EventRota vs WhenToHelp

EventRota is rota and volunteer management software for coordinating staff and volunteers at events. Organisers can assign people to positions and shifts in a rota grid, using auto-fill, shuffle, drag-and-drop changes, and rotation sequences. Volunteers can set availability by shift, and the service can send reminder emails. Organisers can share documents, announcements, key contacts, venue maps, and position maps; volunteers can view their rota, respond to invitations, and check maps and updates through a mobile browser or app. The service runs on Android, iOS, and the web. The free plan costs nothing and includes up to 10 people and 200 emails. Paid plans are billed per event: Small is $30, paid once, Medium is $50, paid once, and Large is $100, paid once. Email support is included on every plan, with replies within one working day. EventRota is designed for one-off event workflows, not recurring schedules or timesheets. If an event reaches its included email limit, sending pauses until an email top-up is added.

WhenToHelp is online scheduling software for organizations coordinating volunteers. Coordinators can build recurring schedules, start from templates, and move shifts with drag-and-drop tools. AutoFill assigns shifts based on volunteer preferences and scheduling constraints. Volunteers can enter time preferences, request time off, take open shifts, and trade shifts through the Tradeboard. Email and text notifications can alert volunteers to schedules and changes. Schedules have configurable views and can be printed; schedule data export is listed as a Full Version feature. Schedules can also be viewed in Google Calendar and Outlook, with automatic export to both. The service is available on the web, Android, and iOS, while its mobile version opens in a phone or tablet browser without a required app download. WhenToHelp Lite is free with limits of 250 volunteers, 100 shifts per week, and 18 months of past schedule information. The Full Version starts at $16 a month for 1–10 helpers. A 30-day trial is available without a credit card.