Snapchat Best Friends List and Planets: Complete Guide
Your Snapchat Best Friends list can tell you who you interact with most on the app. But when you combine it with Snapchat Planets, you get another way to understand your position in someone’s Snapchat friendship ranking.
Snapchat uses Best Friends to highlight the people you Snap and Chat with most frequently. Its Friend Solar System feature takes this idea further by representing your position in another person’s ranking as a planet, from Mercury to Neptune.
In this guide, you’ll learn how the Snapchat Best Friends list works, what each planet means, how to check your position, and what the latest feature information tells us.
What Is the Snapchat Best Friends List?
The Snapchat Best Friends list includes the people you Snap and Chat with most. Snapchat can display up to eight Best Friends, and the list updates regularly as your interactions change.
These friends are easier to find when you want to send a Snap or start a conversation. Snapchat may also display Friend Emojis next to their names.
However, your Best Friends list is private. Other users cannot open your profile and view the complete list of people you interact with most.
They may be able to see whether they’re among your Best Friends, depending on the feature involved, but they cannot see your entire list.
How Does the Snapchat Best Friends List Work?
Snapchat identifies Best Friends based on your communication activity on the platform. Your list can change as your interactions with different people change.
For example, suppose you regularly exchange Snaps and Chats with three friends. If you start communicating more frequently with another person, your ranking may change over time.
Snapchat does not publicly disclose the exact formula behind its Best Friends rankings. There is no confirmed number of messages, Snaps, or streak days that guarantees someone a particular position.
Remember: Your Snapchat Best Friends list reflects activity on the app. It does not necessarily represent your closest relationships in real life.
What Are Snapchat Planets?
Snapchat Planets are part of Snapchat+, the platform’s paid subscription service. The feature is officially called Friend Solar System.
When you view a friend’s Friendship Profile, you may see a Best Friends badge with a gold ring. Tapping the badge shows your planet in that person’s solar system, provided the feature is enabled and available.
The planet sequence follows the real solar system:
| Planet | Position |
| Mercury | #1 |
| Venus | #2 |
| Earth | #3 |
| Mars | #4 |
| Jupiter | #5 |
| Saturn | #6 |
| Uranus | #7 |
| Neptune | #8 |
Mercury represents the first position, while Neptune represents the eighth. The planets are ranking indicators, not separate friendship categories.
How Do Snapchat Planets Relate to Best Friends?
The Best Friends list identifies your most frequent Snapchat contacts. Friend Solar System lets eligible Snapchat+ subscribers see their position in another person’s ranking.
For example, you might be Mercury in your friend’s solar system while that friend appears as Jupiter in yours. This is possible because the two rankings are independent.
Your planet can also change over time. If your position in someone’s ranking changes, the planet displayed for you may change accordingly.
One important limitation is that Snapchat does not publicly explain the exact calculation behind these rankings. Claims that a specific number of messages or streak days guarantees Mercury should be treated cautiously.
How to Check Your Planet on Snapchat
You can check your planet by following these steps:
- Open Snapchat on your phone.
- Open a conversation with the friend whose profile you want to check.
- Tap their Bitmoji to open their Friendship Profile.
- Look for the relevant Best Friends badge.
- Tap the badge to see your planet, if the feature is available.
If you cannot find your planet, check whether your Snapchat+ subscription is active and whether Friend Solar System is enabled.
How to Enable Friend Solar System
Snapchat turns Solar System off by default for first-time Snapchat+ subscribers. You must enable it if you want to use the feature.
To turn it on, open your Snapchat profile, select your Snapchat+ membership card, and look for the feature management settings. Find Solar System or Friend Solar System and switch it on.
The exact menu labels may change as Snapchat updates its app.
If the option is missing, update Snapchat and check which features are available to your account.
Latest Snapchat Best Friends and Planets Updates
As of November 2026, Snapchat’s official support guidance continues to describe Best Friends as a list of up to eight people you Snap and Chat with most. The list updates regularly, and your complete Best Friends list remains private.
Here are the key details to know:
- Solar System is optional: First-time Snapchat+ subscribers must enable it manually.
- The planet ranking remains limited to eight positions: Mercury is first, and Neptune is eighth.
- Rankings can change: Your planet reflects your position in another person’s Best Friends list, which may change over time.
- The exact ranking formula remains undisclosed: Snapchat does not publish a precise formula for calculating each position.
Snapchat also explained in its April 2024 announcement that it made Solar System opt-in after considering concerns about the effects of friendship rankings on users. The feature remains optional, so subscribers can choose whether to use it.
These details matter because older online guides may describe settings or ranking behavior that Snapchat has not officially confirmed.
Can You Trust Snapchat Planets to Measure a Friendship?
Snapchat Planets can be interesting, especially when you want to understand your position in someone’s Best Friends ranking. However, a planet is not a complete measure of a friendship.
Someone appearing as Neptune does not necessarily mean they are unimportant to you. Likewise, being Mercury does not prove that someone considers you their closest friend outside the app.
Use the feature as a snapshot of your Snapchat activity rather than a reason to compare relationships or worry about changing rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have more than eight Snapchat Best Friends?
No. Snapchat currently allows up to eight Best Friends, and the list updates regularly.
Does my planet match my friend’s planet?
Not necessarily. Your planet shows your position in their ranking, while their planet shows their position in yours.
Can I see someone’s complete Best Friends list?
No. Snapchat keeps each person’s complete Best Friends list private.
Do Snapchat Planets require Snapchat+?
Yes. Friend Solar System is a Snapchat+ feature, and you must enable it if it is turned off.
Final Thoughts
The Snapchat Best Friends list and Friend Solar System help you understand your position in the app’s friendship rankings. The Best Friends list highlights your most frequent Snapchat contacts, while planets provide a visual representation of your position in another person’s ranking.
Remember the order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Your planet may change as your ranking changes, but it should not be treated as a definitive measure of your real-life friendships.
