Snapchat Planets Order 2026: All 8 Rankings Explained
If you’ve spotted a gold-ringed badge or heard someone say they’re “your Mercury,” here’s everything Snap Planets actually means, Snapchat Planets rank your top 8 friends as planets in a personal “Best Friend Solar System,” based on how often you interact — not real-life closeness. Below, we break down the exact order, why rankings shift, and how to fix it when a planet goes missing.
Table of Contents
- What Are Snapchat Planets?
- How Do Snapchat Planets Work?
- Do You Need Snapchat+?
- Planets in Order (Mercury–Neptune)
- What Each Planet Means
- How Rankings Are Decided
- Why Your Planet Changes
- How to Become Someone’s Mercury
- Best Friends vs Friends Badge
- Who Can See Your Planets?
- Planets Not Showing? Fixes
- Common Myths
- Planets vs Other Features
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
What Are Snapchat Planets?
Snap Planets are a Snapchat Plus feature that displays your top 8 friends as planets in a personal solar system, ranked by how often you interact.
You sit at the center as the Sun. Your closest friends orbit around you as planets like Mercury, Venus, and Earth, each shown with that friend’s Bitmoji avatar.
The system is also called the Best Friend Solar System, and it’s built on in-app activity. Snapchat looks at specific interaction types, Snaps, chats, and Story views, to decide the ranking. It does not measure real-life closeness, trust, or how long you’ve known someone.
There are exactly 8 planets, matching Mercury through Neptune, Pluto isn’t included.
This is a premium feature, meaning only Snapchat+ subscribers can see or use it. It costs around $3.99 per month in the US. Free users don’t have access to planets, badges, or the solar system view at all.
As of early 2026, fewer than 0.25% of Snapchat’s community actively uses the Solar System feature, according to Snap’s own reporting, well under 1% of its 483 million daily active users. Snap made the feature opt-in in April 2024 after reports linked it to anxiety among teen users. Most subscribers never turn it on.
Each planet represents a rank, not a label you choose yourself. Mercury is rank 1, your most-active friend, like a sibling you snap daily. Neptune is rank 8, the least-active friend still in your top group, such as an old classmate you message occasionally. Friends outside your top 8, including coworkers and distant relatives, don’t appear in the solar system at all.
You’ll spot the feature through a gold-ringed badge on someone’s profile. Tapping it reveals your own rank in their solar system, more on that in the badges section below.
How Do Snapchat Planets Work?
Planets Snapchat work by tracking your interactions with each friend and ranking your top 8 by activity level.
The system runs in the background. It updates automatically as your habits with each friend change. Snapchat has not published the exact formula behind these rankings, what’s known comes from Snapchat’s own support documentation and user observation.
How the Friend Solar System Ranks Your Best Friends
Position 1 goes to your most-active friend. Position 8 goes to your eighth most-active friend. This mirrors Snapchat’s existing Best Friends feature, which has ranked top contacts with emojis since before Snapchat plus launched in 2022.
If you message your roommate daily but only text a coworker weekly, your roommate ranks higher, likely Mercury or Venus, while your coworker lands closer to Saturn or Neptune.
Rankings are also relative, not fixed to one friend. If a different friend suddenly becomes more active with you, they can push others outward, even if nothing has changed with those other friends.
Rankings are also one-sided, not mutual. You could be Venus in a friend’s solar system while they sit further out, like Jupiter, in yours, because each person’s ranking is calculated from their own activity.
What Factors Affect Your Planet Ranking
Snapchat’s own support page references three interaction types directly:
Direct photos and videos sent one-on-one, like a quick selfie.
Text messages sent back and forth, such as planning a weekend.
Direct responses to a posted Story, like reacting to a vacation photo.
Beyond these core three, user reports point to supporting signals: response speed, two-way activity, and recency of contact. These are inferred from behavior, not confirmed by Snapchat.
Does Snapchat Reveal Its Ranking Algorithm?
No, Snapchat does not reveal its exact ranking algorithm. Anything beyond the basics confirmed on its Support page is community observation, not official fact.
