Answers
What runs natively on macOS, what runs in a browser, and what each one costs and leaves out.
Yes. Solar Fire X, Astro Gold and TimePassages all have desktop versions for macOS, and Astrolium, Astrologer and Steliara run in any browser with nothing to install. Which fits depends on whether you want a calculator or a practice workspace.
Not long ago the first half of that answer was different. Solar Fire, the long-time reference for professional work, was Windows only, and its makers told Mac users to run it under emulation. That changed with Solar Fire X, which Astrolabe now sells as a native Mac app. So the old advice, "use a browser tool because the serious programs are Windows only", is out of date, and the real choice is between a native program and a browser one on its merits.
Every price and platform below was read on the maker's own page on 28 October 2026, and the sources are listed under the table. Software changes quickly, so check again before you buy.
| Program | On a Mac | Also runs on | Price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Fire X | Native Mac app. Needs macOS 14 or newer, Intel or Apple silicon, no Windows or Parallels | Windows 10 and 11 | US$360 for a new licence | Solar Fire 9 is no longer sold. X brings Solar Fire 9 charts across with a migration utility |
| Astro Gold | Native macOS app | Windows, iPad and iPhone, Android | US$249.99 on its macOS page | One of the few here with a phone and tablet version of the same program |
| TimePassages | Desktop edition for macOS 11 or newer. Its page does not say whether the Mac build is native | Windows, plus an iPhone and Android app | Basic $79, Standard $179, Advanced $279, Complete Package $699 | Four editions, so check which one has what you need |
| Astrolium | Browser | Its free plan lists Mac, PC and tablet | Free, Pro $11, Adept $29, Master $79 a month | The free plan has five client profiles and unlimited natal charts |
| Astrologer | Browser, plus native desktop apps for macOS and Windows | iPhone, iPad and Android: add it to the home screen | No price on its home page | Calculates astrocartography, and has a client CRM and scheduling built in |
| Steliara | Browser, nothing to install | Windows and tablets, in any browser | Practitioner $24, Studio $39 a month | Six house systems, no astrocartography, no Vedic work, no offline mode, no free tier |
Sources, all read on 28 October 2026: alabe.com/solar-fire-x-buy.html, sfx.alabe.com/system-requirements, alabe.com/support/windowsmac.htm, astrogold.io/get-astro-gold/for-macos, astrograph.com/timepassages/editions, astrolium.com/pricing, astrologerapp.org.
A native program lives on your machine, so it does not need a connection to calculate a chart. The cost is that the program, your charts and your records live on one computer, and moving to a new Mac or to a tablet means moving files. Solar Fire X, Astro Gold and TimePassages are all in this group, and for deep calculation, with many house systems, mapping and long lists of techniques, they usually go further than any browser tool.
A browser tool lives in your account. The same charts and the same people are there on your Mac, your Windows laptop and a tablet, with nothing to install and nothing to update. The cost is that it needs a connection, and that the depth of technique varies a lot between tools. Astrolium and Astrologer lean towards breadth of techniques and a practice side. Steliara leans towards the practice side only.
If you already own Solar Fire 9 or an older version, the same page that sells Solar Fire X says the old versions are not officially supported on a Mac. People who run them there use an Intel Mac with Windows and an emulation program. Astrolabe describes that route only for Intel Macs, which is one more reason the native X is worth a look.
Steliara is a browser workspace, which on a Mac is neither an advantage nor a handicap: it works the same on macOS as on Windows. It is not the widest option and it is not the cheapest. It has six house systems against the 30 Solar Fire lists, no astrocartography, no Vedic dashas, no offline mode and no free tier, and if any of those matter most to you, one of the programs above is the better choice.
What it adds is the side of the work these programs leave to other tools. Every person you read for has a profile that keeps their notes, charts and past sessions together, and the consultation itself can be run as a video call in the app, with the audio recorded once both sides agree, transcribed and summarized. Recording, transcripts and summaries are on the Studio plan.
AI will never read a chart for you. It just finds the facts faster: the aspects, the exact dates, where a planet sits. The summary captures what you said. You stay the astrologer.
There is no single best. If you want a calculator you own and use offline, Solar Fire X, Astro Gold or TimePassages are the native Mac choices. If you want the people you read for and the sessions in the same place as the charts, a browser workspace such as Astrolium, Astrologer or Steliara fits better, and works the same on a Mac as on Windows.
The current version does. Solar Fire X is a native Mac app for macOS 14 or newer on Intel or Apple silicon Macs, and Astrolabe states that Parallels and Windows are not required. Solar Fire 9 is no longer sold. For Solar Fire 9 and earlier, Astrolabe's support page says it does not officially support them on a Mac, and that customers who run them there use an Intel Mac with Windows and an emulation program such as Boot Camp or Parallels.
Astrolium publishes a free plan that lists Mac, PC and tablet, with five client profiles and unlimited natal charts, on its pricing page as of 28 October 2026. The other programs here are paid: Steliara has no free tier but gives every account a 14-day trial of every feature with no card.
Astrolabe says Solar Fire X has an Apple silicon version that runs natively without Rosetta. The Astro Gold and TimePassages pages we read do not say either way, so check with the maker before you buy. The browser tools run in any current browser, so the chip makes no difference.
For calculation depth, a native program such as Solar Fire X usually offers more options, and it works with no connection. A browser workspace gives you the same account on any machine and keeps your records in one place, but needs an internet connection. Steliara is one of those: it has six house systems, no astrocartography and no Vedic dashas, and no offline mode.
Everything about every person you read for, including the actual recorded consultations, in one place, on a Mac or anything else with a browser.
Start free, no card neededLast reviewed 28 October 2026.