OnShift vs Rotamaster (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OnShift and Rotamaster share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Rotamaster
UK healthcare and care rostering with staff banks and clocking
Paid
Which one is for you
Pick OnShift if
- Fits if you run a nursing home or senior living community
- Works for care operators who want hiring and scheduling from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're not in long-term post-acute care or senior living
- Not for you if you need a price before a sales call
- Watch out: payroll and HRIS are offered through partners, not as standalone OnShift products
Pick Rotamaster if
- Fits if you run a UK care home or healthcare service with a staff bank
- Works for providers who need NHS and CQC-focused compliance
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're outside UK healthcare and care
- Not for you if you want a price, since none is published
- Watch out: figures like 70% less admin are the vendor's own claims
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAOnShiftWeak | 1.8GPARotamasterWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price on the site: every route goes to a demo request. | CNo price on record: the calls to action are demo requests. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free is listed: no free plan and no trial on the pages we read. | FNothing free is listed: no free plan and no trial on the pages we read. |
| Features | BTemplates, open shift and call-off filling, cost visibility, an employee app and hiring and reporting. Payroll and HRIS come through partners, which is a scope choice, not a gap in scheduling. | BRostering by role and skill, staff banks, clocking, leave alongside rotas, pay calculation and an app. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's an enterprise rollout, so expect a managed setup. | CNo store rating on record. It's a sales-led rollout. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb, with an employee app on the listing, and no integrations named in the listing. No desktop app. | CWeb only on the listing; the Staff Hub app is named but not its phones, and no integrations are named. |
| Best for | senior care homes and living communities | UK care and healthcare providers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: OnShift and Rotamaster. How we grade
Where they differ
- OnShift also covers reports and applicant tracking.
- Rotamaster also covers payroll, time clock, employee records and time off.
In commonWebShift scheduling
At a glance
| OnShift | Rotamaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | OnShift, Inc. | RotaMaster |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
OnShift
- No prices are published; the site routes visitors to a demo request.
- It is built only for long-term post-acute care and senior living, not retail or restaurants.
- Payroll and HRIS are offered through partner integrations rather than as standalone OnShift products.
Rotamaster
- No prices are published; the site's calls to action are demo requests.
- It is built for UK healthcare and care, with NHS and CQC compliance as its stated focus, so it suits few other sectors.
- The vendor's pages name the Staff Hub app but do not list which phone platforms it supports.
- Figures such as 70% less admin are the vendor's own claims.
Key features
OnShift
- Template-based scheduling
- Schedules are created from configurable templates, with employees notified of new schedules and open shifts in one click.
- Open shift and call-off filling
- Suggests replacement employees based on work history, availability and cost, and can auto-approve shift requests for those not in overtime.
- Staffing and cost visibility
- Flags understaffing and overstaffing, and supports internal staffing pools shared across communities.
- Employee mobile app
- One app combines messaging, scheduling, performance tracking, rewards and earned wage access.
- Hiring and reporting
- Talent acquisition covers applicant tracking, background screening and onboarding; reporting covers overtime and Payroll-Based Journal.
Rotamaster
- Rostering by role, skill and location
- Shifts are assigned automatically from availability, compliance and local staffing rules, from single sites to multi-site operations.
- Staff banks
- Bank+ identifies available bank or part-time staff and fills gaps by set rules, and can build shared banks across trusts and integrated care systems.
- Attendance and clocking
- Attendance+ clocks by mobile, tablet app or biometric device and produces timesheet reports.
- Leave alongside rotas
- Leave+ handles annual leave requests together with the rota so cover is checked at the time of approval.
- Pay calculation
- Finance+ manages different pay structures; the vendor says it cuts payroll admin time by 70%.
- Staff Hub app
- Staff see shifts, get push notifications, request leave, swap shifts, bid for open shifts and submit mileage and expense claims.
Plans
OnShift
Pricing could not be confirmed. See onshift.com.
Rotamaster
Pricing could not be confirmed. See rotamaster.co.uk.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OnShift or Rotamaster?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OnShift has no price we could confirm, and Rotamaster has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, OnShift or Rotamaster?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither OnShift nor Rotamaster has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.