the full app. No ads, ever. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your progress stays on your phone. No account, no ads, no tracking. The lock runs on your device through Apple's Screen Time, and your app choices never leave it. The only things the app sends out are anonymous usage statistics and crash reports. Terms of Use: https://cachepapi.github.io/pirates-legal/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://cachepapi.github.io/pirates-legal/privacy/ Study with cat pirates. Your first voyage awaits, Captain!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Shift at none against Pirates's 3. Pirates's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 92%). On price, rating, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Pirates sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. The Shift asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Shift against 5.0 for Pirates. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of The Shift's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pirates's.
The Shift ships an update every 3 days, Pirates every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Shift | Pirates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 12 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 160 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jeeyun Lee | John Jang |
Customer experience
The Shift
Pirates
In-app purchases
The Shift
No in-app purchases
Pirates
- Monthly$3.991 Month
- Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Lifetime$29.99









