OurCal vs Supershift
We give OurCal a 3.4 GPA and Supershift a 3.6, out of 4.0. OurCal grades higher on platforms. Supershift grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OurCal
End-to-end encrypted shared calendar with a chat on every event
Supershift
Shift work calendar app with rotations, reports and sharing
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAOurCalVery good | 3.6GPASupershiftExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$6.99 a month for a group of up to 6, with every feature and everyone else joining free. That's about what one person pays for a typical calendar app. It's monthly only, though. OurCal says annual plans were retired on August 1, 2025. | APro is $9.99 a year. A typical calendar app charges about $6 a month. Lifetime is $39.99 if you'd rather pay once. Just don't pay monthly: $3.99 a month comes to $47.88 over a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. You get a free trial when you create a group, with no payment details asked for, but the listing can't say how long it runs. After that the group is paused until a member subscribes. | AFree with no account. The Pro features the store listings name are calendar export, PDF export and external calendars. Rotations, sharing and reports aren't on that list, so most shift workers could stay free. The Android version has ads. |
| Features | AA chat thread on every event, automatic before-and-after notes when someone changes a plan, encryption by default, and Google, Microsoft and iCloud calendars synced in. You can type "Dentist Tuesday 3pm for an hour" too. That's the group job done. | ATemplates, rotations like DuPont and Pitman, several shifts in a day, and reports that add up hours, overtime and pay. Add sharing, widgets, Apple Watch and offline use, and that's the whole job. Shift alarms are iPhone only. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 1,100 App Store ratings. One person subscribes, everyone else just joins, and events can be typed in plain words. | A4.9 from about 5,600 App Store ratings. No sign-up, no internet needed, and a template drops a shift onto a day in seconds. |
| Platforms and integrations | AiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro and Android, syncing with Google, Outlook, Exchange and iCloud calendars. No web or Windows app is listed, mind, and pushing events out to other calendars isn't on Android yet. | CiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android, with Pro sending shifts to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. But that's phones and tablets only. The website offers no web or desktop app. |
| Best for | private group calendars with built-in chat | shift workers on rotating schedules |
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: OurCal and Supershift. How we grade
Where they differ
- OurCal starts at $6.99 per month for a group of up to 6 people. Supershift starts at $3.99 per month, or $9.99 per year (Supershift Pro).
- Supershift has a free plan. OurCal does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only OurCal lists a macOS app.
- OurCal is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Supershift can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- OurCal also covers natural-language input.
- Supershift also covers reports.
At a glance
| OurCal | Supershift | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6.99 per month for a group of up to 6 people | $3.99 per month, or $9.99 per year (Supershift Pro) |
| Free plan | None | The app is free to download and needs no account. The store listings name calendar export, PDF export and external calendar display as Supershift Pro features. |
| Free trial | Free trial starts when a group is created, with no payment details; length not stated. 30-day money-back guarantee. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OurCal Ltd | Supershift GmbH |
| Price read from | ourcal.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
OurCal
- Couples and families split between iPhone and Android
- Groups that want their shared calendar end-to-end encrypted
- Shift workers sharing a rota with family and friends
- People who want the discussion about a plan kept inside the event
Supershift
- Nurses, firefighters, drivers and other workers on rotating shifts
- Sharing a changing work schedule with family or coworkers
- Checking hours, overtime and pay against a payslip
Worth knowing
OurCal
- There is no free plan: when the trial ends the group is paused until a member subscribes.
- Each group needs its own subscription, so a family group and a work group are billed separately.
- Billing is monthly only. OurCal says annual plans were retired on August 1, 2025.
- No web or Windows app is listed, and pushing OurCal events out to other calendars is not yet available on Android.
Supershift
- Exporting shifts to other calendars, PDF export and showing external calendars all need Supershift Pro.
- Shift alarms are marked iOS only on the vendor's site, and Google Play labels the Android app as containing ads.
- The website offers iOS and Android downloads only; the App Store also lets the iPad app run on Macs with an M1 chip or later.
- A Pro purchase made on iOS carries over to Android, or the reverse, only through a Cloud Sync account.
Key features
OurCal
- Chat on every event
- Each event has its own thread for messages, photos, files and notes, with reactions, replies and quotes. A separate group chat covers anything that does not belong to one event.
- Automatic change tracking
- When someone edits an event, a before-and-after update is posted automatically in the event chat and the activity feed, and reminders go to the members concerned.
- End-to-end encryption by default
- Every profile, group, calendar, event, message and file is end-to-end encrypted. The encryption is provided by Seald, whose technology is certified by ANSSI, France's cybersecurity agency.
- Calendar sync in both directions
- Google, Microsoft and Apple iCloud calendars, plus subscribed calendars, can be shared with a group. OurCal events can be pushed out to a calendar on the device from iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Natural-language event creation
- Typing a phrase such as "Dentist Tuesday 3pm for an hour" creates the event, and reminders, to-dos and repeating events work the same way. The vendor says this runs on the device.
- Multiple groups and availability sharing
- Each group has its own calendars, members and chat, and a person can join any number of groups. Busy times can be shared group by group without revealing event details.
Supershift
- Shift templates and rotations
- Templates let you enter a work schedule in seconds, with several shifts allowed on one day. A rotation pattern such as 4-on-4-off, DuPont or Pitman can be applied up to 2 years ahead in a single entry.
- Calendar sharing
- Share a work schedule with family, friends or coworkers so they can check availability and arrange shift swaps.
- Hours and pay reports
- Reports total hours worked, shift counts, pay and overtime for a week, a month, a year or a custom range. Overtime is worked out from the regular hours you set.
- Alarms, widgets and Apple Watch
- On iOS a wake-up time can be assigned to each shift type so the right alarm is set from the schedule. Home screen widgets and Apple Watch complications show current and upcoming shifts.
- Calendar export and PDF (Pro)
- Supershift Pro sends shifts to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook, shows events from external calendars beside shifts, and creates a PDF of the monthly schedule.
- Offline use and Cloud Sync
- The listings say data is stored on the device and no internet connection is required. An optional Cloud Sync account keeps several devices in step, including across iOS and Android.
Plans
OurCal
Up to 6 people$6.99
per month for the whole group
For couples and small families. One member subscribes and everyone else in the group joins free. Every feature is included.
Up to 20 people$12.99
per month for the whole group
For bigger families and friend groups, with the same features as the other tiers.
Up to 100 people$29.99
per month for the whole group
For clubs, teams and communities, up to the 100-member limit of a group.
Supershift
Free$0
The app with no account needed. The store listings mark only calendar export, PDF export and external calendars as Pro. The Android listing says it contains ads.
Supershift Pro Monthly$3.99
per month, as an in-app purchase
Adds export of shifts to other calendars, PDF export of the monthly calendar and external calendars shown beside shifts.
Supershift Pro Yearly$9.99
per year, as an in-app purchase
The same Pro features, billed once a year.
Supershift Pro Lifetime$39.99
one-time purchase
The Pro features for a single payment. A current subscriber has to cancel and let the subscription expire before buying it.
Ways to pay less
OurCal
No public discounts listed.
Supershift
- Annual discount
Yearly plan costs about 79% less than monthly
The US App Store lists Supershift Pro Yearly at $9.99 and Supershift Pro Monthly at $3.99, which comes to $47.88 over twelve months.
- Lifetime license
Supershift Pro Lifetime for $39.99
A lifetime plan is sold as a one-time in-app purchase, listed at $39.99 on the US App Store. The help page says an existing subscription must be cancelled first.
