The synthesis done for you, in Vedic, and saved.
The short answer
Where Cafe Astrology falls short
In fairness, what Cafe Astrology does well
Cafe Astrology is a large free reference site: chart calculation, and a genuinely deep archive of interpretation pages for planets in signs, planets in houses, aspects and transits. Many astrologers learned from it.
The four pillars
AstroPal
AstroPal computes every chart with the Swiss Ephemeris in the sidereal zodiac. Lahiri is the default ayanamsa, with Raman, KP and Krishnamurti selectable. Twelve divisional charts from D1 to D30, planetary strength and the full Vimshottari mahadasha and antardasha tree are calculated for every birth, not just the D1.
Cafe Astrology
The calculation is fine and the interpretation pages are careful, so this is not a criticism of the astrology. It is a criticism of the format: you look up your Mars in Scorpio, then your Mars in the eighth, then each aspect, and you are left assembling the synthesis yourself. AstroPal computes the chart and does the synthesis, weighing planetary strength, the relevant divisional chart and the dasha period together.
AstroPal
One flat monthly price, and then nothing further. No per-minute meter, no per-report checkout, no charge for a follow-up question. The Kundali, Kundali Milan, Varshphal and baby name reports are free for everyone, PDF export included, and the entire Academy is open without an account.
Cafe Astrology
Free, which is admirable. AstroPal is free for the Kundali, Kundali Milan, Varshphal and baby name reports, and free for the whole Academy, with the subscription covering synthesis and unlimited questions.
AstroPal
Eleven full-length Vedic reports covering career, wealth, health, marriage, relationships, muhurat, numerology and Varshphal. Four are free forever. Every one is saved to your account, reopenable months later, and exports to PDF straight from the browser, with unlimited follow-up questions included.
Cafe Astrology
A reference archive is not a report. AstroPal ships 11 written reports, four free forever, saved to your account and exportable to PDF, each written against your specific chart rather than assembled from generic pages.
AstroPal
Eight structured courses with ordered modules, lessons and quizzes, free and open without an account. They run from reading a first birth chart through yogas, Saade Sati, the Vimshottari dasha tree, nakshatras and planetary strength, so you can check the reasoning behind any answer rather than trusting it.
Cafe Astrology
Cafe Astrology is a lookup library. AstroPal publishes 8 structured courses with ordered modules, lessons and quizzes, which is a syllabus rather than an index, and covers Vedic material a Western archive does not contain.
The reports
Every one is computed from your own chart, saved to your account, and downloadable as a PDF. Four are free forever; the rest are included with a paid plan.
FreeKundaliYour full Vedic birth chartRead more
FreeKundali Milan / Compatibility ReportTwo charts. One classical reading.Read more
PaidCareer ReportYour professional destiny decodedRead more
FreeVarshphalYour next 12 months, month by monthRead more
PaidHealth ReportUnderstand your body through your chartRead more
FreeBaby Name ReportThe most auspicious name for your childRead more
PaidMuhurat ReportThe right moment changes everythingRead more
PaidRelationship ReportYour love life, read straight from your chartRead more
PaidWealth ReportYour financial destiny decodedRead more
PaidLife Numerology ReportYour life read through the numbersRead more
PaidLife After Marriage ReportWhat does married life look like for the two of you?Read moreScroll for all 11. Kundali, Kundali Milan, Varshphal and the baby name report are free for everyone.
Side by side
Where Cafe Astrology does not publish something, the row says so rather than guessing on their behalf.
| Feature | AstroPal | Cafe Astrology |
|---|---|---|
| Astrology system | Vedic (sidereal), and nothing else | Western (tropical zodiac) |
| Calculation engine | Swiss Ephemeris, the same library professional astrologers audit against | Standard Western chart computation |
| Ayanamsa | Lahiri by default, with Raman, KP and Krishnamurti selectable | Not applicable to tropical astrology |
| Divisional charts | 12 vargas, D1 through D30, computed for every chart | Not offered |
| Dasha analysis | Vimshottari mahadasha and antardasha, with dated timing charts | Not offered |
| Who answers you | One engine reading your full chart, identical every session | A reference archive, looked up manually |
| Follow-up questions | Unlimited. Asking again never costs more | Not applicable |
| Written reports | 11 reports, 4 of them free forever, every one exportable to PDF | Not offered in personalised form |
| Learning material | A free 8-course Academy, open without an account | A deep interpretation archive |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly, ₹501 / month for Pro, with a free tier. Asking again never costs extra | Free, advertising supported |
Astrology system
AstroPal
Vedic (sidereal), and nothing else
Cafe Astrology
Western (tropical zodiac)
Calculation engine
AstroPal
Swiss Ephemeris, the same library professional astrologers audit against
Cafe Astrology
Standard Western chart computation
Ayanamsa
AstroPal
Lahiri by default, with Raman, KP and Krishnamurti selectable
Cafe Astrology
Not applicable to tropical astrology
Divisional charts
AstroPal
12 vargas, D1 through D30, computed for every chart
Cafe Astrology
Not offered
Dasha analysis
AstroPal
Vimshottari mahadasha and antardasha, with dated timing charts
Cafe Astrology
Not offered
Who answers you
AstroPal
One engine reading your full chart, identical every session
Cafe Astrology
A reference archive, looked up manually
Follow-up questions
AstroPal
Unlimited. Asking again never costs more
Cafe Astrology
Not applicable
Written reports
AstroPal
11 reports, 4 of them free forever, every one exportable to PDF
Cafe Astrology
Not offered in personalised form
Learning material
AstroPal
A free 8-course Academy, open without an account
Cafe Astrology
A deep interpretation archive
Pricing model
AstroPal
Flat monthly, ₹501 / month for Pro, with a free tier. Asking again never costs extra
Cafe Astrology
Free, advertising supported
Choose AstroPal if
Choose Cafe Astrology only if
The verdict
AstroPal does the synthesis a lookup archive cannot: it weighs planetary strength, the relevant divisional chart and the running dasha together, writes the result into 11 reports with 4 free, and teaches the method through 8 free courses. Cafe Astrology is a genuinely good free library, but it is Western, and it leaves the assembly to you.
Weighing placements against each other rather than reading them one at a time: how strong the planet actually is, what the relevant divisional chart says, and which dasha is running. AstroPal does that automatically; a lookup archive leaves it to you.
The closest free equivalent is the AstroPal Academy: 8 structured courses with lessons and quizzes, open without an account, covering yogas, dasha timing, nakshatras, Saade Sati and planetary strength.
Yes, a full Kundali computed with the Swiss Ephemeris, with 12 divisional charts and PDF export, free for everyone.
Keep comparing
Everything included
Free Kundali, free Kundali Milan, 4 full reports at no cost, and 8 Academy courses open without an account. No card required.
Competitor details are summarised from publicly available information and change often, especially pricing. Check the vendor site before deciding. Where a company does not publish something, we say so rather than guessing.
