Comparison

Orbit vs Learnr

Learnr covers the basics. Orbit does that too - plus Making Tax Digital records, pay-at-booking, AI lesson debriefs, a pupil marketplace, and lead selling. Here's the full breakdown across 45 features.

At a glance

Making Tax Digital built in

Orbit totals your lesson income and expenses into your quarterly Making Tax Digital updates, built on HMRC's MTD for Income Tax API. Live submissions open once HMRC approves Orbit.

Pay-at-booking

Pupils pay when they book - no chasing. Learnr doesn't offer prepaid lesson booking.

AI lesson debriefs

Record a 30-second voice note, AI generates a structured debrief for your pupil. Learnr has no AI features.

Your own Stripe account

Every Orbit instructor connects their own Stripe merchant account at onboarding. Payouts go directly to your bank, and every fee is itemised in your Stripe dashboard in real time.

Marketplace & lead selling

Get found by learners on the Orbit marketplace. Sell excess enquiries to nearby ADIs. Learnr has no marketplace.

Business health dashboard

Monthly health reports, pass rate monitoring, revenue trends. Know exactly how your business is performing. Not available on Learnr.

45 features compared, side by side

Based on publicly available information as of March 2026.

Feature
Orbit
Learnr
Scheduling & Booking
Lesson diary
Online pupil booking portal
Automated SMS lesson remindersOrbit sends email and push reminders; SMS isn't live yet
Availability windows & working hours
Embeddable booking widgetOne-line embed for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or any website
Waiting list managementPupils join when fully booked, notified when slots open
Block-out dates for holidays
Payments
Card payments
Pay-at-booking (prepaid lessons)Pupils pay when they book - eliminates unpaid lessons
Automatic cancellation fee chargingCharged to saved card - no awkward conversations
Payment processing feePer transaction via Stripe
Varies
Per-pupil payment balance tracking
Manual payment logging (cash, bank transfer)
Next-business-day payouts
Tax & Compliance
HMRC Making Tax Digital filingBuilt on HMRC's MTD for Income Tax API; live submissions open once HMRC approves Orbit
Awaiting HMRC approval
Quarterly return submission to HMRCDirect to HMRC's API, not via a third-party package, once HMRC approves Orbit
Awaiting HMRC approval
Year-end final declaration
Awaiting HMRC approval
Income & expense trackingLearnr tracks records but doesn't file to HMRC
HMRC expense categories (fuel, insurance, etc.)
Mileage tracking (simplified or actual cost)
Financial audit trail (immutable event log)Every payment, refund, and fee recorded in an immutable log
Profit & loss summaries
Data export for accountants
Pupil Management
Pupil profiles & contact details
DVSA syllabus trackerTrack every pupil against official DVSA driver's record topics
Competency scoring
Pupil self-service portalOrbit portal is token-based - no password needed
AI lesson debriefs30-second voice note → structured debrief sent to pupil
Test readiness indicatorData-driven readiness score based on syllabus, grades, consistency
Theory & practical test date tracking
CSV pupil import (from other apps)Import from Learnr, Total Drive, or spreadsheets
Teaching Tools
Teaching aids diagram libraryManoeuvres, roundabouts, dual carriageways, crossings, and more
30+ diagrams
DVSA Standards Check preparationTrack all 17 DVSA competencies with scoring trends
PDI training logTrack Part 2 & Part 3 training hours with progress bars
Business Growth
Instructor marketplace directoryLearners search by postcode and book you directly. One-time intro fee per new pupil
Lead selling & buyingSell excess enquiries to nearby ADIs, or buy verified leads
Business health dashboardMonthly health reports with traffic-light scoring
Pass rate monitoringFirst-time pass rate, average faults, monthly trends
Branding & Customisation
Custom logo & branding on pupil portalCustom logo, colour, and app name for your booking page
Branded booking page URLOrbit: orbitdriving.com/book/your-name
Platform & Schools
Android appOrbit is on Google Play and also installs from the browser on any phone
iPhone app
Coming soon
Multi-instructor school management
Enterprise portal with licence keysCentralised billing, school-wide reporting, API access
GDPR data export & account deletion

Information sourced from public websites. We update this page regularly but cannot guarantee third-party accuracy.

Pricing at a glance

Orbit

Freefor instructors

Free for instructors. Schools from £8/seat.

  • Free for instructors, no card needed
  • Pay-at-booking & cancellation fees
  • Making Tax Digital records (HMRC approval in progress)
  • AI lesson debriefs
  • Marketplace & lead selling
  • Business health dashboard
  • Standards Check prep & PDI log
  • Your own Stripe merchant account

Learnr

From £15/mo

Smaller platform with limited feature set.

  • Lesson scheduling & diary
  • Native iOS & Android apps
  • Basic pupil management
  • Income tracking (no HMRC filing)
  • No AI features
  • No marketplace or leads
  • No cancellation fee enforcement
  • Smaller user base

Which should you choose?

Choose Orbit if

  • You want pupils to pay when they book - no more chasing
  • You want Making Tax Digital records built in, not a separate tool
  • You want AI to handle lesson debriefs in 30 seconds
  • You want a marketplace that brings pupils to you
  • You want automatic cancellation fee enforcement
  • You want business health reports and pass rate tracking
  • You need a school management portal with licence keys
  • You're preparing for Standards Check or still a PDI

Choose Learnr if

  • You want an iPhone app today (Orbit's is coming soon)
  • You're already using it and happy with the feature set
  • You want a smaller community with a more personal feel

Try Orbit free

Free for instructors. Set up in 3 minutes. See why ADIs are switching to pay-at-booking.

Create your free account

Based on publicly available information as of March 2026. Already using Learnr? We can help you migrate your pupil data.