Comparison

ShiftAlarm vs RotaCell

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

Head to head
About

ShiftAlarm

Read full description

ShiftAlarm is a modern shift calendar for anyone who wants to keep work hours, shifts, and days off clearly organized. With ShiftAlarm, you can manage shifts in your calendar, create custom shift templates, plan recurring rotations, track vacation and remaining vacation days, and record and evaluate overtime. Pro features provide additional statistics and advanced evaluations for an even better overview. ShiftAlarm helps you organize your work schedule and keep important information quickly accessible. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

RotaCell

This app helps manage complex work schedules with a visually appealing interface. It offers features like schedule scanning, overtime tracking, and pay calculation, with optional advanced tools for live updates and health integration.

Highlights
  • Schedule scanning from printed documents
  • Multiple job support with double-booking warnings
  • Overtime and pay tracking
  • Live Activity for Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
  • Sharing schedules with others
  • Customizable themes and languages
Features
Read full description

RotaCell is the shift planner, shift calendar and work schedule tracker that doesn't feel like homework. Draw one round of your shifts, tap Repeat it, and the months fill in: 4 on / 4 off, DuPont, Continental, or a pattern you paint yourself. Overtime tracker, PTO tracker, hours tracker and pay tracker in one work schedule planner that handles two jobs. Day by Day suits cleaning jobs, caregiver shifts and gig work, with a pay tracker for each day; Simple mode keeps just your shifts. Share days off, see when to leave, and watch your shift count down on the Lock Screen. No account needed. Made for shift workers, caregivers, cleaners and anyone whose week isn't nine to five. Built for nurses and healthcare staff, factory and warehouse workers, retail and hospitality teams, drivers, emergency services, and anyone whose week doesn't fit nine to five. WORKS WITH YOUR REAL SCHEDULE • Ready-made patterns: 4 on/4 off, Continental, DuPont, 2-2-2, rotating Early/Late/Night, or a plain Monday to Friday • Scan a printed schedule with your camera: it is read on your device and nothing is uploaded • Import a calendar (.ics) and run more than one job in one calendar, with double-booking warnings • Swap a shift, add overtime or mark leave in two taps, and keep your past days when your schedule changes A MONTH YOU CAN READ AT A GLANCE • Today, this week and your whole rotation months ahead • Public holidays for 200+ countries built in • Reminders sit right next to your shifts YOUR SHIFT, LIVE (Plus) • A Live Activity paints the sky of your shift, from sun to stars, on your Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island, on Apple Watch and in CarPlay KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE (Plus) • Time to Leave shows live traffic and a little road with a walker: drive, walk, cycle or transit, with Leave-By alerts A HELPER THAT HAS YOUR BACK • Spots a short rest or a double booking before it hurts • RotaRest (Plus) reads your Apple Health sleep and warns you about tired weeks before they bite SHARE WITH YOUR CIRCLE • Invite a partner, the other parent, a friend or a coworker with a link, a QR code or iCloud • See your schedule next to theirs, the days you are both off and who is free for the school pickup • A live partner link keeps their view up to date by itself (Plus). Invite-only: nobody can find you, and you can stop sharing any time KNOW WHAT YOU'VE EARNED • Hourly or salaried pay, night and weekend premiums, overtime multipliers, and a Break Room with what you have earned so far • Check your pay stub against your schedule, or scan a pay stub (Plus) • An approximate take-home pay after tax for 200+ countries (Plus) • Vacation, PTO, comp time and a mileage log (Plus) MAKE IT YOURS • Six looks: Paper, Slate, Graphite, Pop, Forest and Berry. Your widgets and Apple Watch follow your pick • iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with notifications in RotaCell's own style • English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Polski, 简体中文 and 繁體中文 YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS • No account, no ads, no tracking • Everything lives on your device; iCloud backup is optional (Plus) • Sharing links are encrypted: only the people you send them to can read them FREE TO USE: your schedule calendar and patterns, more than one job, reminders, widgets, pay, hours and overtime, scanning a printed schedule, double-booking and rest warnings, and sharing your schedule as a link or QR code. ROTACELL PLUS adds: Live Activity and Apple Watch, Time to Leave and Leave-By alerts, fatigue and sleep warnings, Circle's live partner link, take-home pay after tax, pay stub check, vacation, PTO and comp time, mileage, text and print your schedule, and iCloud backup and sync. New to Plus? Try Plus free for a week, then choose yearly or a one-time Forever unlock, priced right here in the App Store. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://rotacell.com/privacy Support: https://rotacell.com/support

Screenshots

ShiftAlarm4 screens
RotaCell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RotaCell at weekly against ShiftAlarm's fortnightly. RotaCell also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. ShiftAlarm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and RotaCell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShiftAlarm ships an update fortnightly, RotaCell weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ShiftAlarm versus RotaCell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShiftAlarmRotaCell
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcel NitschRodolfo Antonio Zorrilla Pena

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ShiftAlarm

Subscriptions2
  • ShiftAlarm Pro Monthly14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • ShiftAlarm Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
2 purchases

RotaCell

Subscriptions1
  • RotaCell (Yearly)7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • RotaCell (Forever)$29.99

Questions

Is ShiftAlarm free?
ShiftAlarm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RotaCell free?
RotaCell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ShiftAlarm or RotaCell have ads?
Neither ShiftAlarm nor RotaCell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShiftAlarm or RotaCell?
ShiftAlarm ships an update fortnightly, and RotaCell weekly. Most recently, ShiftAlarm was updated on October 11, 2026 and RotaCell on October 24, 2026.

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