Best astrology software 2026

Feature-by-feature comparison

Pricing comparison

Frequently asked questions

Why does Astrolium rank first when Solar Fire is more complete?

Because most readers of this page are working practitioners who charge clients, not researchers running primary directions. For the practitioner workflow (cast a chart, attach to a client, take notes, send a deliverable, follow up at the next session) Solar Fire shipped no answer in 1996 and still ships none in 2026. Astrolium is built around that workflow. For the deep-traditional researcher, Solar Fire is still the right tool and we say so.

Are all 7 tools mathematically equivalent?

The 6 that use Swiss Ephemeris produce identical planetary longitudes to better than 1 arc second. ZET uses its own internal engine that is Swiss-compatible to within a fraction of a second for the modern range (1800 to 2200). Any difference between programs on the same chart is configuration (house system, bound table, asteroid spellings), not math. So picking among them is a workflow question, not an accuracy question.

Is LUNA a real Astrolium competitor?

Yes, LUNA is the closest spiritual competitor: browser-first, modern UI, subscription, traditional-leaning. The differences are size and feature depth. Astrolium ships 23 house systems versus LUNA's 10; the full 20,000 asteroid catalog versus LUNA's top 30; first-class Zodiacal Releasing versus LUNA's partial implementation; AI assistant in 9 languages versus none. Astrolium also ships a real CRM module where LUNA ships a light one.

What about Astro.com, Astro-Seek, or Cafe Astrology?

Those are free chart web tools, not software. Astro.com (Astrodienst) is the reference for free chart casting and ships excellent extended modules (synastry, AstroClick) behind a paywall. Astro-Seek and Cafe Astrology are useful for quick free charts. None of the 3 is a working-practitioner workspace, and none ships a CRM, predictive scrubber, or AI assistant. For free chart casting they are excellent; for a practice workspace they are not in scope.

Which tool is best for students learning Hellenistic astrology?

Astrolium first, then Solar Fire. Astrolium ships Zodiacal Releasing for Spirit and Fortune, the 7 Hermetic Lots, the Hand-Schmidt bound table by default, and the Hellenistic school setting on the AI assistant. Solar Fire ships the technical library but the Hellenistic-specific features (ZR, lots, bounds) are scripts and add-ons rather than first-class. Chris Brennan's Hellenistic Astrology course recommends both.

Will any of these tools shut down soon?

Sirius (Cosmic Patterns), Solar Fire (Esoteric Technologies), and ZET have all shipped continuously for 20 plus years and show no sign of stopping. Astro Gold ships from the Solar Fire team and is funded the same way. TimePassages from Astrograph is stable. LUNA is a smaller team with a shorter track record. Astrolium is a 2026 product with a small, bootstrapped team. The honest risk on Astrolium is that we are new. The mitigation is full data export at any time: .SFCHT, JSON, PDF, plus a monthly automated backup to your email.

What is the 5 year total cost of each?

Solar Fire: $520 to $700 (license plus upgrades plus Parallels for Mac). Astro Gold: $200 to $300 (no Parallels needed). TimePassages: $249 to $349. ZET: $80 to $130. Sirius: $430 to $550. LUNA: $900 (60 months at $15). Astrolium Adept: $1,450 annual, $1,740 monthly (5yr). On pure license cost, ZET and Astro Gold win. On total cost of the practice (including the tools Astrolium replaces: Notion, Canva, intake forms, consent records, CRM), Astrolium pays for itself in month 1 for most working practitioners.