What Snapchat has confirmed officially: the ranking reflects frequency of interaction, it updates based on ongoing activity, and rankings are personal and asymmetric. Everything beyond that, exact weighting or time windows, is community observation, not official documentation. Keeping the algorithm private is common across social platforms, typically to limit manipulation.
Do You Need Snapchat Plus to Use Snapchat Planets?
Yes, you need a Snapchat premium subscription to use Snapchat Planets. The feature is unavailable on the free version of Snapchat.
Planets, custom app icons, priority story replies.
Standard features plus premium AI/AR Lenses.
Removes most ads, 5TB of Memories storage.
One owner adds up to 2 more members.
Planets are included in the base Standard tier, so Lens+ or Platinum aren’t required. Platinum and Lens+ are purchased through the App Store or Google Play only, not through Snapchat’s website.
Snapchat plus has surpassed 25 million subscribers, according to Snap’s own 2026 reporting.
Whether it’s worth subscribing depends on how you’ll use it. If Planets are the only feature you want, the $3.99/month Standard tier covers it. If you also want ad removal or extra storage, Platinum adds more value for the higher price.
Planets are off by default, even for paying subscribers. You’ll need to enable it manually, see the troubleshooting section below for exact steps.
Pricing and features can change over time. Snap has added tiers like Platinum and Lens+ since Snapchat premium launched in 2022. Check current pricing in the app before subscribing, or see our full Snapchat+ pricing breakdown.
Snapchat Planets in Order (Mercury to Neptune)
The Snapchat Planets order follows the real solar system exactly: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Mercury snapchat planet marks your #1 closest friend. Neptune marks your #8 closest friend. The sequence itself never changes, only which friend fills each spot.
There are exactly 8 planets, Pluto isn’t included, and each rank is unique: two friends can never share the same planet at once.
| Rank | Planet | Represents |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mercury | Your most-active friend |
| #2 | Venus | Your 2nd most-active friend |
| #3 | Earth | Your 3rd most-active friend |
| #4 | Mars | Your 4th most-active friend |
| #5 | Jupiter | Your 5th most-active friend |
| #6 | Saturn | Your 6th most-active friend |
| #7 | Uranus | Your 7th most-active friend |
| #8 | Neptune | Your 8th most-active friend |
Mercury
Mercury represents your #1 closest friend, the person you interact with most. It sits closest to the Sun, matching the closest rank to you. Example: a sibling you snap daily, like sending morning selfies, would likely hold your Mercury spot.
Venus
Venus is your #2 closest friend, one rank behind Mercury. Interaction is still frequent, just not quite as constant. A best friend from school who replies within an hour, rather than instantly like a sibling you live with, typically lands here.
Earth
Earth represents your #3 closest friend, one step further out, but still a highly consistent contact. Example: a close cousin you message 4–5 times a week, such as sharing memes or planning calls, fits Earth.
Mars
Mars represents your #4 closest friend. This is where daily contact starts to loosen into a regular, but less constant, pattern. A workout partner you message 2–3 times a week fits this rank.
Jupiter
Jupiter represents your #5 closest friend. Contact is still regular, but noticeably less frequent than the top 4 ranks. An old roommate you check in with once or twice a week fits this position.
Saturn
Saturn represents your #6 closest friend. Interaction drops further here, often down to occasional messages. Example: a childhood friend you mainly contact through a daily Snap streak often lands on Saturn.
Uranus
Uranus represents your #7 closest friend. Contact happens for specific reasons, not regular chatting. A group project partner you message only to coordinate deadlines fits this rank.
Neptune
Neptune represents your #8 closest friend, the last spot in your top 8. It’s still a Best Friend ranking, just the most distant one. A travel friend you message once a month to reminisce fits Neptune. Friends outside these 8 spots don’t appear on the solar system at all.
What Does Each Snapchat Planet Mean?
Each Snapchat Planet represents a tier of interaction frequency, not a friendship level or emotional closeness rating.
