Comparison

Shift Planner vs Rotaro

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

Head to head
About

Shift Planner

Manage your work schedule, track hours, and calculate pay with this private and ad-free app. It offers customizable shift patterns, automatic alarms, and export options for easy sharing and integration.

Highlights
  • Private data storage on device
  • Color-coded shift calendar
  • Customizable shift patterns and rotations
  • Automatic shift alarms
  • Overtime and pay calculation
  • PDF and calendar export
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
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shifts are never overwritten Public holidays for all 16 German states, Austria and Switzerland โ€” calculated, never out of date An alarm that actually wakes you One wake time per shift type, armed automatically Rings on silent, through Focus and after a restart A night shift starting at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

About

Rotaro

Features
Read full description

Your next shift on your Lock Screen. Set up your rotation once and Rotaro works out every day of the year. The widget shows today's shift and the next one on your Lock Screen and Home Screen, so you know when you work without opening anything. โ€ข Widgets for the Lock Screen and Home Screen: today's shift and the next one โ€ข Any rotation: 2-2-3, 4 on 4 off, Pitman, DuPont, Panama, 12-hour shifts, nights โ€ข Your own shift types with name, times and color โ€ข Change a single day when you swap a shift or take leave โ€ข Public holidays for 14 countries marked in the calendar โ€ข Reminders before each shift, only on days you actually work โ€ข Shifts and hours for the month at a glance โ€ข Add your shifts to the Calendar app โ€“ run it again after a change and nothing is duplicated โ€ข iCloud sync between your iPhone and iPad โ€ข No account, no sign-up Free with ads. A one-time purchase removes them โ€“ no subscription.

Screenshots

Shift Planner4 screens
Rotaro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Shift Planner at none against Rotaro's shown. Rotaro's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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 Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Rotaro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Planner ships an update monthly, Rotaro every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
Shift Planner versus Rotaro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift PlannerRotaro
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumโ€”
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size9 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCengiz Darian HanciMartin Polacek

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Shift Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$1.491 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$44.99
1 purchases

Rotaro

One-time1
  • Rotaro Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Shift Planner free?
Shift Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rotaro free?
Rotaro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shift Planner or Rotaro have ads?
Rotaro shows ads; Shift Planner does not.
Which is updated more often, Shift Planner or Rotaro?
Shift Planner ships an update monthly, and Rotaro every 2 days. Most recently, Shift Planner was updated on October 31, 2026 and Rotaro on October 26, 2026.

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