We asked SIngle Mom Defined community members to share their picks for the best co-parenting apps. We’ve all experienced stress-inducing moments where time and organization just got away from or completely overwhelmed us. Think of being late to pick up your littles from school or activities, missing important appointments, or late-night supply runs for projects that are due the next day. It can be even harder to keep everything on track while kids are moving between two separate households and parents are relying on what they hope is clear communication to manage. Add in additional hurdles like new partners, additional children/blended families, or even grandparents and babysitters that are offering assistance, and the potential for miscommunication increases even more! Co-parenting is challenging no matter what your family situation, but thanks to technology, there are solutions. 

Apps and Communication

Co-parenting apps are changing and enhancing the way single parents communicate. They’re designed to help you do everything from maintaining positive messaging and minimizing conflict to sharing calendars, creating joint task lists, keeping records, and even managing finances. 

So which app is best? 

There is no single ‘best’ one-size-fits-all app for managing custody and communication. The one that’s best for you will depend on your family’s unique needs. There are free apps and paid apps (some of which offer free trials). There are apps that focus solely on messaging and ones that have numerous features, including the capacity for lawyers to mediate. Some apps are family-focused, while others are just for mom and dad. You may need to experiment with a few to find the one that most closely meets your needs and helps your family iron out any communication and organizational wrinkles. 

We asked our Single Mom Defined community to share their favorite co-parenting apps, the ones they rely on the most, and the ones that suggest to other moms.

Best Co-parenting Apps To Manage Custody & Communication

1. FamCal  

FamCal is designed specifically for shared connection through calendar management. Keep everyone in sync via Apple or Android. 

Features: Calendars, events, tasks, notes, contacts, and birthday reminders in one place

Price: Free with in-app purchases

App Store rating: Apple 4.9 | Google Play 4.5

2. Cozi

The Cozi app wants to make it easy for families to stay on top of it all by letting you track your entire crew’s activities in one place, offering color coding for quick management at a glance. You can even share grocery lists and recipes, helping to track things like your kids’ allergies and special diets. 

Features: Family calendar; to-do lists; checklists for things like birthday party planning, vacation planning, and after-school checklists; reminders; day-at-a-glance agenda

Unique spin: Share shopping lists & recipes with household members

Price: There’s a free version, and the option to upgrade to a paid ad-free version for $29.99 per year

App Store rating: Apple 4.8 | Google Play 4.4

3. Our Family Wizard

The Our Family Wizard app is really unique in that it’s actually recommended by court systems across the country because of its tamper-proof messaging and documentation. You can also use the app to negotiate time trades and manage the tone of your two-way feedback via their Tone Meter. If you have a particularly complicated custody situation, this might be the app for you. 

Features: Calendar, documented messaging, expenses, shared calendar

Unique spin: Accepted as documentation by courts in all 50 states, tone meter

Price: A 30-day free trial, then choose between two plans for $144 or $204 per year

App Store rating: Apple 4.6 | Google Play 4.4

4. Onward

Onward’s primary purpose is to simplify communications and money management between co-parents. You can share expenses, create invoices, and get paid back, all within the app.

Features: Expense Management 

Unique spin: Invoicing and parent-to-parent payments

Price: A 30-day free trial, then $9.99/month OR $94.99/year

App Store rating: Apple 4.6 | Google Play 3.9

5. Talking Parents 

Talking Parents has many of the shared features of other co-parenting apps, like secure messaging, shared calendars, and payment processing. Plus, it has accountability features like document storage for photos, receipts, and communication recaps. And “Accountable Calling”, a feature that allows co-parents to communicate via phone call or video chat without giving their phone numbers to each other, and with recordings and transcripts included. 

Features: Secure messaging, shared calendar, payments, document storage

Unique spin: Phone calls with recordings and transcripts included

Price: Choose from a free web-based version, a standard subscription for $9.99 per month, OR a premium subscription for $24.99 per month. Each of the paid subscriptions begins with a 30-day free trial. 

App Store rating: Apple 4.4 | Google Play 3.5

6. 2houses

The 2houses app offers a shared calendar, finance management, and messaging like most other co-parenting apps, and it offers the unique addition of a custody journal. The custody journal lets parents share news, information, pictures, videos, and even parenting quotes with each other. It’s quite a detailed option for helping co-parents to keep each other informed of the family’s day-to-day, no matter which home their kids are currently in. 

Features: Calendar, expenses management, 

Unique spin: Custody journal 

Price: A 14-day free trial, then $170 per year

App Store rating: Apple 4.2 | Google Play 3.3

7. Fayr

The Fayr app aims to support families by providing “incontestable documentation for judges, mediators, guardians ad litem, family lawyers, and others looking to avoid the ‘he said, she said’.” Essentially if your family would benefit from increased levels of intervention to help things run more smoothly, this might be your best option. 

Features: Expenses management, scheduling, messaging, and location tracking

Unique spin: tools for constructive communication, argument diffusion, and emotional support

Price: $9.99 monthly

App Store rating: Apple 4.0 | Google Play 3.2

8. Coparenter

Coparenter is focused on simplifying difficult communication. It includes features typical of other co-parenting apps, like shared scheduling tools. It takes them a step further by including language filters, access to professional mediation and on-demand support, and the ability to create legal agreements that can be used later if needed. 

Features: Shared calendar, communications tools 

Unique spin: Access professional mediators and create legal documents

Price: A 30-day trial, and then $12.99 per month. There are also annual plan options: $119.99 per year for one parent or $199.99 per year for two parents. 

App Store rating: Apple 3.8 | Google Play 3.3

9. WeParent

WeParent is focused on helping families of all types and sizes better manage coordination and communication, keeping the focus on what matters most–the kids. The fact that you can pay for a lifetime membership for your entire family and support system is a huge bonus when you rely on extended family, nannies, and even mediators to help keep your family train on the tracks. One person pays for the subscription, and everyone else is included. 

Features: Custody schedules, events and appointments, secure messaging, lists, contacts, notes, documents, and photos

Unique spin: Designed for all types of families, married, divorced, single, or blended 

Price: Free for 14 days, then $9.99 per month, $99.99 per year, or $199.99 for a lifetime for your entire family. 

App Store rating: Apple 3.8 | Google Play 3.2

Keeping the lines of communication open and the kids at the center of your co-parenting relationship can be challenging. Still, it is possible with the right tools at your disposal. Have you tried co-parenting apps before? Which ones worked well for your family?