Updated May 2026
All 8 Planets Covered
Snapchat+ Required
SNAPCHAT PLANETS Meanings & Best Friend Rankings
Snapchat ranks your closest friends as planets in a private solar system. Discover what each planet means and how your Best Friends ranking works in Snapchat+
What are Snapchat Planets?
Snapchat Planets are part of the Snapchat+ Best Friends feature that turns your closest friendships into a fun solar system. In this system, you are shown as the Sun, while your top friends are assigned planets based on how often you interact with them on Snapchat. The friend you snap and chat with the most becomes Mercury, your closest planet, while lower-ranked friends appear farther away in the order. These planet rankings can change over time depending on your activity, streaks, chats, and overall interactions within the app.
Snapchat Planets Order & Meanings
Each Snapchat planet represents a different position in your Best Friends list. The closer a planet is to the Sun, the more you interact with that friend through chats, snaps, streaks, and overall activity on Snapchat+
Mercury
#1 Best Friend
Mercury represents the friend you interact with the most on Snapchat. This person is your closest connection based on chats, snaps, streaks, and daily activity.
Venus
#2 Best Friend
Mercury represents the friend you interact with the most on Snapchat. This person is your closest connection based on chats, snaps, streaks, and daily activity.
Earth
#3 Best Friend
Earth represents one of your strongest Snapchat friendships. You regularly exchange snaps, maintain streaks, and stay highly connected.
Mars
#4 Best Friend
Mars appears when someone is among your top active Snapchat friends. Your interactions remain consistent through chats, snaps, and shared activity.
Jupiter
#5 Best Friend
Jupiter represents a close friendship that stays active over time. While interactions may not be daily, this friend still ranks high in your Best Friends list.
Saturn
#6 Best Friend
Saturn shows a friend you interact with regularly but less often compared to higher-ranked planets in your Snapchat solar system.
Uranus
#7 Best Friend
Uranus represents a Snapchat friend who still appears in your Best Friends ranking, although interactions happen less frequently.
Neptune
#8 Best Friend
Neptune is the farthest planet in the Snapchat solar system and represents your eighth closest Snapchat friend based on recent interactions.
Snapchat Planets Quiz
Which planet describes your vibe? Let’s reveal your cosmic friend status right now!
Question?
YOUR OFFICIAL STATUS IS
EARTH
Result text load…
How Does the Snapchat Planet System Work?
The Snapchat Planet System works by analyzing your interactions with each friend on the app. Snapchat’s algorithm tracks everything you do with a specific friend and assigns them a planet based on the overall engagement level. Here is what Snapchat tracks to assign planets:
The friend with the highest overall interaction score becomes Mercury. The friend with the lowest score (but still in your top 8) becomes Neptune.
One important thing to understand: Your planet position is different for every friend. You could be someone’s Mercury while being someone else’s Saturn, it all depends on the interaction level with each specific person.
Also, this ranking is completely private. Only you can see your own planet position in someone else’s solar system. Your friends cannot see their own planet position unless they also have Snapchat Plus.
Snapchat Planets Colors & Emoji Meanings
Each Snapchat planet has a unique color and design that visually represents the closeness of that friendship. Here is what each visual element means:
Planet | Color | Hearts Present? | What It Represents |
|---|---|---|---|
Mercury | 🔴 Red | Yes (❤️ Red Hearts) | Deep, intense daily connection |
Venus | 🌸 Pink/Beige | Yes (💖 Pink Hearts) | Warm, caring, frequent friendship |
Earth | 🌍 Blue/Green | Yes (🌙✨Moon & Stars) | Stable, grounded, reliable bond |
Mars | 🔴 Red | Yes (💖💙Pink & Blue) | Active, energetic, fun friendship |
Jupiter | 🟠 Orange-Pink | ❌ No Hearts | Casual but present connection |
Saturn | 🟡 Yellow | ❌ No Hearts | Occasional but memorable bond |
Uranus | 🟢 Green | ❌ No Hearts | Cool but distant acquaintance |
Neptune | 🔵 Blue | ❌ No Hearts | Minimal but acknowledged contact |
ℹ️ Key Insights:
The planets with hearts (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) represent stronger, more emotionally close friendships. Planets without hearts (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) represent more casual or distant connections.
