Case study
Kundli Jyoti: an astrology app that computes first and explains second
How I built Kundli Jyoti, a Vedic astrology PWA for Indian users: real planetary computation under every reading, an AI layer that only explains, birth data kept on the device, and a free pilot before switching on payments.
At a glance
- Role
- Founder-PM: research, product, design and build
- Company
- Independent product
- Timeline
- Independent · live and ongoing
- Team
- Solo (AI-assisted coding)
- 12
- daily rashifal signs, refreshed hourly
- 27
- nakshatra pages
- ₹199
- planned report price, after the free pilot
- 0
- birth details sent to a server for the kundli
Summary
Kundli Jyoti is a Vedic astrology app live at kundlijyoti.com. It computes kundli, kundli matching and dasha timelines from real planetary positions, then explains them in plain language. An assistant called Ask Jyoti answers follow-up questions. It installs as a PWA, supports family profiles and shares to WhatsApp.
The problem
Astrology is a huge category in India, and most apps follow the same playbook: show a frightening dosha, then sell a ₹5,000 gemstone or a paid call. Users can't tell what was calculated and what was invented. Generic AI chatbots make it worse, because they will happily make up a planetary placement.
Who it's for
Indian users who want a kundli, a marriage match or a daily rashifal without a sales pitch: young adults checking compatibility, families keeping profiles for parents and children, and regular rashifal readers.
Key product decisions
Charge from day one
Faster revenue, but no clean read on whether people value the product or just clicked once.
Free pilot, then a ₹199 report
Chosen
Razorpay checkout is built but switched off. I measure reach and return visits first, and only turn on the ₹199 detailed report once people come back on their own.
Growth
Daily rashifal for 12 signs, panchang for 12 cities and 27 nakshatra pages refresh hourly. They match what people search for every day, which gives users a reason to return and gives search engines fresh pages. WhatsApp sharing turns each kundli match into an invitation.
What's next
- Measure the pilot: weekly users, return rate and reports requested.
- Turn on the ₹199 report once retention justifies it.
- Add Hindi-first readings and more regional languages.