# ORB Participant vs OptClass

The clearest difference is update cadence: OptClass at every 2 days against ORB Participant's every 4 months. ORB Participant's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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.

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, OptClass every 2 days. Both last shipped on September 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ORB Participant | OptClass |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.1 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orb-participant/id1215719234/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **67** | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 43 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1215719233) | [Round Bytes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867730432) |

## 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


### OptClass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optclass/id6760636981)

**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 OptClass free?

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

### Do ORB Participant or OptClass have ads?

Neither ORB Participant nor OptClass shows ads.

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

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, and OptClass every 2 days. Most recently, ORB Participant was updated on September 13, 2026 and OptClass on September 13, 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.*