Orbit vs

Orbit vs Brili: visual clock or ambient orb?

By · Published 10 September 2026 · 2-minute read

What each app is for

Brili calls itself a visual planner and timekeeper for the ADHD community. Routines become well-paced playlists: each task is a card with a timer, and a dynamic visual clock keeps calculating how much time is left to finish everything that remains. Around that are a calendar with day and week views, notifications (visual or with sound), task notes, an "Info Boost", achievements and rewards you set yourself. It ships templates curated by ADHD and routine experts, and says it draws on ADHD research and cognitive behavioural therapy practice.

Orbit is a routine runner with as little on screen as possible. The current step is an orb that breathes through its duration; once you start, it follows you onto the Lock Screen and into the Dynamic Island. There is no calendar, no rewards and no score — only streaks, with freezes earned from consistency.

Both are aimed squarely at ADHD. The difference is how much structure and feedback each puts around the routine.

Side by side

Platform facts are from each app's App Store listing, checked on 10 September 2026.

Where Brili is genuinely better

The time-left clock. Seeing how much time the rest of the routine needs — not just the current step — is a real answer to time blindness. If you routinely underestimate how long mornings take, this is a strong reason to choose Brili.

More structure. A calendar view and scheduling around your week help people who want routines placed into the day, not only run.

Rewards. Achievements and rewards you choose yourself give an extra pull that some ADHD brains need, especially early on.

iPad and older iPhones. Brili supports iPad and iOS 15.6.

Where Orbit is genuinely better

Quiet. No badges, no rewards, no second screen of information. For people who find feedback loops stressful — or who burn out once rewards stop feeling new — less is the feature.

It lives on the Lock Screen. The current step is visible without unlocking the phone, in the Dynamic Island and as a Live Activity.

Missed days are forgiven. One freeze for every five days in a row; when you come back after a miss, Orbit offers to rescue the streak.

No account, data on the device. Nothing to sign up for.

Who should pick which

If you are choosing between several routine runners, the best Routinery alternatives covers Brili, RoutineFlow, Orbit and others on one page.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between Orbit and Brili?

Both run ADHD routines step by step. Brili adds a visual clock showing the time left for the whole routine, a calendar view, achievements and custom rewards, and works on iPhone and iPad. Orbit keeps the current step on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, has no rewards or calendar, needs no account, and uses streak freezes for missed days.

Is Brili good for time blindness?

Its dynamic visual clock is one of the stronger features in this category for time blindness, because it shows how much time is left for all remaining tasks rather than only the current one.

Does Orbit have rewards like Brili?

No. Orbit deliberately has no points, badges or rewards. Its only progress mechanic is streaks with earned freezes.

Sources and further reading

Try Orbit for yourself

Orbit is free to download with a free trial — three days on the weekly plan, a week on the yearly one — so the fastest way to compare is to run one real routine in it on an ordinary morning.

Download Orbit on the App Store