?Spend time with people who add meaning to your life.?
?Who do you think you are??
Welcome to my daily updates from Co ? Star, an astrology app that I downloaded two years ago that has continued to roast me into personal improvement on a near daily basis.
It?s not just the borderline aggressive push notifications that resonate ? Co ? Star?s Instagram account (which has half a million followers) regularly calls all of the signs out in the best way possible.
If you?re on Holisticism, you?re not new to astrology. And thank god, the rest of the world is catching on to how hilarious, insightful, and accurate astrology readings can be. An interest in the cosmos is only growing; Google Analytics show that over the last two years, there?s been a 65% increase in searches for terms like ?astrology houses,? ?birth chart,? and ?rising sign.
While people are getting wise to the fact that there?s way more to astrology than just your Sun Sign, they?re seeking out more information about the esoteric practice. And capitalism is catching on ? Co ? Star just landed a $5 million VC-backed investment, and the new on-demand astrology app Sanctuary also boasts a venture capitalist funding round. As a result, technology and astrology are melding in a big way ? and some very cool developments have popped up in the app scene.
If you?re anything like me, though, you don?t want extra clutter and superfluous apps on your phone. I mean, we?ve gotta save that storage for important things like well-lit selfies and screenshots of recipes on Instagram that we?ll never make, right?
Never fear ? we sacrificed our precious storage space and reviewed the five best astrology apps on the App Store. Keep on scrolling to see what?s worth downloading ? and what you can skip.
the pattern
No offense to the other apps on this list, but prepare for your mind to be blown the minute you download The Pattern.
It?s an ideal app to trick all of your friends into downloading ? even the ones who roll their eyes at the mention of moon signs ? because it doesn?t use any astrology jargon. In fact, the makers of The Pattern have modernized natal chart readings in a completely novel way that totally makes sense, and is so accurate and detailed that it?s downright freaky.
You?ll input your birth details, and the algorithm will shoot out Your Pattern, Your Timing, and World Timing. There?s zero mention of signs, stars, or planets, so if you?re hoping to learn more about astrology, there are probably other apps out there for you.
However, because The Pattern is so crazy-correct and doesn?t have an immediately clear correlation to your natal chart, it almost seems like it works through omniscient magic.
pros
- One of the coolest things about The Pattern is that you can see the patterns that you share with people in your circle. As soon as a friend joins, you?ll be able to see which patterns and timing you each share, as well as which friends are most like each other
- There?s also a relationship feature that tells you about more than just chemistry
- The Pattern tells you how to best show up for your potential partner, what triggers you each might have, and even if you?ve had past life connections.
cons
- There?s so much information that it?s almost overwhelming. If you choose to click through each card for Your Timing and Your Pattern, it would be tough to remember everything.
- Plus, it?s not clear how the app translates the natal chart into the information it spits out to users, so it?s tough to track.
why you need it on your phone
There will, inevitably, be a day when you are stuck somewhere boring for a long period of time and Instagram and email will just bore you to tears. Maybe you?re at a DMV or a cousin?s wedding or waiting at the airport for a flight that got delayed again (curse you, Delta!). That day will come, my friend, and you will be so happy that you have The Pattern on your phone to distract you from whatever is happening in your life.
Plus, it?s very helpful for sussing out potential relationship contenders.
co ? star
Unless you?re living under a rock, you know Co ? Star. Also if you?re living under a rock, congratulations! I bet that is very relaxing, because you don?t have Co ? Star telling you what a piece of shit you are all the time.
But really, Co ? Star is an extremely aesthetically pleasing, punk-rock astro app. It uses AI and machine learning to spit out hobbled together paragraphs that describe your planetary placement with a detached sensibility. For an app made by a bunch of Pisceans, it?s very much like an Aquarius ? aloof, and unbothered by your hurt feelings.
If you want to understand more about your houses and planetary placement, Co ? Star has a great visual guide that can help make things more clear. It?ll show you how many planets you have in each house, and in addition to your Sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign, it shows you your Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto placements.
The biggest downside is that the content is hit or miss. Because this relatively new startup is still growing their AI database, sometimes the detailed descriptions that end up getting spit out make very little sense.
But sometimes ? they?re so accurate that you need to post them on your Instagram stories.
pros
- Will drag you
- Gorgeous design
cons
- Will drag you
- Sometimes the AI-powered descriptions are unclear
why you need it on your phone
Co ? Star is definitely a soft entry into the world of astrology, but if you?re a millennial with a pulse it?s bound to be a good conversation starter. The app and brand are beautiful and edgy in a way that somehow makes even the most skeptical astro beginners feel like the art of astrology is credible.
