Comparison

Shift Calendar vs Shift Planner

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

Head to head
About

Shift Calendar

Features
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Set your rotation once and see the whole year ahead. SIMPLE Pick your pattern โ€” 4 on 4 off, 2-2-3, DuPont, twelve-hour days and nights, rotating three shifts โ€” then tap the day of the cycle you are on today. Done. No sign-up, no account. YOUR OWN ROTATION Nothing on the list fits? Build a cycle of any length yourself. Hospital rotas, irregular rotations, on-call. WHAT YOU GET โ€ข When your next shift starts, and how long until it does โ€ข A whole month on one screen โ€ข Your shifts in the iPhone Calendar, kept up to date โ€ข A reminder before every shift, even offline โ€ข Hours worked and estimated pay โ€ข A home screen widget โ€ข Backup and restore, to move to a new phone โ€ข In 31 languages Without a purchase you see this month's calendar and your next shift. Other months, editing days, your own rotation, Calendar sync, reminders, hours and pay, the widget and backups come with Shift Cycle Pro, an in-app purchase. CHANGES Swapped a shift? Tap the day and change it. Add a note. Your rotation stays intact around it, and your Calendar and reminders follow. WHAT WE PROMISE A lifetime purchase stays a lifetime purchase. We will not move it to a subscription later, and we will never put ads in this app. We never see your shifts. No server, no account, no tracking โ€” your rotation stays on your phone. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://anilsancarr-web.github.io/shiftcycle-site/privacy/

About

Shift Planner

Features
Read full description

Your roster, your hours and your alarm โ€” in one place, and completely private. Your data stays on your device. Shift Planner is built for everyone who does not work nine to five: nursing, emergency services, manufacturing, hospitality, security, rail. Private by design No account, no login, no sign-up โ€” just open the app and start All your data is stored on your device by default No analytics, no tracking, no ads, no third-party SDKs Optional iCloud sync runs through your own private iCloud โ€” never our servers When you share a plan, only date, label, colour and time travel with it โ€” your hourly rate never leaves your device The plan at a glance Colour-coded shifts in a month grid, several per day Work, vacation, sick, training and days off, counted correctly Personal events with emoji right in the calendar Quick edit: pick a shift type, tap the days, done A note per shift โ€” "swapped with Kim" shows up on the PDF too Set the pattern once Define a rotation and roll it out across months Five ready-made templates: 2-2-2-2, 4 on / 4 off, Continental, 2-2-3 and DuPont Days you changed by hand survive every regeneration โ€” swapped shifts are never overwritten Public holidays for all 16 German states, Austria and Switzerland โ€” calculated, never out of date An alarm that actually wakes you One wake time per shift type, armed automatically Rings on silent, through Focus and after a restart A night shift starting at two? The alarm counts across midnight correctly Quiet reminders before your shift begins, if you want them Hours and money Working time per shift type, week, month, year or a range you pick Your hourly rate, and what a month is actually worth Night, Sunday and public-holiday premiums preconfigured to German ยง3b EStG and fully editable By the hour โ€” a night shift from 22:00 to 06:00 earns the premium for exactly the hours inside the window Overtime against your target, weekly or monthly Outside the app Your next shift as a widget on the Home Screen and Lock Screen The month as a grid, or the coming shifts as a list A Live Activity that counts down while you are on duty Apple Watch: your next shift on your wrist and in your complications Siri: "When is my next shift?", "How many hours this month?", "Report sick" Hand it over PDF as a clean A4 sheet โ€” month or year, to share or print, without a single wage figure on it Export to Apple, iCloud, Google or Outlook โ€” exporting again updates the events instead of duplicating them Share your plan with colleagues: their shifts appear as a second row in your own month, so swapping days no longer needs a screenshot in the chat Free and Premium Free: month calendar, up to three shift types, one rotation, shift alarms, the monthly report with hours and overtime, and the next-shift widget. Premium unlocks unlimited shift types and rotations, pay and premium calculation, every report range, PDF and calendar export, shared plans, the month and agenda widgets, iCloud sync and eleven more accent colours. Subscriptions Auto-renewable Premium plans (1 month, 1 year with a free trial) A one-time Lifetime unlock is also available Payment is charged to your Apple ID account Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple account settings Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://darianhanci-legal.web.app/datenschutz

Screenshots

Shift Calendar4 screens
Shift Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Shift Calendar at 16.4 against Shift Planner's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Shift Calendar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Shift Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Shift Calendar versus Shift Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift CalendarShift Planner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS16.4 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size45 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeranil sancarCengiz Darian Hanci

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Shift Calendar

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pro$24.99
3 purchases

Shift Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$1.491 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$34.99

Questions

Is Shift Calendar free?
Shift Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift Planner free?
Shift Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shift Calendar or Shift Planner have ads?
Neither Shift Calendar nor Shift Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shift Calendar or Shift Planner?
Shift Calendar ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shift Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shift Calendar was updated on October 18, 2026 and Shift Planner on October 10, 2026.

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