# ORB Participant vs OpenApply

The clearest difference is review sentiment: OpenApply at 100% against ORB Participant's 31%. OpenApply also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). ORB Participant's advantage is ratings volume (66 vs 16) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

OpenApply holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of ORB Participant's written reviews are positive against 100% of OpenApply's.

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, OpenApply every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ORB Participant | OpenApply |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (66 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orb-participant/id1215719234/reviews) | **[4.1 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openapply/id1595515256/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **66** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 31.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| 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


### OpenApply

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openapply/id1595515256)

This app allows parents to manage school applications, track progress, and receive important updates. Parents can easily submit required documents, pay fees online, and view their applicant checklist. It also provides a schedule of upcoming school events.

**Highlights:** Track application progress, Submit required documentation, Receive notifications, Pay admissions fees online, Review applicant checklist, View upcoming school events

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ORB Participant free?

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

### Is OpenApply free?

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

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

OpenApply is rated higher. ORB Participant averages 3.1 out of 5 from 66 ratings, while OpenApply averages 4.1 from 16 ratings.

### Do ORB Participant or OpenApply have ads?

Neither ORB Participant nor OpenApply shows ads.

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

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, and OpenApply every 2 months. Most recently, ORB Participant was updated on October 20, 2026 and OpenApply on October 24, 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.*