Best Friend Badge vs Friend Badge: What Is the Difference?
When you open someone’s profile on Snapchat Plus, you will notice a small badge sitting right next to their name. Most people ignore this badge without realizing it holds the key to understanding your entire friendship ranking on Snapchat. There are two types of badges you can see, and each one tells a completely different story about where you stand in that person’s life on Snapchat.
Best Friend Badge (Gold Ring)
This gold ring badge appears when BOTH of you are in each other’s Top 8 best friends list.
Meaning: You are their best friend AND they are yours. It is a mutual, two-way friendship. You both invest equal time and energy into the Snapchat relationship, which is why Snapchat rewards this connection with a gold ring. This is the most valuable badge you can have with someone because it confirms that the friendship is not one-sided. You show up for them and they show up for you.
Friend Badge (No Gold Ring)
This badge appears when you are in their Top 8 best friends list, but they are NOT in your Top 8.
Meaning: You interact with them more than they interact with you. The friendship is one-sided in terms of Snapchat activity. You are clearly a priority for them, but they have not made it into your most interacted list yet. This does not always mean the friendship is weak in real life, but on Snapchat the interaction gap is visible through this badge.
How to see your planet:
Tap on either badge on a friend’s profile. A solar system animation will play and reveal which planet you are in their Friend Solar System.
Friend Solar System Privacy: Who Can See Your Planet?
Privacy is one of the most common questions people ask about Snapchat Planets, and it is completely understandable. When a feature tracks your friendships and ranks them, it is natural to wonder who else can see that information. The good news is that Snapchat has designed this entire system with privacy in mind, so you are always in control of what others can and cannot see.
ℹ️ The Screenshot Loophole:
If someone takes a screenshot of their planet position and shares it with you, then you will know what planet they are in your solar system. But Snapchat does not share this information automatically.
How to Check Your Planet in a Friend’s Solar System?
Finding your planet position in someone’s solar system is very simple and only takes a few seconds. You just need an active Snapchat Plus subscription and the steps below will show you exactly what to do.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Open Snapchat on your phone and make sure you are logged into your Snapchat Plus account.
- Go to your friend’s profile by tapping their name in your chat list or searching for them.
- Look for the Best Friend or Friend badge sitting next to their username on their profile page.
- Tap on the badge with a single quick tap and do not hold it down.
- A solar system animation will appear on your screen showing the Sun in the center with all eight planets.
- Your highlighted planet is your position in their Friend Solar System.
Important Notes:
- This only works if YOU have an active Snapchat Plus subscription
- The badge must be visible on their profile, if they have disabled the feature, no badge will appear
- You can check your position in any mutual friend’s solar system at any time
How to Enable or Disable Snapchat Solar System?
The Friend Solar System feature does not turn itself on automatically when you subscribe to Snapchat Plus. You need to manually enable it from your settings before your friends can see badges on your profile and tap to check their planet positions. Similarly, if you ever feel like taking a break from the feature or keeping your friendship rankings private, you can turn it off just as easily. Here is exactly how to do both.
How to Enable Snapchat Planets:
- Open Snapchat
- Tap your profile icon (Bitmoji) in the top-left corner
- Tap the Snapchat+ banner or section
- Find ‘Friend Solar System’ in the list of features
- Toggle it ON
- Done! The feature is now active and your friends will see badges on your profile
How to Disable Snapchat Planets:
- Open Snapchat and go to your Profile
- Tap on the Snapchat+ section
- Find ‘Friend Solar System’
- Toggle it OFF
Note:
When you disable the feature, your friends will no longer see the Best Friend or Friend badge on your profile. They will not be able to tap and see their planet position in your solar system.
