Shiftctl vs PagerDuty
PagerDuty handles alerts. Shiftctl handles what happens between shifts.
Shiftctl is not a PagerDuty replacement — it is the structured-handover layer PagerDuty does not have. Use both together: PagerDuty for incident alerting, Shiftctl for enforced sign-offs, handover briefs, and shift accountability.
The bottom line
PagerDuty is great at getting the right person paged when something breaks. Shiftctl is great at making sure the next person on-call knows exactly what they are walking into. They solve different problems — use them together.
Common questions
Do I need to replace PagerDuty to use Shiftctl?
No. Shiftctl works alongside PagerDuty. Connect your PagerDuty iCal feed and Shiftctl syncs your schedule automatically. PagerDuty stays your source of truth for alerts — Shiftctl handles the handover between shifts.
Does Shiftctl do alerting?
No, and deliberately so. PagerDuty already handles SMS, phone, and push alerting. Shiftctl focuses entirely on the handover — the structured sign-off, the incoming brief, and the audit trail between shifts. We don't duplicate what PagerDuty does well.
How does the PagerDuty schedule sync work?
You paste your PagerDuty iCal feed URL into Shiftctl. It syncs automatically every hour. Your PagerDuty schedule remains the source of truth — Shiftctl reads from it to know who is on-call and when handovers should happen.
Is Shiftctl built for MSPs or internal IT teams?
Both. The core handover workflow works for any on-call team. MSPs get additional value from PSA integrations (ConnectWise, Autotask, HaloPSA, Syncro) — tickets logged during a shift sync directly to your PSA.
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