by Attorney Tana Landau
One of the biggest challenges divorcing parents face is learning how to communicate effectively. Co-parenting apps are a useful aid in maintaining a healthy co-parenting relationship with your ex. Co-parenting apps can help manage schedules, keep the other parent informed and notified of upcoming appointments, maintain vital records, track expenses, and share photos. Here’s a roundup of some of the best co-parenting apps around, and what they can do for you and your family.
Standard features available on most apps:
- Shared calendar
- Documented messaging
- Expense tracking and reimbursements
- Shared documents
- Check-in records
coPARENTER
coParenter was designed by a former Judge and family law educator, so when you sign up you can rest easy knowing the app is optimized to work well within the legal system. Co Parenter offers real-time conflict resolution services provided by legal specialists such as family law attorneys, therapists, and social workers. One of the best features of coParenter is its ‘Coaching Mode,’ a setting that offers live tips on effective co-parenting skills. coParenter also offers:
- ‘Solo Mode’ for use of the app even if your co-parent refuses to do the same
- Flagging of curse words, inflammatory phrases, and offensive names to prevent conversation escalation
- Extra add-ons: journal, agreement sharing, add extra coparents
Cost: $12.99/month or $119.99/year (or $199.99/year for two co-parents)
OUR FAMILY WIZARD
Our Family Wizard was one of the original coparenting apps and as such is well known and appreciated by professionals in the legal community. Our Family Wizard can add an unlimited number of ‘accessing members’ (such as attorneys and mediators) to track conversations. This feature is especially helpful in highly contentious cases, as is the ‘Tone Meter’ feature, which highlights emotionally charged phrases. Our Family Wizard also offers a personal journal for notes.
Cost: $99/year; free accounts for kids; discounts for military and low-income families
COZI
Cozi is an app meant for all families to introduce better organization into their lives – not just those going through a divorce. Cozi allows the sharing of grocery lists, tasks, and notes as well as a shared journal for photos and appointment reminders. Cozi provides a daily breakdown at-a-glance and up to a dozen people can be added to the calendar.
Cost: Free; ad free available for $29/year
TALKING PARENTS
Talking Parents is another app popular with legal professionals. It has a location-based tool to search for a family lawyer and is unique in that all its data is stored on the cloud. Talking Parents also offers several different pricing plans to suit your needs.
Cost: Free; $5.99/month for the app; $19.99/month for premium features; $9.99 onetime fee for 24 hour access to download message, calendar, or expense PDFs if using the free version
COPARENTLY
If you’re concerned about online security, then CoParently is the app for you. It has a much higher level of data encryption compared to other co-parenting apps to ensure your online safety and privacy. CoParently’s advanced sharing permissions allow you to share calendars with anyone you want while also restricting access to messages between co-parents.
Cost: Free for 30 days; $9.99/month or $99/year per parent
2HOUSES
2Houses is a co-parent app designed in Belgium for international usage. If you’re a multilingual family, 2Houses is the app for you. Also unique to 2Houses is the option to have different ‘families’ on the same account. If you have children with more than one ex, this gives you the option to have all your child-related communications in one place.
Cost: Free for 14 days; $12.50/month or $149.99 per year
CUSTODY X CHANGE
Custody X Change offers unique custody plan templates to help you and your ex come up with an equitable child-sharing schedule. On Custody X Change you will also be able to track each parent’s time with their children, perform advanced calculations, and create court ready reports. Multiple pricing options are available, making this an attractive option for parents hoping to save money on legal representation by preparing some of their own documents.
Cost: Silver membership for $17/month or $97/year; Gold membership (includes extra features) for $27/month or $147/year
WEPARENT
Not just for divorcing families, WeParent is designed with all users in mind. On this user friendly interface, you can create lists and store contacts to help keep your family organized and happy.
Cost: $7.99/month or $69.99/uyear
AppClose
AppClose is a completely free platform that allows you to export all communications and calendars for no extra fees. It also has the ‘ipayou’ payment platform with an integrated expense tracker, making AppClose an ideal option for the budget-minded.
In today’s technology-driven world, you can manage many aspects of your life through an app on your phone. Successful coparenting can demand more skill and ability for managing your time, organizing your schedule, and effectively communicating with your former partner. Anyone of these apps can help make coparenting easier and more effective. The best one for you will depend on your family needs and want. We’ve summarized some of the key features and differences between the apps. Now, take a look at them and take the stress out of your parenting situation. Remember, coparenting requires that you work together with your ex for what is in the best interest of your child. These coparenting apps will help you work for your kids, not against them.