Tips to Improve Your Snapchat Planet Ranking:
Want to move closer to someone’s Sun and maybe even become their Mercury? It is completely possible if you know what Snapchat’s algorithm actually looks at. Your planet position is not fixed forever, it changes based on how actively and consistently you interact with that person on the app. Here are proven, practical tips that will genuinely help you climb up the rankings over time.
- Send snaps every single day: daily consistency is the most powerful factor
- Maintain streaks: a 100+ day streak significantly boosts your interaction score
- Reply quickly: fast responses signal an active, engaged friendship
- React to their Stories regularly: Story interactions count toward your ranking
- Chat via messages, not just snaps: text conversations also boost your score
- Make video and voice calls: these are high-engagement interactions
- Make the interaction two-sided: mutual engagement counts more than one-sided snapping
- Avoid long gaps in communication: consistent daily activity beats occasional bursts
Pro Tip:
Sending hundreds of snaps in one day does not help as much as sending 5-10 snaps consistently every day over weeks. Snapchat’s algorithm values consistency over quantity.
How Often Do Snapchat Planets Update?
Snapchat has not officially stated the exact frequency of planet updates. However, based on user experience and community reports, here is what we know:
- Planet rankings update dynamically based on your ongoing interactions
- If you significantly increase interactions with someone, their planet can change within a few days
- If you stop communicating with someone, they will slowly drift farther from the Sun over time
- A new highly-active friend can overtake a previously close friend’s position
- Consistent daily engagement leads to a stable planet ranking
- Rankings do not update instantly. there is a delay as the algorithm processes interaction patterns
Think of planet rankings like a slow-moving graph. Consistent actions over time move the needle, not single-day bursts of activity.
Is Snapchat Planets Accurate?
Yes, Snapchat Planets accurately reflects your Snapchat app activity. The friend with whom you snap, chat, and interact the most on the app will genuinely be closer to your Sun. However, it does not fully represent real-life friendship. Here is why:
- Someone who uses Snapchat constantly will rank higher even if they are a casual acquaintance
- A close real-life friend who rarely uses Snapchat may appear as Neptune
- The algorithm only measures in-app activity, it cannot measure emotional closeness, loyalty, or trust
- Planet positions are private, you cannot compare your ranking with others publicly
Conclusion: Snapchat Planets is an accurate reflection of your Snapchat activity, but it is not the ultimate measure of real friendship. Use it as a fun indicator, not an absolute truth.
Social & Emotional Impact of Snapchat Planets:
Snapchat Planets are fun on the surface but they carry a real emotional weight for many users, especially teenagers and young adults who are naturally sensitive about where they stand in their social circles. A simple planet position can spark feelings of joy, confusion, hurt, or even anxiety depending on what someone discovers. It is important to understand both sides of this feature so you can enjoy it without letting it affect how you feel about your friendships.
Positive Reactions:
- Excitement when discovering you are someone’s Mercury or Venus
- Motivation to maintain daily streaks and consistent communication
- A fun, visual way to see who your actual closest friends are on the app
- Conversation starter, sharing planet screenshots with friends
Negative Reactions:
- Anxiety when your planet position drops unexpectedly
- Feeling hurt when you discover you are someone’s Neptune despite feeling close
- Pressure to snap more just to improve your ranking
- Social comparison, comparing your planet positions with others
Important Perspective:
Remember that Snapchat Planets measure only in-app activity, not the true depth of a friendship. A friend who is always there for you in real life but rarely uses Snapchat might appear as your Neptune. That does not make them a lesser friend.
Do not let an app dictate how you feel about your friendships. Use Snapchat Planets for fun, not as an emotional measure of your social value.
Snapchat Solar System Not Working? Here Is How to Fix It
If you are having trouble with the Snapchat Planet feature, you are not alone. Many users run into small issues that are actually very easy to fix once you know what is causing them. Before you panic or assume the feature is gone forever, go through the solutions below because most problems have a simple answer that takes less than a minute to resolve.
Badge not visible on friend’s profile
First check that your Snapchat Plus subscription is active. Then go to your Profile, open Snapchat+ settings, and make sure the Friend Solar System toggle is switched ON.
