Comparison

STAR/CHILD vs Beacon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

STAR/CHILD

This app provides personalized astrological insights for parents, offering detailed relationship breakdowns and birth chart analyses for your entire family. It delivers daily horoscopes, audio readings, and weekly previews to help you understand your children's needs and enhance your parenting style.

Highlights
  • Family relationship breakdowns
  • Full birth charts and analysis
  • Daily horoscopes for parents and kids
  • Daily and weekly audio astrology readings
  • Whole Sky horoscope tracking
  • Downloadable parenting guides
Read full description

STAR/CHILD is the only astrology app just for parenting. It’s a complete parenting playbook based on your unique astrological chart and the charts of your whole family. Here’s what you get to work with: * Ultra-detailed relationship breakdowns that unpack what astrology says about your relationship with your kids and co-parents (and how they vibe with each other too) * Full birth charts for everyone in your family along with an extensive and highly specific analysis of what each of your placements has to say about your parenting style — and what your kids’ charts have to say about what exactly they’re likely to need most from you in order to thrive. * Daily horoscopes for you and each of your kids that take everything happening up in the sky and translate it into the essential things you need to know to make the most of your parenting life on any given day. * Daily audio readings to give you the essential rundown of the day: what's the vibe, what to expect, and how to make the most of it. * Weekly audio astrology previews to take you deep into the coming week's astrology and what it means for life with kids (and life in general). * Whole Sky horoscopes to show you where every planet, luminary, and node are in the sky on any given day: what sign they're in, what house they're in for you specifically, and what you need to know about each transit. * Downloadable guides that go in deep (we mean super deep) on what your Sun, Rising, and Moon signs say about your parenting superpowers, how you emotionally process things, what parts of life with kids might be challenging for you, and how to deal with all of it. Your family isn’t like anyone else’s. This is your super-detailed guidebook to life with your weird little crew, specifically. Just as they are, just as you are, explained by the astrology of the moment you were born, and every moment you’re living in now. Terms of Service: https://www.starchild.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.starchild.app/privacy-policy

About

Beacon

Connect with other mothers during challenging postpartum moments. Share your experience anonymously on a live map, track your baby's needs, monitor your mood, and access helpful resources and community support.

Highlights
  • Live map of awake mothers
  • Baby feeding, sleep, and diaper tracker
  • Mood and wellness tracking
  • Postpartum journaling
  • Community forum
  • Expert resources and guides
  • Helpful tools and calculators
Features
Read full description

Motherhood is beautiful, but at 2AM when you're the only one awake, it can feel impossibly lonely. Beacon shows you that you're not alone and lets you connect with other moms in your neighborhood or across the globe. Open the app and see a live map of mothers who are awake right now, near you. Light your own beacon so another mom knows she's not the only one up. Track your mood, log your baby's feeds, sleep, and diaper changes and connect with a community of women who truly get it. LIGHT YOUR BEACON Share your light anonymously and see thousands of other moms' beacons glowing across the map. Locations are randomized within 10 miles of your true location to keep you safe while helping you feel connected. Knowing other mothers are awake and showing up is a powerful reminder: you are not alone in this. CIRCLES: YOUR SMALL GROUP OF MOMS Get matched into a private Circle of a few moms like you, based on where you are in your motherhood journey. Circles are small on purpose, so it feels like real friendship. BABY TRACKER Log your baby's feedings, sleep, and diaper changes in seconds. See patterns over time and simplify those conversations with your pediatrician or partner. Whether you're breastfeeding, pumping, or formula feeding, Beacon makes tracking effortless. MOOD & WELLNESS TRACKING Log your mood, sleep, energy, and emotions each day. Watch patterns unfold over time and gain real insight into your mental health during postpartum recovery. Use your mood data to start honest conversations with your partner, provider, or therapist. POSTPARTUM JOURNAL Capture your thoughts, milestones, and feelings as you navigate early motherhood. Write when you need to process, celebrate, or simply vent. Your journal is private and always there when you need it. COMMUNITY FORUM Connect with other moms in a private, supportive space. Ask questions, share your story, offer encouragement, or just vent without judgment. No highlight reels — just real mothers supporting each other through the ups and downs. TRUSTED GUIDES & RESOURCES Access expert-backed information written specifically for postpartum life — from healing tips and nutrition guidance to relationship advice, mental health tools, and newborn care essentials. HELPFUL TOOLS & CALCULATORS Simplify your day with breastfeeding and pumping calculators, postpartum exercise guidance, recovery checklists, and daily self-care reminders including mindfulness exercises and gentle movement ideas. SAFE & PRIVATE Your location, data, and personal information are always protected. Beacons appear only as randomized points within 10 miles of your true location. WHY MOMS LOVE BEACON Real, honest, and supportive — not another highlight reel. Beacon helps you see that you're part of something bigger: a network of mothers lighting up the world together. Whether you're a first-time mom navigating sleepless nights, a seasoned parent balancing it all, or someone healing from postpartum anxiety or depression, Beacon is a gentle reminder that your light matters. Download Beacon today. Even in your darkest nights, there are lights shining with you. Subscription Information: Beacon offers optional premium subscriptions with auto-renewable billing: Monthly: $9.99/month Annual: $59.99/year (save 50%) Premium features include detailed mood tracking, baby tracker, AI-powered insights, advanced analytics, community forum access, postpartum journal, and premium guides. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://kindred-spirits-beacon.lovable.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