Planets closer to Mercury mean more frequent app activity. Planets closer to Neptune mean less frequent, but still consistent, activity. Planet placement reflects app activity only, it does not measure trust, history, or how much you actually care about someone.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, daily or near-daily contact, like a roommate you message about daily life.
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, regular but less frequent, like a college friend you catch up with weekly.
Uranus, Neptune, occasional contact, like a former coworker you message for birthdays.
This grouping isn’t an official Snapchat label, it’s a simple way to read the ranking pattern.
Real-life circumstances can create mismatches between planet rank and actual closeness. A sibling living abroad might rank as Saturn due to time zones, not lack of closeness. A 10-year friendship could rank as Uranus after a recent move, even with strong history behind it.
A longitudinal study, the “Future Proofing Study,” run in part with University of Amsterdam researchers, found that Snapchat’s closed, direct-messaging format correlates with stronger friendship closeness, unlike platforms built around public feeds.
This gap between ranking and reality is part of why Snapchat made the feature opt-in in April 2024. Seeing a friend rank lower than expected can cause real concern, even when the number doesn’t reflect the full relationship.
How Snapchat Decides Your Planet Ranking
Snapchat decides your planet ranking by comparing your interaction level with each friend against your other top contacts.
Rank isn’t based on a fixed score, it’s based on how you compare to everyone else in your top 8. Snapchat’s Support page confirms one core rule: Best Friends are the people you Snap and Chat with the most.
- Snaps, direct photos and videos sent one-on-one, like a quick selfie.
- Chats, text messages sent back and forth, such as planning a weekend.
- Story replies, direct responses to a posted Story, like reacting to a vacation photo.
- Response pattern, how consistently both people reply, not just how often one sends messages.
These signals combine rather than count separately. A friend with daily chats but no Snaps may still outrank one who sends occasional Snaps with no replies.
Why Does Your Snapchat Planet Change?
Your Snapchat Planet changes because rankings update based on recent activity, not lifetime totals.
Messaging more or less than before affects rank. Fewer chats with a college friend after graduation can push them from Earth to Saturn.
Rankings are relative, so a new friendship can bump others outward, even without any change in their behavior.
Snapchat favors a rolling window over all-time totals. A pause of just 48 hours can start weakening a friend’s ranking.
Snapchat Planets Disappeared: What It Means
A friend disappearing from your solar system entirely usually has one of 4 causes:
- Subscription lapsed, either person’s paid Snapchat subscription ended.
- Feature toggled off, the Solar System setting was turned off in premium plan settings.
- Dropped below Top 8, their activity fell behind other contacts who became more active.
- Account or friendship changes, one person removed the other, or deactivated their account.
This isn’t a bug. Since the feature became opt-in in April 2024, toggling it on or off, by either person, is normal, expected behavior.
If a friend disappears unexpectedly, check the feature toggle first before assuming your ranking dropped. Re-engaging consistently is the only way to move back up.
How to Become Someone’s Mercury on Snapchat
You become someone’s Mercury by consistently ranking as their most-active contact through daily Snaps, chats, and Story replies.
Note: this isn’t guaranteed. Snapchat’s exact ranking formula isn’t public, and other people in that friend’s life, like a sibling or partner, can also affect the outcome.
- Prioritize direct Snaps over group chats. A quick daily photo builds more consistent activity than posting in a shared group chat.
- Reply quickly and consistently. Rankings favor two-way activity, not one-sided messaging.
- Engage with their Stories. Commenting on a vacation Story adds another signal beyond direct Snaps and chats.
- Keep contact steady, not sporadic. Messaging once a day for 14 days beats 10 messages in one afternoon.
- Avoid relying only on streaks. Pairing a streak with real chats and Story replies matters more than the streak count itself.
Since rankings appear to weaken after roughly 48 hours of inactivity, consistency matters more than occasional bursts of high activity.
What this won’t guarantee: Mercury status depends partly on that friend’s other contacts too. Someone with a smaller, less active friend group may reach Mercury faster than someone competing against a friend’s already-busy social circle.