Planet position not changing
Planet rankings do not update right away. It takes a few days of consistent daily interaction before Snapchat reflects the change in your position.
Feature not showing in settings
Your app is most likely outdated. Update Snapchat from the App Store or Google Play Store and then check your Snapchat+ settings again.
Badges suddenly disappeared
Your Snapchat Plus subscription may have expired or your payment failed. Check your subscription status and make sure your payment method is working.
App crashing when tapping badge
Uninstall Snapchat from your phone completely and reinstall it fresh. Log back in and try tapping the badge again.
Seeing wrong planet position
Log out of Snapchat fully and log back in. Also clear the app cache from your phone settings before logging in again.
Feature enabled but no badges appear
Your friend has most likely turned off the Friend Solar System feature on their own account. When they disable it, no badges show on their profile at all.
If none of these solutions work, contact Snapchat Support directly. Snapchat Plus subscribers receive priority support, so your issue should be resolved quickly.
Difference Between Friends and Best Friends on Snapchat:
Many people use the words friends and best friends interchangeably on Snapchat, but the app actually treats these two categories very differently. Understanding this distinction is important because it directly affects what badges you see, what planets are revealed, and how the overall Friend Solar System system works for you and the people you interact with most.
Feature | Friend | Best Friend |
|---|---|---|
Badge | Plain Friend Badge | Gold Ring Best Friend Badge |
Meaning | You are in their Top 8 | You are BOTH in each other’s Top 8 |
Mutual? | One-sided | Two-sided (mutual) |
Planet Visibility | Yes (with Snapchat Plus) | Yes (with Snapchat Plus) |
Friendship Emojis | Basic emoji system | Special emojis: Yellow Heart, Red Heart, etc. |
How to achieve | Interact with them frequently | Both of you interact frequently with each other |
Extended Best Friends List vs Snapchat Planets List
Snapchat has always cared about showing you who your closest friends are, but the way it does this has changed significantly over the years. The original system used simple emoji icons to represent different friendship levels, while the newer Snapchat Plus system replaced that with the much more visual and engaging planet experience. Here is a detailed look at how the old and new systems compare and why the upgrade was a significant step forward for users who care about tracking their friendships on the app.
Feature | Old Emoji System (Free) | Snapchat Planets (Snapchat+) |
|---|---|---|
Visual Style | Small text emojis | Animated 3D planets |
Friend Limit | Top 8 friends | Top 8 friends |
Accessibility | All Snapchat users (free) | Snapchat Plus subscribers only |
Detail Level | Basic: emoji only | Detailed: planet, color, position |
Fun Factor | Simple and straightforward | Highly visual and engaging |
Launched | Original Snapchat feature | June 2022 with Snapchat Plus |
The Planets system is a more premium, visual upgrade to the older emoji-based best friend tracking. Both systems track the same Top 8 friends but Planets does it in a much more creative and visually engaging way.
What Is Snapchat Plus?
Snapchat Plus (also written as Snapchat+) is Snapchat’s official premium subscription service. It was launched in June 2022 and gives subscribers access to exclusive features that are not available on the free version of the app.
Think of it as the VIP tier of Snapchat. While the free version gives you all the basic features (snapping, chatting, stories, maps), Snapchat Plus adds a layer of exclusive, fun, and personalized features on top of that.
The most well-known Snapchat Plus feature is the Friend Solar System (Snapchat Planets) but there is much more included in the subscription.
Snapchat Plus Features: Complete List
Snapchat Plus is much more than just the planet feature. When you subscribe, you unlock a full suite of exclusive tools that make your Snapchat experience more personalized, more insightful, and more fun than what the free version offers. Whether you want to know who rewatched your Story, pin your best friend to the top of your chat, or customize how your app looks on your phone, Snapchat Plus covers all of it. Here is every feature you get with your subscription.
