Astrology software for Mac in 2026 splits 3 ways. Native Cocoa apps (Astro Gold, TimePassages). Windows-in-emulation (Solar Fire on Parallels, Halloran). Browser-everywhere (Astrolium). The right choice depends on what your daily session looks like, and on whether you also work on iPad, iPhone, or Windows in the same week.
For Astrolium's full plan options, see pricing. For the deeper Astro Gold comparison, see Astro Gold vs Astrolium. For the deeper Solar Fire comparison, see Solar Fire vs Astrolium.
TL;DR: which Mac astrology software for which person
There is no single best astrology software for Mac. There are 5 viable choices in 2026, each with a clear job.
- Astro Gold for Mac if you want the most beautiful native Cocoa chart wheel and you work alone, on Mac only.
- TimePassages for Mac if Henry Seltzer's interpretation prose matters and you mostly read for yourself.
- Solar Fire on Parallels if traditional technique depth (primary directions, 30 plus house systems) is non-negotiable.
- Halloran on Parallels if you already own it and Mac support never coming back is fine.
- Astrolium if you work across Mac, iPad, iPhone, and possibly Windows in the same week, and you run a paid practice with clients.
The Cocoa apps are charting tools. Astrolium is a practice workspace. Different jobs.
Astro Gold: the native Mac heavyweight
Astro Gold is the best-loved astrology app on macOS. Built by Esoteric Technologies, the same Australian vendor behind Solar Fire on Windows. True native Cocoa, real drag-and-drop, retina-clean typography. Apple Silicon native since 2021. Primary directions and tertiary progressions ship. Offline-first.
The catch: Apple-only. No Windows, no Linux, no Android. The iPad version is a separate $50 app. Charts database has categories but no notes or intake. No native Zodiacal Releasing. No AI assistant. No shareable client link, just PDF export.
When to pick it: solo Mac practitioner, the chart wheel matters as a visual object, primary directions are part of your method, and you do not need a client roster with notes. Astro Gold is the most beautiful astrology software on any platform.
TimePassages: the interpretation library
TimePassages, by Henry Seltzer and the Astrograph team, ships the most readable in-app interpretive prose of any consumer astrology app. The transit listings are clean. The reports are well-written. Stable on macOS Sequoia, updated regularly. Native Mac app, iOS app at $30 extra.
The cost: interpretation depth at the expense of calculation depth. The Hellenistic time-lord techniques are thin. The CRM is a chart list. The UI dates to 2015 visually and has not had a serious refresh.
When to pick it: solo hobbyist or student who reads charts mostly for themselves and wants the interpretive prose pre-baked. TimePassages is the warmest first-time astrology app on Mac.
Solar Fire on Parallels: the Windows desktop in emulation
Solar Fire is the desktop reference for working astrologers, 25 plus years and counting. Most complete traditional technique library on any platform. 6 primary direction methods. 30 plus house systems. Bespoke report designer. The only problem is that it does not run on Mac.
The workaround is Parallels Desktop at $99 per year, or BootCamp on Intel Macs (no longer an option on Apple Silicon). Total Mac cost over 5 years runs $700 plus. Every session adds 60 to 120 seconds of Windows VM boot. The 1996-era UI feels especially alien on a modern Mac.
When to pick it: deep traditional researcher whose method depends on primary directions, and Parallels overhead is acceptable. For traditional researchers who can afford 2 tools, the standard recommendation is Solar Fire on Parallels for the primary directions plus Astrolium in the browser for everyday client work.
Halloran: Mac support ended
Halloran AstrolDeluxe was a credible Windows astrology platform with a Mac port until 2019, when the company ended Mac development. Mac users on Halloran today run it under Parallels or BootCamp at $99 per year on top of the original license.
The math no longer makes sense for new users. Halloran has its loyal long-time userbase, and the Windows codebase is still being maintained, but for a Mac astrologer starting fresh in 2026 the Parallels overhead plus the missing Mac UI conventions push the choice elsewhere.
When to pick it: only if you already own a Halloran license and have an existing chart library you want to keep using on a Mac via Parallels. New Mac astrologers should look at Astro Gold or Astrolium instead.
Astrolium: browser-everywhere, practice-first
Astrolium is the workspace built for working astrologers who use 3 plus devices in a week. Mac at the desk. iPad in the consult. iPhone on the bus. Sometimes a Windows machine at the office. The same login opens the same data live across all of them.
What ships on Mac (same as every other platform): Swiss Ephemeris DE431, 23 house systems, Hand/Schmidt bound tables, 20,000 plus named asteroids, profections with year-by-year overlay, ZR L1 to L4 on Spirit and Fortune, the live predictive scrubber, AI assistant across 9 languages, client roster with CRM and intake, shareable client links, Stripe invoicing on Pro.
What is missing: primary directions (roadmapped 2027) and full offline write. For 90 percent of Mac astrologers neither blocks. For the other 10 percent, keep Astro Gold or Solar Fire alongside Astrolium for those 2 specific techniques.
When to pick it: paid practice. iPad in your workflow. iPhone in your workflow. Clients who expect a polished link rather than a static PDF. A roster that crosses 25 names. Languages other than English in your client list.
Pricing on Mac over 5 years
The total cost of ownership over 5 years on a Mac, including upgrades and Parallels where relevant:
- Astro Gold: $299 license, plus $50 iOS, plus 1 to 2 paid upgrades at $100 each over 5 years. Estimated $449 to $549.
- TimePassages: $249 Mac, plus $30 iOS. Roughly $279 to $329.
- Halloran on Parallels: $200 license plus $99 per year Parallels. Roughly $200 to $700 depending on Parallels.
- Solar Fire on Parallels: $360 license plus 2 upgrades plus Parallels. Roughly $700.
- Astrolium Adept: $348 per year. 5 year total $870.
The cost framing changes when you factor what each replaces. Astrolium also replaces Calendly ($12 per month), a Notion CRM, a Canva subscription for branded PDFs ($15 per month), and sometimes Stripe Invoicing setup time. For paid practitioners those alone exceed $30 per month, so Pro is net cheaper than the glued-together status quo. For hobbyists, the native Mac apps are cheaper.
Continue exploring
- Free astrology software: Astro.com, Astro-Seek, Astrolabe Free, Lunarium, plus Astrolium's free tier
- Astro Gold vs Astrolium: the native Mac deep comparison
- Solar Fire vs Astrolium: when paid Windows desktop still wins
- Predictive timing feature: the live scrubber Mac astrologers ask about most
- Pricing: plans, Free tier