STAR/CHILD4 screens
Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Beacon at 91% against STAR/CHILD's 36%. Beacon also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. STAR/CHILD sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Beacon sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Beacon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 401 and 483 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of STAR/CHILD's written reviews are positive against 91% of Beacon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

STAR/CHILD ships an update monthly, Beacon every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
STAR/CHILD versus Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSTAR/CHILDBeacon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (401 ratings)4.9 (483 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.2% of reviews91.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings401483 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.215.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTAR/CHILDKeagan Scott

Customer experience

STAR/CHILD

All ratings401 ratings
Positive81.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive36.2%
Neutral33.3%
Negative30.5%

Beacon

All ratings483 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive91.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.4%

Bugs and requests

STAR/CHILD

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes on launch or when opening
  • Login screen loops infinitely
  • Users logged out repeatedly throughout the day
  • Account data wiped requiring re-input of information
  • New app update reverts to old interface
Show 9 more
  • Daily horoscopes not updating or loading late
  • Weekly readings showing previous week's content
  • Multiple family members showing identical horoscopes despite different signs
  • Co-parent horoscopes lagging days behind other users
  • Date adjustment feature not functioning properly
  • Email sign-up code not being received
  • Charts showing incorrect house placements
  • Inconsistent data across different profiles
  • App stuck on previous week's content

Requested features

13 requests
  • Multiple house system options (Placidus, Porphyry, Equal House)
  • Synastry and composite chart analysis
  • Relational analysis comparing parent-child charts
  • Ability to add grandchildren and extended family
  • Automatic daily reading uploads at consistent times
Show 8 more
  • Bulk weekly reading uploads
  • Subtitles for audio-only features
  • Email update functionality
  • Visible logout button in settings
  • Free trial period before paid subscription
  • Educational content for children
  • Aspect and placement details in charts
  • Relationship analysis between family members

Beacon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

STAR/CHILD

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Monthly$10.001 Month
  • Yearly$99.001 Year
3 purchases

Beacon

Subscriptions3
  • Beacon Premium (Weekly)$4.997 Days
  • Beacon Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Beacon Premium (Annual)$44.991 Year

Questions

Is STAR/CHILD free?
STAR/CHILD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beacon free?
Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, STAR/CHILD or Beacon?
Beacon is rated higher. STAR/CHILD averages 4.4 out of 5 from 401 ratings, while Beacon averages 4.9 from 483 ratings.
Do STAR/CHILD or Beacon have ads?
STAR/CHILD shows ads; Beacon does not.
Which is updated more often, STAR/CHILD or Beacon?
STAR/CHILD ships an update monthly, and Beacon every 8 days. Most recently, STAR/CHILD was updated on October 16, 2026 and Beacon on October 13, 2026.

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