Co-parenting comes with a lot of challenges, whether the parents get along or not. Navigating all the necessary information for the kids, from child support to custody dates to expenses, can be overwhelming. The whole process becomes even more frustrating when communication with the other parent causes friction.
The best co-parenting apps help make the experience easier for parents and children. “Apps are a welcome tool to help parents go from being warring gladiators to being cooperative parents,” family law attorney Vicki L. Shemin, JD, tells PS.
Adjusting to a new normal after a divorce can take some getting used to, but Shemin explains that “apps can save parents from the uncertainty and anxiety of co-parenting by providing a single platform for managing all aspects of their co-parenting responsibilities.” She shared that “while some of these do incur costs, they are much more affordable than working with lawyers!”
Using a dedicated app to keep track of all co-parenting tasks requires cooperation from both parents. Each parent must agree on an app and make the effort to use it appropriately. This can be challenging in and of itself, but if you have issues with the other parent, you can get a court order to use a co-parenting app.
To help you master co-parenting powerfully and easily, PS has compiled the best apps for co-parenting, all of which are court-approved.
Experts featured in this article
Vicki L. Shemin, JD, LICSW, ACSW is a family law attorney, mediator, and parenting coordinator.
The 7 best co-parenting apps
Best Overall: OurFamilyWizard
Price: $13-25 per month
Despite the high price, OurFamilyWizard is the best co-parenting app for families. Shemin shared her experience: “OurFamilyWizard has been around for 20 years and is probably the most well-known and popular co-parenting app.”
The app offers a shared calendar, secure messaging, expense tracking, and document storage, all aimed at reducing conflict and improving collaboration. The robust reporting features also provide an accurate record of interactions, which can be helpful in legal situations.
OurFamilyWizard's standout feature is a tone meter that helps parents communicate more effectively and reduce conflict. The tone meter works like an emotional spell checker, analyzing the tone of a message before it's sent and flagging potentially negative or emotionally charged language.
Best free option: Cozi
Price: Free
Cozi offers a free, all-in-one solution for family organization. The easy-to-use interface includes a shared calendar, to-do lists, shopping lists, and a family journal, so parents can easily coordinate schedules, manage tasks, and keep everyone on the same page.
While Cozi isn't specifically designed for co-parenting, its versatile features and ability to sync across multiple devices make it a great tool for parents who want to stay organized and communicate effectively without the expense of a paid app.
Best for communication: TalkingParents
Price: Free, with upgrades ranging from $10 to $25 per month
TalkingParents provides a secure and reliable platform that ensures every message, call and video chat is recorded and cannot be edited or deleted. This creates a clear, immutable record of all interactions, which can be critical in litigation or custody cases.
When calls are made within the app, phone numbers are also not shared with the respective party. This feature is especially useful if a parent does not want to communicate outside of the app, wants to maintain a certain level of privacy, or simply wants to set a boundary.
The app's user-friendly interface and features like shared calendars, file storage, and payment tracking help parents stay organized and maintain clear, consistent communication. TalkingParents offers a free version with features limited to messaging and calendars. To access all communication features, such as phone and video calls, an upgrade to the premium version is required.
Best for audio and video calls: AppClose
Price: Free
A free option for secure communications, AppClose offers high-quality communication features that allow parents to stay connected without having to share personal phone numbers. The app's built-in calling system ensures that all interactions are logged and stored, providing an immutable record of communications that can be referenced when needed.
The recording feature is particularly helpful for maintaining privacy and avoiding conflicts, as all calls are documented in the app's secure environment. With its user-friendly interface and focus on privacy and accountability, the app also offers secure messaging, shared calendars, expense tracking, and document storage – all in a private, encrypted environment.
Best for safety: Fayr
Price: $10 per month
Fayr places great importance on protecting data through advanced security measures and encryption protocols. Every interaction, including messages, spending and location tracking, is stored securely and cannot be altered. This ensures a reliable and tamper-proof record that can be used in legal situations. The app's focus on privacy means that all personal data is protected from unauthorized access.
A key feature of Fayr is the ability to drop a geo-pin at a specific location. For parents who need to meet for custody exchanges or other purposes, Shemin says this provides irrefutable proof that both parties were present at the agreed time. This feature is useful when inaccurate information is provided at meetings.
Best for live support: coParenter
Price: $9-20 per month
For conflict-prone parents, the CoParenter app offers on-demand access to professional mediators and parenting experts who can help with conflict resolution and decision-making in real-time. This unique feature sets it apart from other co-parenting apps as it provides immediate help from trained professionals to navigate difficult situations, reducing the need for costly legal interventions.
CoParenter allows parents to receive advice on everything from custody agreements to communication strategies, ensuring they have the support they need to co-parent their children effectively and peacefully at all times. The app also offers guided parenting plans, secure messaging, expense tracking, location check-ins, and document storage designed to facilitate effective and peaceful co-parenting.
Best for time management: Custody change
Price: $7-31 per month
Creating a parenting plan is one of the most important starting points for successful co-parenting. Custody X Change offers highly customizable tools to help parents create detailed, court-ready plans tailored to their needs. The app offers a variety of templates and suggestions to help parents precisely establish custody schedules, vacation arrangements, and special provisions. The drag-and-drop calendar feature makes scheduling easy, while built-in calculators ensure time is divided accurately.
The app can also produce professional documents that meet legal standards, making it an invaluable resource for parents who want to create clear and enforceable parenting plans without the need for extensive legal advice.
