Best Friends Snapchat Planets: What Each Planet Means and How the Ranking Works

Best friends Snapchat planets turn your closest friendships into a small planetary map inside Snapchat+. Once you understand the layout, it's genuinely simple. Here's what each planet means and how the ranking behind them actually works.

What Are Best Friends Snapchat Planets?

Best friends Snapchat planets are how Snapchat+ visually ranks your eight closest friends. You're placed at the center as the Sun, and the people you interact with most show up as planets orbiting around you.

The friend you snap and chat with the most gets the closest planet. The rest fall into place based on how often you're in touch. In practice, most users notice the order shifts slightly over time it's tied to ongoing activity, not a one-time snapshot.

Best Friends Snapchat Planet Order Explained

Each of the eight planets corresponds to a specific rank, starting with your most-contacted friend and working outward.

Mercury — Your #1 Closest Friend

Mercury sits closest to the Sun, and on Snapchat it represents whoever you interact with the most.

Venus — Your #2 Closest Friend

Venus is the second position — still a very close, frequent contact.

Earth — Your #3 Closest Friend

Earth marks your third-closest friend by interaction volume.

Mars — Your #4 Closest Friend

Mars is the fourth spot, a step down in frequency from the top three.

Jupiter — Your #5 Closest Friend

Jupiter represents your fifth-ranked friend.

Saturn — Your #6 Closest Friend

Saturn holds the sixth position in the ranking.

Uranus — Your #7 Closest Friend

Uranus is the second-to-last planet in the list.

Neptune — Your #8 Closest Friend

Neptune is the final planet — still in your top 8, but the lightest interaction level among them.

Planet	Rank Position	What It Reflects
Mercury	#1	Highest interaction frequency
Venus	#2	Very high interaction frequency
Earth	#3	High interaction frequency
Mars	#4	Moderate-high interaction frequency
Jupiter	#5	Moderate interaction frequency
Saturn	#6	Lower-moderate interaction frequency
Uranus	#7	Lower interaction frequency
Neptune	#8	Lowest interaction frequency within the top 8

How Snapchat Decides Your Best Friends Planet Ranking

This is where things get a little less clear-cut. Snapchat has confirmed the ranking is based on interactions snaps sent, chats exchanged, and streaks kept up.

What Snapchat hasn't published is the exact weighting behind it: whether a chat counts the same as a snap, or whether recent activity outweighs older activity.

That part is general understanding, not confirmed mechanics, so it's worth treating any claim of an "exact formula" with some skepticism.

Does the Ranking Update in Real Time?

Not instantly, as far as is publicly documented. In practice, most users report the order adjusts gradually as interaction patterns change over days or weeks, rather than shifting after a single conversation.

Best Friends Badge vs. Friends Badge: What's the Difference

These two badges get mixed up constantly, and it's worth separating clearly.

What the Best Friends Badge Means

If you see the Best Friends badge (with the gold ring) on someone's profile, it means you're mutually placed you're in their Solar System, and they're in yours.

What the Friends Badge Means

The Friends badge is one-directional. It tells you your position in someone else's Solar System, but it doesn't guarantee they appear in yours.

How to Turn On the Solar System Feature

The feature is off by default, even for Snapchat+ subscribers. Here's how to enable it:

Tap your profile icon.
Select Snapchat+.
Turn on the Solar System toggle.

It was reportedly on by default when it first launched, and Snapchat later made it opt-in after feedback that constant visibility into friend rankings was adding unnecessary social pressure, particularly among teen users a change that was reported by TechCrunch at the time it rolled out.

How to Check Your Position in a Friend's Solar System

You can't view someone else's full planet list, but you can see where you land in it.

Open your friend's profile.
Tap their Best Friends or Friends badge.
Your position will show as one of the eight planets.

Landing on Mercury means you're their top contact. Landing on Neptune still puts you in their top 8 it's just the lightest position among them.

Privacy: Who Can See Your Solar System

Your own Solar System layout is private. Friends can see where they rank in it if they check your badge, but they can't view your entire ranked list, and neither can anyone else.

What If You Have Fewer Than 8 Close Friends?

Snapchat hasn't publicly detailed how the feature handles this exact scenario. If your account doesn't have enough qualifying interactions to fill all eight positions, it's reasonable to expect some planets may go unfilled but this isn't something Snapchat has explicitly confirmed, so it should be treated as an open question rather than a stated fact.

Is the Best Friends Planets Feature Free?

No. The Solar System feature is exclusive to Snapchat+ subscribers. It isn't available on a free Snapchat account Snapchat+ launched in 2022 as a paid subscription tier, as documented on Wikipedia, and the Solar System feature has remained one of its subscriber-only additions ever since.

Conclusion

Best friends Snapchat planets rank your top 8 closest friends by interaction, from Mercury down to Neptune. The feature is Snapchat+ only, private by default, and updates gradually rather than instantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do best friends Snapchat planets update automatically?

Yes, gradually. The order shifts as your interaction patterns change, though Snapchat hasn't detailed an exact refresh schedule.

Can my friend see where I rank in their Solar System?

Only if you check their Best Friends or Friends badge your position won't be shown unprompted.

Is the Solar System feature available on desktop?

No, it's currently limited to the mobile Snapchat app on Android and iOS.

What does it mean if I'm Neptune in someone's Solar System?

You're still in their top 8 closest contacts, just at the lightest interaction level among them.

Do I need Snapchat+ to use this feature?

Yes, the Solar System and its planet rankings are exclusive to Snapchat+ subscribers.