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Every Signal report · 2026-10-27

Astrology apps: how Co-Star, The Pattern, Mirror and CHANI grew

Key facts

• verifiedMidjourney announced on July 24, 2026 that it had bought Co-Star; the deal closed that spring and terms weren't disclosed.
• verifiedCo-Star raised about $21M in total before the sale.
• estimateCo-Star had about 4.3M monthly users at acquisition (Sensor Tower).
• verifiedCHANI was the top-grossing US astrology app in Q1 2026 and runs no ads.
• verifiedCo-Star, The Pattern and Mirror all let you add a person by birthday without them joining.

Every figure is tagged: verified seen directly or in multiple primary sources · estimate third-party tool or press · inferred our reasoning · rumour unreliable source. Quick tier, plus a walk through two live web funnels. We never paid, never logged in, and created no accounts.

Why Midjourney bought Co-Star

Midjourney announced the deal on July 24, 2026; it had closed that spring. Terms weren't disclosed. Co-Star had about 4.3M monthly users estimate and 24 staff, all of whom joined. Banu Guler became Midjourney's Chief Design Officer and still runs Co-Star verified. Midjourney wanted consumer-app and design talent for its first standalone apps, and an astrology image product is planned verified (Bloomberg, Gizmodo, Engadget).

What made Co-Star special

1. Notifications became content. Short, blunt, odd daily lines ("We're all gonna die someday, so take a chance today") were screenshotted and posted daily. BuzzFeed and Teen Vogue wrote about them. This was their marketing verified.
2. Built to be screenshotted. Stark black-and-white design, no infinite scroll, and a table instead of a chart wheel because 80% of visitors were on phones verified. Instagram engagement ran above 7% estimate.
3. Value before the ask. Birth date → time (skippable) → place → your chart. Only then the phone number, notifications, and "add friends" from contacts verified (ScreensDesign walkthrough).
4. Friends are the product. Compatibility with friends is free. Adding someone who isn't on Co-Star costs $2.99, so it's cheaper for both of you if they join verified. Monetization doubles as a referral nudge.
5. Changes every day. Today's sky against your own chart makes each day's reading different, which gives people a reason to open it inferred.
6. Credibility. NASA data plus named staff astrologers verified.
7. Small purchases over a paywall. One-off purchases from $2.99 to $11.99 (crush report, year ahead, Void question packs) next to Pro-Star at $8.99 a month verified. Recent reviews complain about paywall creep estimate.