Snapchat Planets is one of the most intriguing and creative features introduced by Snapchat Plus, the platform’s premium subscription service. This visual system is designed to represent your top friends in a solar system-like arrangement, where each planet signifies a different level of closeness in your digital friendships. Much like our solar system, with Mercury closest to the sun and Neptune farthest away, Snapchat uses this model to help users better understand who they interact with most frequently. It adds a fun, gamified twist to the way social connections are represented in the digital world.
The feature works by assigning a planet to each of your top eight friends, based on your interaction levels with them. For example, Mercury represents your number one best friend—someone you message and engage with the most. Venus is your second closest friend, Earth the third, and so on until Neptune, which represents your eighth closest friend. The person who appears next to the planet in this layout is not aware of their position in your solar system unless they also subscribe to Snapchat Plus, making it a private but engaging tool for self-reflection on digital communication patterns.
This planetary ranking system is not just a gimmick—it reflects Snapchat’s larger focus on personalized and meaningful user experiences. By turning something as simple as friend ranking into a visual and playful interface, Snapchat enhances user engagement. Subscribers feel more connected to their digital relationships because they can literally "see" their social universe. This approach aligns perfectly with Snapchat's younger audience, many of whom enjoy gamified features, astrology-like symbolism, and visual storytelling.
One of the most appealing aspects of Snapchat Planets is how it encourages users to reflect on their social behaviors. Seeing who is ranked where can make someone realize who they’ve grown close to—or distanced from—over time. It brings attention to the depth of one’s digital friendships in a way that traditional "best friends" lists do not. Just like in real life, people may be surprised to find out who’s orbiting closest to them and who’s drifted further away. This awareness may inspire users to reconnect with old friends or strengthen bonds with those they value most.
From a technical perspective, Snapchat Planets is part of the Snapchat Plus suite, a paid version of the app that includes exclusive features, early access to experimental tools, and additional customization options. By offering unique features like Planets, Snapchat provides more value to its subscription tier, helping it stand out in a competitive landscape filled with TikTok, Instagram, and other fast-growing platforms. It also shows how Snapchat is leaning into personalization as a way to build loyalty among users who are willing to pay for a deeper, more tailored experience.
