Shift-worker sleep · Circadian planning vs recovery tracking
Looking for a
Timeshifter alternative?
Timeshifter's Shift Work app is a circadian planner with serious science behind it. It tells you when to see light, avoid it, sleep, and nap around your roster. If you want a clear read on the sleep you actually got between shifts, naps included, with caffeine and nap reminders timed to your next start, AfterShift does that, with no account and a free plan.
How does AfterShift compare to Timeshifter?
These two apps overlap less than their audiences suggest. Timeshifter plans how to move your body clock; AfterShift measures how you recovered and plans the next gap.
What the app is for
AfterShift: A recovery tracker. It reads your sleep from Apple Health, lays out the window between your last shift and your next on a Recovery Timeline, and suggests a sleep window and nap for the gap ahead.
Timeshifter: A circadian planner. You enter your schedule, sleep pattern, and chronotype, and it builds a timed plan for light exposure, light avoidance, sleep, and naps, with caffeine and melatonin as options.
Timeshifter: A circadian planner. You enter your schedule, sleep pattern, and chronotype, and it builds a timed plan for light exposure, light avoidance, sleep, and naps, with caffeine and melatonin as options.
Light and the body clock
AfterShift: Short background reading on light exposure in its Coach tab, but no personalised light schedule and no melatonin advice.
Timeshifter: This is its core. Advice on when to seek and avoid light is built from phase response curves to light and melatonin. If adjusting your clock to nights is the goal, Timeshifter is the better tool.
Timeshifter: This is its core. Advice on when to seek and avoid light is built from phase response curves to light and melatonin. If adjusting your clock to nights is the goal, Timeshifter is the better tool.
Sleep you actually got
AfterShift: Reads sleep from any app or device that writes to Apple Health, naps included, and keeps importing in the background. Free: Sleep Timing, Sleep Stages, and a sleep-debt trend per cycle. Premium: a Shift Recovery Score for each sleep and Readiness for your next shift.
Timeshifter: Its listing and materials describe the plan, not sleep tracking or Apple Health import.
Timeshifter: Its listing and materials describe the plan, not sleep tracking or Apple Health import.
Caffeine
AfterShift: A caffeine cut-off reminder timed to your next shift. The cut-off adapts to your caffeine sensitivity and to what you logged, from coffee and espresso to tea and energy drinks.
Timeshifter: Optional caffeine timing as part of the overall circadian plan.
Timeshifter: Optional caffeine timing as part of the overall circadian plan.
Science behind it
AfterShift: A published methodology that explains how each score is calculated, written by a small studio. The scores are for information and have not been clinically validated; they are not a medical assessment.
Timeshifter: Co-founded by Steven W. Lockley, PhD, whom the company describes as a Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital circadian researcher of nearly 30 years who has advised NASA. On circadian science, Timeshifter's credentials are the stronger of the two.
Timeshifter: Co-founded by Steven W. Lockley, PhD, whom the company describes as a Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital circadian researcher of nearly 30 years who has advised NASA. On circadian science, Timeshifter's credentials are the stronger of the two.
Privacy and price
AfterShift: No account, no analytics, and no third-party SDKs; data stays on your iPhone. Free plan; Premium $3.99/month, $24.99/year, or $39.99 lifetime.
Timeshifter: Sign in with Apple or Google; privacy label lists contact info, identifiers, and diagnostics linked to you, no tracking. $6.99/month or $69.99/year after a 30-day free trial.
Timeshifter: Sign in with Apple or Google; privacy label lists contact info, identifiers, and diagnostics linked to you, no tracking. $6.99/month or $69.99/year after a 30-day free trial.