Genuine, two-way interaction remains the most consistently reported factor behind higher rankings. There’s no way to force it, only to build it naturally over time.
Best Friends Badge vs Friends Badge Explained
The Best Friends badge means a mutual top-8 ranking, while the Friends badge means a one-sided ranking.
Both appear as a small gold ring around a friend’s profile picture. Tapping either reveals your planet position.
You’re in each other’s top 8. You rank somewhere in their solar system, and they rank somewhere in yours. Example: two roommates who message daily.
You’re in their top 8, but they’re not in yours. You’ll see a planet on their profile, but they won’t see one on yours.
| Badge Type | What It Means | Who Sees a Planet |
|---|---|---|
| Best Friends | Mutual top-8 ranking | Both people |
| Friends | One-sided top-8 ranking | Only the person ranked lower |
This asymmetry happens because each person’s top 8 is built from their own activity, calculated separately. A parent who messages one child daily, and another weekly due to distance, can get different badges from each child.
Both people need Snapchat’s subscription with the Solar System feature turned on for a badge to appear at all. See related: Snapchat friend emoji meanings.
Who Can See Your Snapchat Planets?
Only you can see your full Snapchat Planets solar system, your complete top 8 stays private to your account.
What other people can see is limited to one thing: their own rank in your system, if any. By tapping the gold-ringed badge on your profile, a friend can see which single planet they occupy. They cannot see who holds the other 7 spots.
Visible only to you.
Visible only to that specific friend.
Never visible to anyone but you.
This connects directly to badge type. With a Friends badge, only the lower-ranked person sees a planet, the other person sees nothing, since they don’t have a top-8 spot to check.
Common misconception: people assume they can view a friend’s full ranked list. This isn’t possible, Snapchat never displays anyone’s complete top 8 to anyone but that person.
Another misconception: screenshotting your own solar system notifies the friends shown in it. It doesn’t. Standard Snapchat screenshot alerts apply to Snaps and chats, not to the Solar System view.
Snapchat Planets Not Showing? Here’s How to Fix It
Snapchat Planets stop showing for 5 common reasons: missing subscription, disabled feature, outdated app, low interaction, or a temporary bug.
1 · Make Sure You Have Paid Snapchat
Check your subscription status under your profile icon in the app. Free accounts never see the Solar System option, regardless of how long they’ve used Snapchat.
2 · Turn On the Friend Solar System
Off by default, even for subscribers, so you must enable it manually:
- Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top-left corner.
- Tap the Snapchat plus card below your profile details.
- Scroll to Solar System in the feature list.
- Tap the toggle switch to turn it on.
- Confirm by tapping Okay on the pop-up.
3 · Update the Snapchat App
Older app versions may not support Solar System rendering. Update via the App Store or Google Play, then restart the app.
4 · Check Your Best Friends List
Planets won’t show for a friend outside your top 8. Example: if you chat daily with 8 close friends, an occasional-contact coworker won’t get a planet, regardless of subscription status. This isn’t a bug, it’s the ranking system working as intended.
5 · Other Common Reasons
- Regional rollout gaps, some premium plans tiers roll out by country first.
- Temporary server bugs, short outages occasionally affect specific features.
- Cache issues, corrupted app data can block real-time syncing.
- One-sided setup, both people need Snapchat subscription with the feature on for a badge to appear.
Since fewer than 0.25% of users enable this feature, official troubleshooting documentation for it is limited.
If none of these fixes work, avoid third-party “fix” apps claiming to unlock Planets. They aren’t supported by Snapchat and risk account security.
Common Myths About Snapchat Planets
The biggest myth about Snapchat Planets is that Snap Score or streaks alone decide your ranking, neither does.
Fewer than 0.25% of users actually enable this feature. With so little firsthand use, most public discussion relies on secondhand accounts, which likely contributes to how these myths spread.