- Friend Solar System (Planets): See your top 8 friends as planets in your solar system
- BFF Pin: Pin your #1 best friend to the top of your chat list permanently
- Story Rewatch Count: See exactly how many times someone has rewatched your Story
- Custom App Icons: Change the Snapchat icon on your phone to exclusive designs
- Exclusive Profile Themes: Customize your profile with special color themes
- Ghost Trail on Snap Map: Show your Bitmoji’s movement animation on the map
- Priority Support: Get faster responses from Snapchat’s support team
- Snapchat Plus Badge: A special star badge on your profile showing you are a Plus subscriber
- Early Access to New Features: Try experimental Snapchat features before everyone else
- Post-View Emojis: React to who viewed your Story with special emojis
- Friendship Profile Stats: See detailed stats about your friendship with each contact
Snapchat vs Snapchat Plus: Feature Comparison
Not sure if Snapchat Plus is worth it? The easiest way to find out is to look at what you get for free and what you get when you pay. The free version of Snapchat gives you all the basic features you need to chat and connect with friends. Snapchat Plus gives you extra special features on top of that which free users cannot access at all. Check the table below to see the full difference.
Feature | Free Snapchat | Snapchat Plus |
|---|---|---|
Snapchat Planets / Friend Solar System | No | Yes |
BFF Pin | No | Yes |
Story Rewatch Count | No | Yes |
Custom App Icons | No | Yes |
Ghost Trail on Map | No | Yes |
Priority Customer Support | No | Yes |
Snapchat+ Subscriber Badge | No | Yes |
Early Feature Access | No | Yes |
Basic Snaps & Chats | Yes | Yes |
Streaks | Yes | Yes |
Stories | Yes | Yes |
Snap Map | Yes | Yes |
Filters & Lenses | Yes | Yes |
Monthly Cost | Free | $3.99 / month |
Snapchat Plus Subscription: Details & Pricing (2026)
Before you subscribe to Snapchat Plus, it is helpful to understand exactly what you are paying for and which plan makes the most sense for you. Snapchat keeps the pricing simple with two main options and a free trial so you can test everything before committing to any payment. Here is a complete breakdown of all the plans currently available and what you need to know before signing up.
Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
Monthly Plan | $3.99 per month | Try it out first before committing |
Annual Plan | $39.99 per year (~$3.33/mo) | Save money with a long-term commitment |
Free Trial | 7 days free | Test all features before paying |
- Pricing may vary by country and region, check the Snapchat app for local pricing
- Payment is processed through the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android)
- After the 7-day free trial, your chosen plan begins automatically
- Cancellation is free at any time, no penalty or cancellation fee
What are the Pros and Cons of Snapchat Plus Planets?
Snapchat Plus Planets offer a visual way to understand friendship rankings through interaction. While the feature is fun and insightful, it also has a few limitations worth considering.
Pros
Cons
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do Snapchat Planets update automatically?
Yes, Snapchat Planets update on their own as your interaction with friends changes over time. You don’t need to refresh or adjust anything manually.
Are Snapchat Planets the same as Best Friends emojis?
No, Snapchat Planets and emojis are different features. Emojis can be visible to others, while planets are private and only visible to you.
Can Snapchat Planets disappear suddenly?
Yes, planets can disappear if the Friend Solar System is turned off, Snapchat Plus expires, or the friend is no longer in your Best Friends list.
Do Snapchat calls affect Planet rankings?
Calls may have a small impact, but snaps and chats usually matter more. Consistent daily interaction plays a bigger role than occasional calls.
Can two people see different planets for each other?
Yes, planet positions are not always mutual. You may appear as a different planet in someone’s Solar System than they appear in yours.
Are Snapchat Planets accurate?
Snapchat Planets are based on interaction patterns, not emotions or real-life closeness. They reflect activity inside the app, not the quality of a friendship.
Can you reset or control Snapchat Planets manually?
No, there is no manual reset or control for planet rankings. They change automatically based on how you interact on Snapchat.
Is Snapchat safe for younger users?
Snapchat includes privacy controls, but parental guidance is important for younger users. Features like Planets are private, which helps reduce public comparison.