AfterShift vs Timeshifter, feature by feature
At a glance, as listed on the U.S. App Store and each developer's site in October 2026.
| Feature | AfterShift | Timeshifter Shift Work |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Track recovery between shifts | Plan circadian adjustment |
| Light timing advice | General explainers only | Personalised seek and avoid times |
| Melatonin advice | None | Optional |
| Reads sleep from Apple Health | Yes | Not described |
| Naps | Imported or logged, included in the sleep between shifts | Nap timing in the plan |
| Getting shifts in | Rotation presets or your own cycle, calendar import, manual entry | Quick Shift Entry across multiple dates |
| Next-shift check | Readiness: Low, OK, or Good (Premium) | Fatigue Prediction |
| Platforms | iPhone | iPhone and Android |
| Account | None | Sign in with Apple or Google |
| Science lead | Published scoring methodology | Steven W. Lockley, PhD, co-founder |
| Pricing | Free; Premium $3.99/mo, $24.99/yr, $39.99 lifetime | 30-day trial, then $6.99/mo or $69.99/yr |
| Best for | Seeing whether you recovered before the next shift | Actively shifting your body clock to a new schedule |
Who should pick AfterShift vs Timeshifter?
Pick AfterShift if…
- You want to see how much you actually slept between shifts, from your Watch or any tracker that writes to Apple Health
- You rely on naps and want them included in the sleep between your shifts
- You want a caffeine cut-off that moves when your next shift moves
- You'd rather not create an account, and want a free plan or a one-time lifetime purchase
Pick Timeshifter if…
- Your goal is to adapt your body clock to nights or a new rotation, using timed light and darkness
- You want melatonin timing built into the plan
- You want advice built by a leading circadian scientist
- You need Android, or your employer offers Timeshifter through its business program
About AfterShift
Questions
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Timeshifter Shift Work on iPhone?
It depends on what you want the app to do. If you want a plan for shifting your body clock, with timed light, darkness, sleep, and optional melatonin, Timeshifter is the specialist and AfterShift is not a substitute. If you want to see how much you actually slept between shifts, naps included, with caffeine and nap reminders timed to your schedule, AfterShift does that on iPhone with no account and a free plan. Its Premium tier adds Readiness, a Low, OK, or Good rating for your next shift.
How is AfterShift different from Timeshifter?
Timeshifter plans ahead: you enter your work schedule, sleep pattern, and chronotype, and it produces timed advice for light exposure and avoidance, sleep, naps, and optionally caffeine and melatonin. AfterShift looks back and plans the next gap: it reads your sleep from Apple Health, shows the window between shifts on a Recovery Timeline with naps included, suggests a sleep window and nap, and sets a caffeine cut-off from your caffeine sensitivity and your next shift. Premium adds a Shift Recovery Score for each sleep (duration 50%, continuity 30%, stages 20%) and Readiness for your next shift. AfterShift gives no personalised light or melatonin schedule.
Is Timeshifter backed by science?
Its credentials are strong. Timeshifter's co-founder and chief scientist is Steven W. Lockley, PhD, who the company says has nearly 30 years of research experience at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital and has advised NASA. The company says its model draws on phase response curves to light and melatonin, models of sleep pressure and caffeine pharmacokinetics. As with any app, that is the basis of the advice, not a clinical trial of the app itself.
How much do Timeshifter and AfterShift cost?
On the U.S. App Store, Timeshifter Shift Work is $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year after a 30-day free trial. AfterShift is free to download, and the free plan includes Apple Health sleep import with naps, rotation and calendar shift import, and caffeine reminders. Premium is $3.99 a month, $24.99 a year, or $39.99 once for lifetime, with a 7-day free trial on the monthly and yearly plans. Check the App Store for your local prices.
Do I need an account for either app?
AfterShift has no account and keeps your data on your iPhone, with no cloud sync. Timeshifter supports sign-in with Apple or Google and needs an internet connection when you create or change your plan; its App Store privacy label lists contact info, identifiers, and diagnostics as data linked to you, and no tracking.
Can I use Timeshifter and AfterShift together?
Yes, and for some people that is the best setup. Timeshifter tells you when to seek light, avoid it, and sleep; AfterShift reads the sleep you actually got from Apple Health and shows your recovery between shifts. They don't share data with each other.
Try it
Open AfterShift.
AfterShift shows your recovery from shift to shift, includes your naps, and times caffeine to your next start. It needs no account and keeps your data on your iPhone.
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