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 what you want instead is a clear read on the sleep you actually got between shifts, with naps counted, a recovery score before you clock in and caffeine timed to your next start, AfterShift is built for that, with no account and a free tier.
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. Here is where that difference shows.
What the app is for
AfterShift: A recovery tracker. It reads your sleep from Apple Health, scores each window between your last shift and your next, 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 explainers and a morning-light routine, 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, and counts naps toward the Shift Recovery Score. The score is capped at 79 when the gap before your next shift is too short for a full sleep, and at 75 when you are on call.
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 cut-off of 4, 6 or 8 hours before sleep depending on your caffeine sensitivity, adjusted for how strong your usual drink is, with a reminder timed to your next shift.
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 for the recovery score, built on shift-work research and written by a small studio. Informational, 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 SDKs, data stays on the device. Free core; 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 | Logged and counted toward the recovery score | Nap timing in the plan |
| Getting shifts in | Calendar import, rotation presets, manual entry | Quick Shift Entry across multiple dates |
| Fatigue warnings | Short sleep-window warning; score capped on short gaps | 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 counted as recovery
- You want a caffeine cut-off that moves when your next shift moves
- You'd rather not create an account, and want a free tier or a one-time lifetime price
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, with naps counted, a recovery score before the next shift and caffeine timed to your schedule, AfterShift does that on iPhone with no account and a free tier.
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, scores each window between shifts (sleep 50%, continuity 30%, stages 20%, naps included), suggests a sleep window and nap, and sets a caffeine cut-off from your sensitivity and 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 with core sleep and nap tracking, calendar shift import and caffeine reminders; Premium is $3.99 a month, $24.99 a year, or $39.99 once for lifetime. 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 device, 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 how recovered you are before the next shift. They don't share data with each other.
Try it
Open AfterShift.
Recovery measured shift to shift. Naps counted. Caffeine timed to your next start. No account, no tracking, no data resale.
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