Read this before you switch
Orbit cannot import your flights. Not from TripIt, not from anywhere — there is no importer yet. Moving a logbook across means typing it in.
This is the one comparison on the site that is not really a competition. If you have used TripIt for years, your account is one of the best records of your own travel that exists — which makes it an excellent place to read your flight history off when you are building a logbook.
It is less work than it sounds: three fields per flight — where from, where to, and when. Orbit derives the distance, the hours, the countries, the continents and every milestone from those. The method for rebuilding a history is written up in full.
The free tier holds 15 flights, so you can find out whether you like it before deciding whether to carry the rest across.
Orbit and TripIt, row by row
Including the rows Orbit loses. A table where one side wins everything is an advert, and you would be right not to believe it.
| Orbit | TripIt | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Partly.Android. iPhone in development. | Yes.iOS, Android and web. |
| Log flights from any date | Yes.Any date, back to your first. | Partly.Keeps past trips, not a logbook. |
| Import from another app | No.Nothing yet — flights are typed in. | Yes.From email. |
| Adds flights from your email | No.No | Yes.The whole idea. |
| Live tracking and delay alerts | No.It's a logbook, not a tracker. | Partly.Alerts on TripIt Pro. |
| 3D globe of your flights | Yes.Real orthographic projection, drag to spin. | No.No |
| Works offline | Yes.All 8,801 airports on device. | Partly.Partly |
| Export your data | Partly.CSV, on Pro. | Partly.Via third-party tools. |
| Works without an account | Yes.Guest-first. Sign in only to sync. | No.Account required. |
| Free tier | Partly.15 flights, then Pro. | Yes.Free tier, then Pro. |
| Price | Yes.$19.90/year or $49.90 once. | Partly.Free, with a paid Pro tier. |
| Ads | Yes.None, on any tier. | Not checked.Not checked |
Checked against TripIt’s own site and public sources on . Anything marked “not checked” is exactly that — not a quiet no.
What TripIt does better
- It builds itineraries from your email automatically, which Orbit does not do at all.
- It covers hotels, cars and trains; Orbit only knows about flights.
- It is genuinely useful during a trip. Orbit is for afterwards.
What Orbit does better
- It organises what is next; Orbit remembers what has been.
- A globe and lifetime totals, which an itinerary app has no reason to build.
- No account needed to start, and no subscription to see your own history.
Asked and answered
Is TripIt a flight logbook?
Not really. TripIt organises trips you are about to take and keeps the old ones around as itineraries. A logbook is the other way round: the point is the accumulated total — distance, hours, countries, the shape of the map.
Should I use Orbit instead of TripIt?
Probably alongside it rather than instead. They solve opposite halves of the same subject: TripIt remembers what is next, Orbit remembers what has been.
Can I use my TripIt history to fill in Orbit?
Yes, and it is one of the better sources — every flight with a date and a route, already in one place. There is no importer, so it is a matter of working down the list, but the list itself is the hard part and you already have it.
What Orbit works out for you
You enter an airport pair and a date. Everything below is computed from the airports’ own coordinates — which is why entering a flight takes a few seconds rather than a form.
Start with the flights you remember.
The long ones first — they carry most of the distance and most of the milestones. Free for your first 15, no account needed, no ads on any tier.