Snapchat Planets vs Other Snapchat Features
Snapchat Planets differ from other friend-ranking tools in access level and visual format, not in what they measure.
| Feature | Requires paid Snapchat | Shows a Ranking | Visual Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapchat Planets | Yes | Yes (Top 8) | Planets + Bitmoji |
| Best Friends List | No | Yes | Text list |
| Snap Streaks | No | No | Fire emoji + number |
| Friend Emojis | No | Partial (category only) | Small icons |
One clarification: “Snapchat Orbit” isn’t a separate feature. It’s another common name people use for the Friend Solar System, the same feature covered throughout this guide.
Streaks, Best Friends, and Friend Emojis are all free features, available to all of Snapchat’s 483 million daily active users.See our full Snapchat Streaks guide for exactly how the 24-hour timer and restore options work. Planets remain the only one locked behind a paid subscription, and the only one offering a full, ranked visual of your top 8.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do Snapchat Planets mean?
Snapchat Planets represent your top 8 friends, ranked by interaction frequency. Mercury marks your most-active friend; Neptune marks your eighth. The ranking reflects app activity only, not real-life closeness or trust.
How many planets are on Snapchat?
There are 8 planets, matching Mercury through Neptune. Pluto is not included. Each planet represents one fixed rank in your top 8 Best Friends list.
Are Snapchat Planets public?
No, Snapchat Planets are private. You can only view your own full solar system. Others see only their single rank in your system, never the other 7 spots.
Why is the Friend Solar System off by default?
Snapchat made the feature opt-in in April 2024 after reports linked it to teen anxiety. Making it optional let interested subscribers keep it, while protecting others from unwanted comparison.
Can two friends share the same planet?
No, each planet is a unique position. Since ranks run 1 through 8, no two friends can occupy the same spot at once.
Do you need Snapchat premium plan to see planets?
Yes, Snapchat’s paid plan is required for any Planet access. Free accounts never see badges, planets, or the Solar System option. Subscriptions start at $3.99/month, with Planets included at the base tier.
Are planets based on Snap Score?
No, Snap Score has no confirmed role in ranking. Snap Score is a lifetime total of Snaps sent and opened. Planet rank instead reflects recent, relative activity with each friend. Want to see yours? Try our Snap Score calculator.
Why did a friend disappear from my Solar System?
Three causes are most common: a lapsed subscription, a disabled toggle, or reduced activity. If their engagement drops below your other top friends, they fall out of your top 8.
How many people use Snapchat Planets?
Fewer than 0.25% of Snapchat’s community actively uses the feature, according to Snap’s own reporting, a small share of its 483 million daily active users.
Final Thoughts on Snapchat Planets
Snapchat Planets turn your top 8 friends into a visual ranking inside the Snapchat Solar System, based on how often you interact.
The system is exclusive to premium subscribers and runs on in-app activity, not real-life closeness.
- The order is fixed: Mercury through Neptune, with no Pluto included.
- Rankings are relative and dynamic, shifting as your activity, and your friends’ activity, changes.
- Visibility is limited: you see your full system, and only your own rank in anyone else’s.
- The feature is opt-in, off by default since April 2024, after concerns about teen anxiety.
The single most important takeaway: a planet position measures app activity, not friendship value. A friend ranked as Neptune isn’t less important than one ranked as Mercury. They may simply be in a different life stage, like a college friend versus a roommate you see daily.
Snapchat membership has surpassed 25 million subscribers, yet fewer than 0.25% of users actively enable the Solar System feature. Most Snapchat users, even paying subscribers, never turn it on.
If you try it, use it as a snapshot of recent activity, not a scoreboard for your friendships.
SnapchatPlanetsList.com is an independent guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Snap Inc. Snapchat, Snapchat premium, and the Friend Solar System are trademarks of Snap Inc.
Written by
Steven
Social Apps Expert
Steven researches and writes guides on Snapchat’s features, tracking updates to Snapchat+, Snapchat Planets, and related tools as they roll out. Each guide is fact-checked against Snapchat’s official support documentation and current app behavior to stay accurate and up to date.