What each app is for
Fabulous describes itself as having started as a habit tracker and evolved into a self-improvement, coaching and mental health platform. You get a daily coaching series, "journeys" that build a morning routine, better sleep or fitness over weeks, a daily planner and to-do list, a journal and gratitude journal, short workouts and breathing exercises, affirmations and meditation, a goal tracker, and live challenges with other members. Premium adds coaching series on anxiety, self-love and productivity, unlimited habits, more journeys and one-to-one coaching.
Orbit is a single-purpose routine runner. It assumes you already know what your morning, workday start or bedtime should look like — the problem is getting through it. You build the routine as a list of steps and Orbit walks you through them one at a time, with the current step on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
Fabulous answers "what should I change?". Orbit answers "how do I actually do this, today, on a bad morning?".
Side by side
| Fabulous | Orbit | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Fabulous | Aron de Groot (Groot Apps), Netherlands |
| Apple devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone only |
| Minimum iOS | 17 | 26 |
| On the App Store since | 2017 | 30 August 2026 |
| Scope | Coaching, habits, planner, journal, workouts, meditation, community | Routines only |
| Designed specifically for ADHD | No, general self-improvement | Yes |
| Runs a routine step by step | Within its journeys and routines | Yes, as the main function |
| Community | Live challenges | Optional private friends leaderboard |
| Missed days | Not described in the listing | Streak freezes rescue a streak when you return |
| US ratings (10 Sep 2026) | 4.4 from 88,903 | New |
Platform facts are from each app's App Store listing, checked on 10 September 2026.
Where Fabulous is genuinely better
It tells you what to do. If you do not yet know what a good morning looks like for you, Fabulous's journeys build one gradually, with the reasoning behind each step. Orbit gives you 14 templates and assumes the rest.
Breadth. Journaling, meditation, workouts, affirmations, a planner and coaching in one app. If you want one subscription for self-improvement, Fabulous covers far more ground.
Apple Watch and history. A Watch app and nearly a decade on the App Store.
Where Orbit is genuinely better
Less to keep up with. Every journey, lesson and challenge is something to follow. For an ADHD brain on a hard week, a routine app with more content can become one more thing you are behind on. Orbit asks for nothing between routines.
The routine runs itself. Once you tap start, the current step and its countdown stay on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. You do not have to go back into the app to find your place.
Built for missed days. A freeze for every five days in a row, and an offer to rescue the streak when you return — see what a streak freeze is.
No account, data on the device.
Who should pick which
- You want coaching and a plan for change: Fabulous.
- You want meditation, journaling and workouts in the same app: Fabulous.
- You know your routine and can't get through it: Orbit.
- Content-heavy apps make you feel behind: Orbit.
A common pattern is to use Fabulous to design a morning routine and then run that routine in a dedicated routine app. If you want a ready-made ADHD version to start from, the ADHD morning routine guide has one with timings.