Electional - Comparison
Electional vs SolarFire
SolarFire is the desktop standard for deep chart work. Electional automates the slow part — ranked electional windows, multi-year transit scans, and an API your code can call. Many practitioners run both.
TL;DR
Pick SolarFire for hands-on chart rendering, progressions, returns, and composites on Windows. Pick Electional when you want ranked election windows in seconds, ten-year forward scans, or a Swiss Ephemeris API your apps and AI agents can call.
Side-By-Side
| Dimension | Electional | SolarFire |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web + API + MCP | Windows desktop |
| Ephemeris | Swiss Ephemeris | Swiss Ephemeris |
| Transit scanning | Automated, full-year in < 1 min | Manual chart-by-chart |
| Electional scoring | 72 intents, ranked automatically | Not built-in |
| Transit-to-transit | Built-in, scored | Manual comparison |
| API access | REST API with bearer auth | None |
| Chart rendering | Not yet | Full visual charts |
| Natal chart features | Transit-focused only | Full chart suite |
| Pricing | Credits and memberships | One-time desktop license |
| Updates | Continuous (cloud) | Paid version upgrades |
Who Each Is Best For
Electional Is Best For
- People who want ranked timing instead of manual chart-by-chart work
- Practitioners who need automated electional timing
- Developers building astrology into their own apps
- Anyone who needs an API or MCP integration
SolarFire Is Best For
- Astrologers who need full visual chart rendering
- Practitioners who use progressions, returns, and composites
- Users who prefer one-time licensing over usage pricing
- Windows users who want an offline desktop app
FAQ
Is Electional a SolarFire replacement?
Not entirely. SolarFire still covers chart rendering, progressions, and composites that Electional does not. Electional replaces the manual timing workflow with automated, ranked results.
Does Electional use the same ephemeris as SolarFire?
Yes. Both use Swiss Ephemeris. Electional delivers that precision through a web product and API instead of a desktop app.
Can I use both tools together?
Yes. Many people use Electional for fast scanning and SolarFire for deeper visual chart work.
Cut the manual election work.
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