If you?re ready to learn more about your personal natal chart and how planet and house placement matters to your personality, and your horoscopes with a side of goth humor, Co ? Star is for you.
Both Co-Star and The Pattern are two free apps that are awesome ? we put together a list of 58 of our favorite wellness resources that are basically free. Click here to get it!
sanctuary
If The Pattern was a little too real and Co ? Star was too intense, Sanctuary might be your go-to app.
Friendly and sweet, Sanctuary uses an automated chat feature to help you learn about your natal chart. It covers the minimalist basics on all of the planets and gives you a daily horoscope (these are hit-or-miss, and can feel a little bit like a fortune cookie. but hey! what can you expect from a free app?) but Sanctuary?s biggest flex is it?s on-demand natal chart readings.
For a monthly subscription fee of $19.99 a month, you can have access to on-demand text readings from astrologers, plus unlock additional content that takes you deeper into the inner workings of your natal chart.
The app was developed in partnership with the astrologers doing the on-demand readings, so if the free version leaves you craving more you?ve got nothing to lose by snagging the monthly subscription.
pros
- Gives you straightforward answers to questions about your natal chart planetary placement
- Cute design and friendly AI chat
- If you have questions, you can actually talk to an astrologer about your natal chart for a small fee
cons
- Not as in-depth as Co ? Star or The Pattern
- Have to pay extra to talk to experts, and some content is behind a paywall
- If you are a fast reader, you might get annoyed by the way the content is delivered through a fake chat feature
why you need it on your phone
The daily horoscopes are cute and fun (they give you a ?Power Emoji? according to your reading), and if you really think you need on-the-spot advice, it could be worthwhile to queue up an appointment with an astrologer on the app.
time passages
The Astrologer?s App. If you roll up to a party and pull up Time Passages on your phone, people will know you?re serious about the stars.
Like Sanctuary, there?s a free and paid version of Time Passages. The free version is extremely robust, but you can pay a one-time fee of $24.99 for unlimited access to store and read your friends? natal charts.
Personally, I use Time Passages more than any other astro app on my phone. In addition to laying out my natal chart in a way that?s extremely detailed and clear, it also tells me the daily transits. For example, today it says the Sun is in Gemini, Moon is in Capricorn but changes to Aquarius at 6/19 at 7:01 p.m., and that the next Mercury Retrograde in on 7/7. I love getting all that detailed information, but at first blush it can definitely be overwhelming for a beginning astrologer.
In my opinion, it?s definitely worth the one-time fee to be able to store and compare unlimited natal charts.
pros
- Hyper-detailed and the most scientific because it shows positions and degrees.
- Awesome for doing amateur readings on your friends? natal charts.
cons
- Very numbers and science-based, so you won?t get flowery explanations that describe chart placements in a basic way.
- Can be overwhelming to beginners or armchair astrologers.
why you need it on your phone
If you want astro street cred, Time Passages is the way to go. It?s the OG of apps for a reason, and certainly worth a download if you want to begin exploring the cosmos yourself.
susan miller astrologyzone
Dear Reader, if you don?t already know Susan Miller ? welcome to the rest of your life.
The woman is an astrology icon, and an unwittingly delightful internet presence. Susan Miller is a prolific astrologer and the force behind AstrologyZone.com. On her website, you can get your in-depth monthly astrology report according to you Sun Sign. Her horoscopes are written in a way that feels like Susan is your sweet, kind of weird great aunt who?s excited to tell you everything about what?s coming your way in the next thirty days. They are incredibly detailed, and sometimes reach seven or eight pages in length.
Her app focuses more on daily horoscopes, although you can click through the navigation to read monthly horoscopes, see important key dates for each month, and read Susan?s tweets.
There?s a paywall for some educational content on topics like:
- The Planets
- The Twelve Sectors
- The Three Qualities
- The Elements
- Relationships
- Healthy
- Lifestyle
pros
- Susan Miller?s daily horoscopes are usually pretty accurate and are generally uplifting
- Her monthly deep dives into each Sun sign are admirable, although they can be a little long and overwhelming!
cons
- You have to pay for further education and the app doesn?t take into consideration your entire natal chart ? it just focuses on the Sun Sign.
why you need it on your phone
Susan Miller is an old school astrologer who has pretty straightforward interpretations of the cosmos, but you can learn a lot about basic astrology just from reading your monthly horoscope.
conclusion
Depending on what you need there?s definitely an app out there for you. If you couldn?t care less about the ins and outs of astrology but just want to know more about yourself, I?d say check out The Pattern. But if you?re trying to become an armchair astrologer, Time Passages free app is a great place to start.
Happy reading!
Into inexpensive wellness stuff that?s actually useful? We put together a list of 58 of our favorite wellness resources that are basically free. Click here to get it!
