If you don’t know what Co--Star is then you’ve probably never had a friend frantically text you, begging you to download the app so they could analyze your birth chart. (I’ve been that friend many times.) But there’s a deeper and darker reality to Co--Star than just the questionable daily notifications the app sends you. According to Co--Star’s website, it is the “hyper-personalized, social astrology experience.” The app claims to use NASA data infused with professional astrologers’ insight to generate insights about your personality and future. While that all sounds promising, there have been many accusations about whether or not the creators of the app know enough about astrology to be handing out this information.  

Now before we get into the bad about the app, I want to touch on why Co--Star is so popular. While there are other great, free, and more reliable Astrology apps, Co--Star is the only one that allows you to add friends to access their birth charts at all times. This is a great feature for those Astrology Nerds who study their friends’ charts whenever any little thing happens (I’m calling myself out here). While that feature is really special for Astrology Nerds, you can also collect screenshots of charts and put them in a folder in your Photos app, or even create a document with every Birth Chart of people in your life.

On June 3, 2020, Co--Star posted a meme about the Black Lives Matter protests, writing what roles the signs would take at the protests. It is extremely unacceptable and inappropriate to joke about the fight for equality, especially in a way that romanticizes the movement and protests. It was soon deleted and re-uploaded with an apology. @rostylr on Twitter tweeted that on that same day, her ‘day at a glance’ notification said: “nothing is as exhilarating as being shot at without being hit.” While Co--Star uses auto-generated messages, this message should never be okay to send to anyone ever. 

But that wasn’t Co--Star’s only problematic post. Co--Star posted a meme about what the signs would do if someone goes missing, and Aries’ was to go into a manic episode. This post not only mocked people who suffer from mania but also romanticizes mental illness as a quirky thing that Aries suffer from. Mental illness is not and should not be associated with any sign, and should not be something to make fun of. 

Speaking of Co--Star’s auto-generated messages, the app has come into the limelight for its brutal messages that are sent daily to users. Some examples of messages are as follows: “research the pharmaceutical industry”, “don’t get back with your ex”, “how about you don’t expect to be understood today?” and “try not to talk shit today.” Many users on Twitter reported that they deleted the app due to the impact that the messages caused on their mental health. 

Along with these messages, Co--Star has a feature that tells you your day at a glance, which subsequently informs you of areas that you may have trouble with, but most of the times the troubled areas aren’t even accurate if you cross-reference with a more accurate app, The Pattern. Co--Star also has a feature telling you who to avoid in your contacts (which is a really strange concept) as well as who you can learn from. I found a screenshot in my camera roll from August of 2020, in which the app told me to do and do not do certain things. Among the do’s, flashlights, supermarkets, and card tricks, and among the don’t’s, melons, campgrounds, and tomato juice. What the hell does a melon have to do with my Birth Chart and my horoscope? 

If it couldn’t get any worse, the creator of Co-Star revealed in an interview that the messages are to troll the users. “When you’re good, you [get] a lot of trines and sextiles, we will troll you a bit”. Now, I personally don’t understand the point of trolling your users into bad mental health if your pattern is actually doing well. The creator also said that she intended to “push people...it’s healthy to think about the worst thing that can happen and become comfortable with that.” This statement is pretty bold from someone who created an app after spending a few months studying astrology. I don’t know about you, but I would not trust an app where the creator has admitted to trolling its users for actual information on astrology.

I have to add that Co--Star is also not a great app because it enforces that your Big 3 (Sun, Moon, and Rising) are your most important signs, as well as that you only have ten major signs that contribute to your chart. A true birth chart should consist of Houses, as well as trines, sextiles, squares, and other aspects that are equally as important. Besides the ten planets that Co--Star touches on, there are other placements that Co--Star leaves out. Some other important placements and planets are Lillith, North Node and South Node, Midheaven, and Chiron. 

Additionally, some users have found that aspects of their charts have been false with Co--Star, like your Moon sign, Rising sign, and house placements. The sole reason for this is that Co--Star utilizes the Porphyry System, which is a completely different system than most astrology websites use, one that can change what your placements say on other websites and induce confusion. While the Porphyry System that Co--Star employs is not a scam, as it stems from the ancient philosopher Porphyry, it is only used by about 5% of Astrologists. This system creates houses by dividing each of the four quadrants into three equal-sized segments. The more widely used and trusted House System is the Placidus System. The Placidus system is based on time on each degree of moving time. The Placidus House System is more widely used in Western Astrology, as the Porphyry System is mainly now out of use. 

I could go on for eons about how much I hate Co--Star and how it enforced compatibility to be simply ruled by Sun-Sun signs, but I have a word limit. So let’s talk about replacements for Co--Star. Time Passages is a really great replacement and really great for beginners. The Pattern, Time Nomad, Sanctuary, Charts, and Astrology Zone are other really great replacements for Co--Star. If you rock more with websites, I cannot recommend cafeastrology.com and astro.com more. 

If you don’t want to listen to me, listen to SZA: