Same idea, built years apart
RoutineFlow and Orbit start from the same insight: with ADHD, the difficulty is rarely knowing what your routine is — it is getting from one step to the next without the morning evaporating. Both answer it the same way. You build a routine as a list of steps, give the steps durations, press start, and the app runs them as a sequence of timers.
RoutineFlow has been doing this since 2022. It keeps things simple: predefined or custom steps with an emoji each, timed tasks in sequence, gentle notification reminders, and analytics that show how long each task has taken you over the past year — so you can plan with real numbers instead of hopeful ones.
Orbit arrived in August 2026 and makes different bets: the routine lives on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island as a calm orb, there is no account, timers adapt themselves to how long steps really take, and streaks come with freezes.
Side by side
| RoutineFlow | Orbit | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | System Two GmbH | Aron de Groot (Groot Apps), Netherlands |
| Platforms | iPhone, Android | iPhone only |
| Minimum iOS | 14 | 26 |
| Designed for ADHD | Yes | Yes |
| Runs routines as timed steps | Yes | Yes |
| Step types | Timed tasks | Timed, counted or tick-off steps |
| Timing insight | Analytics over the past 365 days | Step breakdown after each run; timers adapt to your real durations |
| Lock Screen and Dynamic Island | Not described in the listing | Yes, as a Live Activity |
| Missed days | Not described in the listing | Streak freezes rescue a streak when you return |
| Account | Not described in the listing | None |
| US ratings (10 Sep 2026) | 4.7 from 2,438 | New — released 30 Aug 2026 |
Platform facts are from each app's App Store and Google Play listings, checked on 10 September 2026.
The short verdict
For running a routine, pick Orbit. It walks you through the sequence one step at a time, keeps the current step on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, offers a streak freeze to rescue a streak after missed days, and needs no account.
RoutineFlow is stronger at things Orbit does not do: Android, support for older iPhones, a full year of timing history, and a longer track record.
This page is written by the maker of Orbit; both lists below are specific so you can check them.
Where Orbit is genuinely better
The routine follows you. Once started, the current step and its countdown sit on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. In the shower or getting dressed, you glance at the phone instead of unlocking it and finding your place — which is where many routines break, as explained in ADHD transitions.
Timers that fix themselves. After each run Orbit shows how long every step really took and lets you update the planned times in one tap. It can also adapt a step's timer by itself, weighting recent days most.
Forgiveness built in. You earn a streak freeze for every five days in a row; nothing has to happen on the day you miss, and when you come back Orbit offers to rescue the streak.
No account. Everything stays on the iPhone, with optional private iCloud sync.
Where RoutineFlow is genuinely better
Android. If you use Android, or might switch, RoutineFlow works and Orbit does not.
Older iPhones. RoutineFlow supports iOS 14. Orbit needs iOS 26.
A year of data. RoutineFlow's analytics show how long each task has really taken you across 365 days. Orbit shows the real times after each run and the last 30 days per routine. If you want the long view, RoutineFlow has more of it.
Track record. Four years on the App Store and thousands of ratings, against Orbit's few weeks.
Who should pick which
- Android, or an older iPhone: RoutineFlow.
- You want to study your timing data: RoutineFlow.
- You want the routine on the Lock Screen while you move around: Orbit.
- Broken streaks have ended apps for you before: Orbit.
Both are free to download, so the honest advice is to run the same morning routine in each for three days and keep the one you opened without thinking about it. For a wider list, see the best Routinery alternatives, which covers most of the routine runners on iPhone.