ORB Participant vs Buggy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ORB Participant
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.
- Manage Award progress
- Set up activities
- Create progress logs
- Submit Award sections
- Assessor and Leader approval
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This application was developed by The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation as a simple and fast tool to assist Award participants in completing their Award, anytime anywhere. The participant is able to manage their Award progress using the App. They can set up activities, create logs for their progress and also send their Award sections to their Assessor and Award Leader for completion. Your Award must be using the latest version of the Online Record Book system (sometimes known as "ORB Next Generation") and have a valid participant login to the system in order to be able to use this App.
Buggy
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Identify any bug in seconds. Insects, spiders, beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, bees, ants, caterpillars, dragonflies, crickets - take a photo and you have your answer. Scan it with the camera or pick a picture from your gallery. You can also record the sound: crickets and cicadas are identified from their song alone. Every result tells you the species, how sure the app is, and whether it bites, stings, or is venomous. If it cannot pin down the exact species it says so instead of guessing, and it never softens a warning to sound more confident. Photo identification runs on your device, your pictures are never uploaded, and it works with no signal. Bug Identifier also has a huge encyclopedia: 7,681 species with photographs, descriptions and further reading in your own language. Browse by group - spiders, bees and wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, mantises, flies or open the Nearby view to see what people are actually finding around you. Photograph what you find, add species to your wishlist, and build a collection of your favourites. Your full identification history is kept as well, so you have a record of every bug you have met at home, in the garden, or travelling. Free with 3 identifications a month. Premium removes the limit, a weekly or monthly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase, at the prices shown in the app before you buy. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends, and are managed in your App Store account settings. Results are provided for educational reference and may not always be correct. Safety information describes a species in general and is not medical advice, nor a substitute for professional medical, wildlife, or pest-control advice. Terms of Use: https://buggy-photoidentifier.netlify.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://buggy-photoidentifier.netlify.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ORB Participant at none against Buggy's 3. ORB Participant also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). Buggy's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Buggy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. ORB Participant asks for nothing beyond the download.
ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, Buggy weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ORB Participant | Buggy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (67 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 67 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 107 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation | Anastasia Lisovyk |
Bugs and requests
ORB Participant
Reported bugs
18 issues- 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
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- Login logout issues preventing re-access
- Payment details field not accepting input during registration
- Award leader change not persisting after switching schools
- Confirmation buttons not scaling properly on mobile screens
- Photo/link attachment not saving on iPhone
- Copy-paste functionality only adding partial text
- Long text input being deleted when submitting
- Cannot delete additional activities even without logs
- Approval emails not being received by assessors
- Assessments getting stuck in 'waiting for approval' state
- App not loading after login despite successful authentication
- Persistent notification bubble that won't disappear
- Inconsistent hour calculations across activities
Requested features
17 requests- 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
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Support for 5-minute time intervals instead of 15-minute
- Delete authorized awards option
- Change major activity selection
- Upload photos from files instead of gallery only
- Edit overview and plan sections of adventurous journey
- Clearer information about hour reset timing
- Include Duke of Ed information within the app
- Support for sub-submissions in log details
- Resend assessment button on mobile app (exists on website)
- Larger description text box with line break support
- Countdown percentage for remaining award completion
- Remove persistent notification badges
Buggy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ORB Participant
No in-app purchases
Buggy
- Bug Pro Weekly$0.997 Days
- Bug Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Bug Pro Lifetime$12.99
Questions
Is ORB Participant free?
Is Buggy free?
Do ORB Participant or Buggy have ads?
Which is updated more often, ORB Participant or Buggy?
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