Top CoParenting Apps Considered

If you’re coparenting, you’ve probably had more than one person recommend a coparenting app. So, which one should you use?

Here are our top four picks for coparenting apps. Each one has served hundreds of thousands of parents and has been around for at least a decade.  Read through their features and costs, and think about which one might save you time and trouble communicating with the other parent of your children.

1. AppClose

AppClose is a popular coparenting app with a wide range of features. Its highlights include:

• • Calendars
  • Messaging for anyone who uses AppClose with you
  • Voice and video calling
  • Expense tracking
  • Payment sending

Within the features, you’ll find more useful tools, like AI that suggests rewritten messages. The messenger also allows group and private chats.

When you want to change parenting time or get reimbursed, you can send your coparent an official request through AppClose. You’ll get statistics on how often they approve and deny your requests, which you can export.

AppClose users increased quickly when it was free. Even though it now has a monthly fee, it’s worth checking out for its low price and variety of tools.

Unique features: Manage multiple coparenting relationships; organize your pet’s care

Weakness: Reddit users report technical issues like poor call quality and inconsistent notifications.

Who can use it: Both parents or just one

Pricing: $5.99 a month (if you pay for two years up front) to $8.99 a month. 60-day free trial.

2. Custody X Change

Custody X Change is great for daily coparenting communication. Its tools to make everyday life easier include:

• • Calendars
  • Messaging between coparents
  • Expense tracking
  • Child-info storage

Little details make a big difference, like getting a warning before you send your coparent a hostile message. You can also share your calendar with guests for free, and import live from a school or sports calendar.

Custody X Change is a huge help if you ever go to court or mediation. For example, it has:

• • Private parenting-time tracking
  • A journal for documentation
  • Free collaboration with your legal pros (Other apps give view access or none at all.)

Since you never know when you might need to prove your side of a dispute, this well-rounded app can be a wise choice.

Unique features: Calculate parenting time; track late arrivals and missed visits; make a parenting plan

Weakness: No discounts for military members or low-income users

Who can use it: Both parents or just one

Pricing: From $6 a month (if you pay for a year up front) to $20 a month. Free trial has no time limit, just limits on what you can do (like print).

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3. OurFamilyWizard

OurFamilyWizard is probably the most well-known coparenting app. Since the company is 25 years old and often works with courts, your lawyer may have recommended this one to you. Courts sometimes order parents to use it when they’ve had a high-conflict relationship.

Its major features include:

• • Calendar
  • Messaging for anyone who uses AppClose with you
  • Voice and video calling
  • Expense tracking
  • Journal 
  • Child-info storage

Features like location check-ins and recorded phone calls help parents stay safe and prove how their interactions go. Calls only go through if both parents have the feature turned on, and they automatically log information like who turned their camera off.

There’s also an in-app payment system so parents can reimburse one another without opening a separate app.

Unique features: Share photos with your coparent and others

Weakness: You have to upgrade plans if you run out of storage space, but clearing up space is difficult.

Who can use it: Both parents must sign up.

Pricing: From $9.17 a month to $25 a month. You have to pay for a year or two at a time. No free trial.

4. TalkingParents

TalkingParents is similar to OurFamilyWizard, but has more limitations. For instance, you can’t give your kids access to the calendar or import an external calendar, like a sports schedule. It’s common among parents with restraining orders.

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Consider reading, “Managing Your Living Expenses After Divorce.”

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Features include:

• • Calendar
  • Messaging between coparents
  • Voice and video calling
  • Expense tracking
  • Journal 
  • Child-info storage

Unalterable records are a hallmark of TalkingParents. Both parents can order certified records of what’s happened in the app. You can have them mailed to you in a sealed evidence bag or download PDFs with a seal proving they haven’t been altered.

Another thing that TalkingParents offers: You’ll know when your coparent viewed a calendar event.

Unique features: Download certified records with authentication codes immediately

Weakness: No access for anyone but your coparent

Who can use it: Both parents must sign up.

Pricing: From $6.42 a month (if you pay for a year up front) to $32 a month. 30-day free trial.

Takeaway

The top coparenting apps have a lot in common. They all offer a calendar, messaging, expense-tracking, a journal, and records for court.

AppClose, OurFamilyWizard, and TalkingParents are solid coparenting apps. If you are in the military or have a low-income, you might apply for their discount programs. Custody X Change has tools the others don’t, while still being great for daily coordination. For instance, it offers more collaboration with your legal pro than the other apps.

Choose the app with the features that matter most to you. You may even decide to sign up for two, using their free trials, to compare their ease and features before you commit.

NOTES

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*We support same-sex marriages. For the sake of simplicity in this article, however, we refer to your spouse as your “husband” or a “he.”