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RotaFlow – A privacy-first shift calendar built with SwiftUI

RotaFlow – A privacy-first shift calendar built with SwiftUI

by liliums·Feb 27, 2026·1 point·0 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidNiche GemShip It

O(1) shift engine and time-based paywall align monetization with actual long-term planning value.

Strengths
  • •LoopEngine for O(1) shift calculation avoids quadratic iteration over date ranges—genuinely smart architecture.
  • •Future Cliff paywall (blur at t+30d) is clever economics: charges for long-range planning (vacations/weddings), free for daily use.
  • •Comprehensive feature set: swaps, overtime, exports, widgets, watch app, all with explicit free-vs-Pro split.
Weaknesses
  • •Shift scheduling is solved by Deputy, When I Work, Humanity—niche audience and high competition.
  • •No Android or web equivalent limits addressable market to iOS-only shift workers.
Category
Productivity
Target Audience

Shift workers (nurses, retail, manufacturing), managers scheduling rotating teams

Similar To

Deputy · When I Work · Humanity

Post Description

I built RotaFlow to solve the UX disaster of current shift work apps. Most incumbents are web-wrappers laden with ads.

The Stack:

* Language: Swift 6 / SwiftUI. * Persistence: Core Data synced via CloudKit (NSPersistentCloudKitContainer). * Architecture: MVVM with a custom "LoopEngine" for O(1) shift calculation.

The Interesting Part: I implemented a "Future Cliff" paywall. The app is fully functional for the next 30 days. Accessing dates beyond t+30d triggers a blurred UI layer. This aligns monetization with the value of long-term planning (vacations/weddings) rather than daily usage.

I'm a solo dev and handled everything from the icon design to the CloudKit schema.

Website: https://www.rotaflow.app App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6758777908

Feedback on the onboarding flow (specifically the pattern builder dial) would be appreciated.

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