Admit it, we are suckers for astrology. We have all checked our astrological signs and blamed the nuances of life on our horoscopes. Exploring the meaning behind our birth chart is fun, which is why the viral app Co-star took off in the first place.
For those of you who may be unaware, Co-Star is an astrology app. Once you open the app, it prompts you to fill the database with your birthday, birth time and birth location to create your birth chart. You will receive your sun, moon and rising sign amongst others as well as daily messages based on those signs.
However, in recent years, the app has been under fire for “trolling” its users with negative and inaccurate daily messages. The founder, Banu Guler, confirmed the unnecessary trolling on The Astrology Podcast back in 2021, stating the app will “troll you a bit.” When one opens the app, they expect to receive a positive message or piece of advice that coincides with their birth chart, but, instead, Guler believes that it is healthiest to think about the worst-case scenario.
We already get dragged by the cosmos, but astrology aids us in interpretation of ourselves and those around us in the best possible light. There is no need for an astrology app to send negative notifications, deeply affecting the emotional state of a user who is simply trying to receive advice for the day.
And, on top of the trolling, the information is completely inaccurate. The Co-Star team has no astrologers on their team, so it is unclear where they get their information. The app also uses something called the house system for the basis of their horoscope readings, which is not recommended by professional astrologers. This leaves those negative messages generalized and inaccurate.
With this outpour of information, you may be confused as to what your next step should be. But, don’t worry. VALLEY has picked out astrology apps with positive and accurate messages to take the place of Co-Star on your home screen.
VALLEY’s Favorite Astrology Apps
The Best Beginner: The Pattern
If you don’t exactly know where to get started on astrology, The Pattern is a great place to start. This app is great for users who want to understand the broad takeaways of their astrology reading without the confusion of vocabulary or chart readings. Expect accurate daily notifications in a down-to-earth format and insights on your life, divided into three categories: foundation, development and relationships. You can read the quick notification or dive deep with a more complex analysis. This app is also great for figuring out relationships as you can put in information about a friend, crush or romantic partner and run a compatibility analysis.
The Best Overall Analysis: Time Passages
This app allows you to dive deep and understand the forces and meanings behind your whole chart, explaining the meanings of your sun, moon, rising, other planets and their houses. This is the ideal app if you truly want to understand the forces behind your horoscope. On the opening page, you have access to a full glossary of your astrology signs, so you don’t have to search the entire app to get your major takeaways. If mercury retrograde is upon us, the app will let you know on the title page. It’s that easy.
The Best for Learning Charts: AstroFuture
Do you want to become more immersed in the world of astrology, but you don’t know where to start? AstroFuture is the next best step to assuming your astrological desires. Like the other apps, users put in their birth information, but the key difference for this app is the chart that you receive. Other apps don’t exactly explain where astrology comes from, but this app offers a deep dive into the derivation of your information.
Has Co-Star ever said anything extremely outlandish or strangely inaccurate to you? Tweet or tag us @VALLEYmag with some of the strangest pieces of information the Co-Star app has presented on your screen.
