Comparison

Rotaro vs Shift Calendar

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

Head to head
About

Rotaro

Features
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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.

About

Shift Calendar

Features
Read full description

See your whole shift schedule on one calendar, and know at a glance when you work and when your next day off is. Create your shift types โ€“ Day, Evening, Night and Off to start with โ€“ and tap days to paint them in. Fill a repeating rotation for months at a time, and set a reminder before a shift starts. โ–  Made for - Nurses and hospital staff on rotating shifts - Shift workers in factories, services, police and fire departments - Anyone who copies a roster into a calendar by hand every month โ–  Features - Paint: pick a shift type and tap days; tap again to clear. There's an eraser too - Fill pattern: tap shift types in order to build a rotation, add "Skip day" for days left empty, and fill up to 366 days at a time from any start date. Save the patterns you use often - Shift types with a name, a 2-character short label, a color and set hours โ€“ including night shifts that end the next day - A reminder for each shift type with set hours: at start time, or 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 90 minutes or 2 hours before - A note for any day - Summary for any month: shifts by type, total hours and your next day off - Widgets: the next 7 days on your Home Screen, and today's and tomorrow's shift on your Lock Screen - iCloud backup: automatic while you're signed in to iCloud; restore on a new device Reminders and widgets follow your first calendar. Reminders are scheduled on your device, so open the app now and then to keep the later ones scheduled. โ–  Privacy Your shifts are stored on your device and never sent to our servers. While you're signed in to iCloud, a backup copy is kept in your own iCloud. No account needed. Where ad consent applies, you can change your choice under Ad privacy options in Settings. โ–  Pricing Free with ads and one calendar. Pro removes ads and unlocks multiple calendars (for family, colleagues or a second job), exporting your month as an image and a large widget with this month's shifts. Get Pro with a monthly or yearly subscription, or with a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; manage or cancel your subscription in Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://donald-deok.github.io/app-privacy/shift_calendar_ios.html

Screenshots

Rotaro4 screens
Shift Calendar4 screens

Verdict

The call

Rotaro and Shift Calendar are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Rotaro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shift Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Rotaro versus Shift Calendar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRotaroShift Calendar
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysEvery 2 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size6 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartin PolacekDeokhyeon Kim

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Rotaro

One-time1
  • Rotaro Pro$4.99
3 purchases

Shift Calendar

Subscriptions2
  • Pro โ€“ Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro โ€“ Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro โ€“ Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Rotaro free?
Rotaro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shift Calendar free?
Shift Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Rotaro or Shift Calendar have ads?
Both Rotaro and Shift Calendar show ads.
Which is updated more often, Rotaro or Shift Calendar?
Rotaro ships an update every 2 days, and Shift Calendar every 2 days. Most recently, Rotaro was updated on October 26, 2026 and Shift Calendar on October 31, 2026.

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