Comparison

Shift Calendar vs Shift Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Shift Calendar

Features
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A shift calendar for shift workers: hospital, fire and police, factory and security crews. Set your rotation once and see the whole year ahead. SIMPLE Pick your pattern β€” 4 on 4 off, 12-hour days and nights, 2-2-3 (Panama), DuPont, rotating three shifts, 24 hours on 48 off β€” 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? Start from the closest pattern and reshape it: any cycle up to 42 days long, with your own shift names, times and colors. Hospital rotas and irregular rotations included. WHAT YOU GET β€’ When your next shift starts, and how long until it does β€’ A whole month on one screen, with public holidays for 32 countries and week numbers β€’ Your shifts in the iPhone Calendar, kept up to date β€’ A reminder before every shift, even offline β€’ Hours worked and estimated pay: a rate per shift type, night, weekend and holiday premiums, overtime, tax β€’ Widgets for the Home Screen and the Lock Screen, including your whole month β€’ A copy in your own iCloud: on a new iPhone, the app offers your calendar back β€’ In 31 languages Without a purchase you see this month's calendar, your next shift and public holidays, and you can keep your calendar in a backup file or your own iCloud. Other months, editing days, shift names, times and colors, your own rotation, Calendar sync, reminders, hours and pay, and the widgets come with Shift Cycle Pro: a monthly subscription or a one-time lifetime 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. No account, no server of ours, no tracking. Your shifts stay on your phone and, while iCloud is on, in your own iCloud. We never see them. 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 Buddy

Read full description

The one calendar built for shift workers β€” Shift Buddy. - Day, evening, night and off shifts sorted by color, a whole month at a glance. - This month's pay calculated automatically β€” night premium and paid leave included. - Schedule a different wake-up alarm for each shift, subject to your device settings. - Pick a common rotation and the whole month fills itself in. - Share your schedule with your team β€” see who's off and when you're off together. - 25 themes to make it yours (light, dark and animated backgrounds). No ads. Basic features are available without logging in. Shift calendar, work rota, roster, night shift, 4 on 4 off, overtime pay, timesheet, nurse duty and shift alarms in one app.

Screenshots

Shift Calendar4 screens
Shift Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shift Calendar at Free against Shift Buddy's $1.99. Shift Buddy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Shift Calendar is free to download; Shift Buddy costs $1.99 up front. Shift Calendar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Shift Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Calendar ships an update monthly, Shift Buddy every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Shift Calendar versus Shift Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift CalendarShift Buddy
PriceFree β€” better$1.99
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size46 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeranil sancarMinari

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Shift Calendar

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pro$14.99
None

Shift Buddy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shift Calendar free?
Shift Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift Buddy free?
Shift Buddy costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shift Calendar or Shift Buddy have ads?
Neither Shift Calendar nor Shift Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shift Calendar or Shift Buddy?
Shift Calendar ships an update monthly, and Shift Buddy every 2 days. Most recently, Shift Calendar was updated on November 11, 2026 and Shift Buddy on November 10, 2026.

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