Comparison

Buffer vs Orbit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Buffer

Streamline your social media presence by planning, scheduling, and publishing content across multiple platforms from one app. Engage with your audience and track performance with insightful analytics. Ideal for creators looking to grow their online presence efficiently.

Highlights
  • Cross-platform posting
  • Content scheduling
  • Idea organization
  • Performance analytics
  • Calendar view
  • Apple Watch app
Features
Read full description

Post to every social platform with a single app — simple, flexible, and powerful. Buffer helps creators stay consistent without the busywork. Plan and publish your posts automatically, engage with your audience, and keep track of what’s working, all from your phone. Whether you’re sharing your first TikTok, building an audience on LinkedIn, or running multiple accounts, Buffer gives you the tools to grow without feeling overwhelmed. What’s new in v15.0 • Fresh new design with Apple’s Liquid Glass system • Brand-new Apple Watch app (queues, goals, streaks, ideas) • Capture ideas instantly with the iOS Shortcut, Action Button, or on your wrist • New calendar day view across all channels WHY CREATORS LOVE BUFFER PLAN, SCHEDULE, AND PUBLISH • Share to Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, and more. • Schedule YouTube Shorts, TikToks, Instagram Reels, and Stories. • Cross-post content across platforms with a single tap KEEP YOUR IDEAS ORGANIZED • Save inspiration in a central content library • Use tags to keep ideas organized by theme or campaign • Move ideas straight to your schedule when ready SEE WHAT WORKS • Simple analytics and reports show your top-performing posts • Track growth, clicks, and engagement A CALENDAR BUILT FOR CREATORS • Get an at-a-glance view of your upcoming posts • Drill down from a monthly to weekly view NEED HELP? Our friendly team is here for you with world-class support via email and social. Email: hello@buffer.com Twitter: @buffer Facebook: http://facebook.com/bufferapp Instagram: @buffer Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bufferapp/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bufferapp Privacy Policy: https://buffer.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://buffer.com/legal/terms-of-use/year/2023

About

Orbit

Connect with your partner or best friend through live widgets on your Home Screen. Share photos, doodles, notes, and moods instantly. Play games and track activities together without leaving the widget.

Highlights
  • Live widgets for instant sharing
  • Photos, doodles, notes, and moods
  • Widget-based games (Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four)
  • Activity and step races
  • Live distance and weather sharing
  • Customizable widget designs
Features
Read full description

Your favorite person, one glance away. Orbit connects you with your partner or best friend through live widgets. Whatever they send — a photo, a doodle, a note, a mood — appears right on your Home Screen, moments after they send it. No feed, no followers, no noise. Just the two of you. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pair with one person using a private invite code 2. Add the Orbit widget to your Home or Lock Screen 3. Send something — it lands on their screen in seconds SEND MOMENTS, NOT MESSAGES • Photos that show up right on their Home Screen • Hand-drawn doodles (bad drawings strongly encouraged) • Sticky notes, big-text notes, tiny love notes • Emoji moods with hundreds of style combinations • Voice mails they can play — and react to — from the widget • A remote shutter that snaps and prints straight onto their screen PLAY ON YOUR WIDGETS • Tic-Tac-Toe and Connect Four — take your turn without opening the app • Step races and Activity Ring battles, powered by Apple Health • Cheer each other on mid-workout, in real time STAY CLOSE, EVEN FAR APART • See the live distance between you two • Peek at each other's weather • Share your heartbeat • Keep a shared list you can both check off from the widget • Schedule surprises to appear on their day, right on time MAKE IT YOURS 19 widget types and hundreds of designs to mix. Browse the gallery, bookmark the looks you love, publish your own — and pick shared themes together, because their widget is half yours. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Orbit is one connection, on purpose. Your shared space belongs to the two of you alone — when you disconnect, it's deleted, and if you ever delete your account, everything you shared goes with it. Permanently. FREE TO START Sending emoji widgets is free, forever. Orbit Plus unlocks every widget type and experience; subscriptions auto-renew until canceled and can be managed in your App Store settings. MADE BY ONE PERSON Orbit is an indie app, built with a lot of love and an unreasonable number of late nights. Something wrong? Email me from the app — I'll fix it. Your person is closer than you think. Pull them into Orbit. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Buffer4 screens
Orbit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Buffer at 34K against Orbit's 1. Buffer also leads on chart position (#133 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Orbit's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Buffer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Orbit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Orbit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buffer has 34K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buffer ships an update every 5 days, Orbit daily. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Buffer versus Orbit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBufferOrbit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (34K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings34K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#133 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBuffer, Inc.Abulizi Kayisaer

Customer experience

Buffer

All ratings34,453 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews573 reviews
Positive54.6%
Neutral10.1%
Negative35.3%

Orbit

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Buffer

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Drafts not registering in visual calendar
  • Inability to reorder scheduled posts
  • Inconsistent behavior between mobile and desktop versions
  • Automatic posting not working as expected
  • Issues with image/video quality and formatting

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Twitter threads
  • Improve visual planning and calendar view
  • Integrate with more platforms like Slack and Discord
  • Allow more customization and control over posts
  • Provide better analytics and performance insights

Orbit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Buffer

Subscriptions11
  • Essentials - 1 Channel$5.991 Month
  • Essentials+Team: 1 Channel$11.991 Month
  • Essentials - 2 Channels$11.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Pro for 1 Month2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Essentials - 3 Channels$17.991 Month
  • Essentials - 4 Channels$23.991 Month
  • Essentials - 5 Channels$29.991 Month
  • Essentials - 6 Channels$35.991 Month
  • Small Business$99.991 Month
  • Small Business for 1 Month$99.991 Month
  • Pro for 1 Year$144.991 Year
2 purchases

Orbit

Subscriptions2
  • View Access$2.991 Month
  • Plus$6.991 Month

Questions

Is Buffer free?
Buffer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orbit free?
Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Buffer or Orbit?
Orbit is rated higher. Buffer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34K ratings, while Orbit averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Buffer or Orbit have ads?
Neither Buffer nor Orbit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buffer or Orbit?
Buffer ships an update every 5 days, and Orbit daily. Most recently, Buffer was updated on October 3, 2026 and Orbit on September 16, 2026.

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