# ORB Participant vs ManageBac

The clearest difference is rating: ManageBac at 4.1 against ORB Participant's 3.1. ManageBac also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). ORB Participant's advantage is review sentiment (32% vs 20%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ManageBac holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 189 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of ORB Participant's written reviews are positive against 20% of ManageBac's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, ManageBac every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ORB Participant | ManageBac |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (66 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orb-participant/id1215719234/reviews) | **[4.1 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/managebac/id1437382327/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 66 | **189** |
| Positive reviews | **31.8% of reviews** | 19.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 199 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1215719233) | [Faria Education Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514252179) |

## What reviewers say

### ORB Participant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orb-participant/id1215719234)

Track your progress for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. Log activities, manage your sections, and submit them to your Assessor and Award Leader for completion, all from your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Manage Award progress, Set up activities, Create progress logs, Submit Award sections, Assessor and Leader approval

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use interface for logging hours
- 🚀 Convenient mobile access for on-the-go logging
- ✅ Reliable for basic activity tracking
- 📱 Simple and straightforward design
- ⭐ Helpful for Duke of Edinburgh participants

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- ⚠️ Hours calculation errors and inaccuracies
- 🔌 Network error messages despite working connection
- ❌ Limited editing capabilities after submission
- 😤 Slow and laggy performance

**Reported bugs**

- Hours not accumulating correctly - logs multiple hours as single hour
- Progress bar not increasing when adding logs
- Network error messages appearing despite valid connection
- App crashes when entering journey observations
- App crashes when editing and resubmitting assessments

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit activities and submissions after approval
- Resend assessment/approval functionality
- Message/comment system between users and leaders
- View approved evidence and journey details after submission
- Edit activity names if misspelled


### ManageBac

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/managebac/id1437382327)

This app helps students, parents, and educators manage academic tasks, track progress, and collaborate across various curricula. It supports planning, goal-setting, coursework submission, and communication for a streamlined educational experience.

**Highlights:** Academic deadline tracking, Goal setting and portfolio building, CAS/service-learning management, Curriculum planning and collaboration, Assessment and grade management, Attendance and behavior tracking, Parental progress monitoring

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient for school/IB
- 🚀 Helpful for distance learning
- 👍 Useful for tracking assignments

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive UI
- 👎 Difficult to navigate
- 👎 Slow and laggy
- 👎 Frustrating to use

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent log-outs
- Issues with file uploads
- Inconsistent notification system
- Grades and assignments not displaying properly

**Requested features**

- Easier access to grades and assignments
- Better organization and filtering of tasks
- Improved mobile experience
- Ability to view all past work


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ORB Participant free?

ORB Participant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ManageBac free?

ManageBac is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ORB Participant or ManageBac?

ManageBac is rated higher. ORB Participant averages 3.1 out of 5 from 66 ratings, while ManageBac averages 4.1 from 189 ratings.

### Do ORB Participant or ManageBac have ads?

Neither ORB Participant nor ManageBac shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ORB Participant or ManageBac?

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, and ManageBac every 2 weeks. Most recently, ORB Participant was updated on November 2, 2026 and ManageBac on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*