19 Helpful Co-Parenting Apps for Divorced Parents
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When you and your spouse divorce or split up, you don’t divorce your kids.
Whether your divorce was messy or amicable. If you have shared custody, it’s important both parents remain civil and put the kids’ best interests first – even if you’d prefer to never speak to each other again.
Co-parenting can be complicated and communication is essential. There’s a lot to keep track of, between the custody schedule, two different houses with two different toys or closets of clothes, and coordinating drop off and pick up.
Related: Downloadable Custody and Visitation Calendar for Parents
Guess what? there’s an app for that.
We rounded up the 20 best co-parenting apps out there. Take a look through our list to find one that fits your family’s needs.
The Best Apps to Make Co-Parenting Easier on Kids
Especially if you’re newly divorced, figuring out all your new routines can lead to disagreements about who gets what time with the kids and how best to divide up the costs of childcare, field trips, school supplies, etc.
All this confusion adds even more stress to a stressful situation for both you and your kids. Experiencing their parents separating and adapting to traveling back and forth between different households is already difficult for children. It falls on you and your co-parent to make this transition as easy as possible for them.
There are many great apps designed to solve common co-parenting problems like communication, finances, and coordinating schedules. Using these digital tools can help divorced couples stick to a parenting plan that works.
What to Look For
The type of co-parenting app you need is going to depend on your family’s unique situation. If you have a complex custody schedule or your ex-spouse has trouble sticking to it, look for apps with calendars that not only plan out your schedule but also record what actually goes down.
If your parent and you do not have strong communication, consider an app with a messenger that allows you to set boundaries, or at least one that keeps records of all interactions.
Kids are expensive — if you find that the two of you are always trying to figure out whether you split your kid’s clothes, sports gear, school supplies, and whatever else look for an app that lets you record all this and request payments. Some apps will let you send money through them as well.
Best Co-Parenting Apps After a Divorce
AppClose is our all-around top pick for the best co-parenting app! It’s super simple to use and includes everything from calendars to documented communication opens to digital payment features and more. Plus, it’s free!
AppClose
Features:
- Shared calendar
- Messenger where you can communicate with your former partner or your attorney, or both in a shared chat
- Voice and video calling
- Communication is documented, including unanswered calls
- Ability to make requests, such as payments or schedule swaps.
- You and your former spouse can even make payments to each other through the app — again, all documented.
You can download AppClose for free on the App Store and Google Play for Android users.
Most Popular Co-Parenting Apps
Divorced parents everywhere are downloading these popular apps and raving about them in the reviews. The general conses us is, the following apps made life easier for parents after divorce.
2houses
Features:
- Color-coded parenting calendar
- Custody journal — a place where each parent can share notes about what happened while the children are in their care.
You can download 2houses on the App Store or Google Play for Android users.
Alimentor
Features:
- Child custody calendar with tracking
- Editable custody schedule logs
- Expense tracking
- Call history including attempted calls
Alimentor is available in the App Store.
MyMob
Features:
- Family message board
- Shared calendar
- “Special Moments” category where anyone can share things like photos of big events, sports games, or anything the other parent may have missed
- Kid-friendly design so the whole family can stay updated
MyMob is available in the App Store and Google Play.
OurFamilyWizard
Features:
- User-friendly family calendars
- Controlled communication. This app gives users the ability to send messages that only require a yes or no option for a reply. This may avoid arguments if your communication with your ex is strained.
- Clear records and documentation of messages.
- A “Tonemeter” alerts you if your message might be emotionally charged. This feature helps you reflect on your phrasing, particularly in stressful moments, and allows time to rephrase in a more constructive way to avoid potential fights or conflicts.
OurFamilyWizard is available in the App Store and Google Play.
WeParent
Features:
- Custody agreements and parenting schedules
- Shared important contact lists to make scheduling things like contacting your child’s teacher, doctor, coach, or other important people easier for both parents
- Shared lists function to keep track of things like school supply lists, art supplies, and birthday or Christmas presents to avoid purchasing duplicates.
- A parenting calendar with events and appointments
- A messenger focused on keeping communication focused on parenting and childcare
WeParent is downloadable in the App Store and Google Play.
Apps for Divorced Parents to Communicate
Communication is not always easy after separation. You might not want to talk to your ex, or they might be the type who turns everything into a long-winded argument that goes nowhere. There’s something about keeping all communication in the parenting app that helps people stay focused on the kids.
Additionally, going through a third-party app makes it easier to avoid giving your ex your current phone number or email address if that’s something you’d prefer to avoid.If your former spouse is a particularly difficult or toxic communicator, look into features that limit communication and set boundaries. You can set some of these apps so that you only receive messages at a certain time of the day, for example.
Amicable Co-parenting
Features:
- Color-coded calendar
- Co-parenting schedules
- Private messaging
The Amicable Coparenting App is available in the App Store and Google Play.
coParenter
Features:
- Messenger
- Shared calendar
- Access to live mediators that you can access on-demand, any time to deal with conflicts
coParenter is available in the App Store.
Coparently
Features:
- Color-coded child custody calendar
- Documented messaging
- Expense management tool that calculates everything for you and keeps track of who paid for what
- Shared contacts
Coparently is available in the App Store and Google Play.
Peaceful CoParenting Messenger
Features:
- Boundaries in communication, such as limits on message length, time of day to receive messages or total daily messages. This can be very helpful if you want to avoid those lengthy arguments.
- Ability to highlight important or offensive messages
- A menu of pre-written messages to choose from that help keep communication focused
- Messages cannot be altered and records may be used in court
Peaceful CoParenting Messenger is Available in the App Store.
Talking Parents
Features:
- Voice calls available without having to share your phone number
- Voice calls are recorded and transcribed
- Expense reports
- Shared calendar
Talking Parents is available to download in the App Store and Google Play.
Scheduling Apps for Divorced Parents
Kids’ schedules tend to be overwhelming in the first place, and it can get even more confusing when you’re trying to get them where they need to go when they need to be there, from two separate households.
Custody agreements can be difficult to remember or keep track of as well.
The following apps have great shared calendars and other features that can help make this easier.
Cozi Family Organizer
Features:
- Tracks activities
- Color-coded calendar
- Includes to-do lists
- Applicable for any family, including co-parenting families
You can download Cozi in the App Store and Google Play.
Custody X Change
Features:
- Helps you create a shared custody schedule
- Generates graphs based on time spent with each parent
- Allows you to track what actually happens
- Generates reports you may be able to use in court
Custody X Change is currently only available as a paid subscription desktop version for both Windows and Mac.
Google Calendar
Features:
- Color-coded custody and visitation calendar
- Shared calendar with notifications and reminders that allow each parent to share their schedule with whomever they choose.
Google Calendar is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Parentship
Features:
- The dashboard displays upcoming events
- Shared calendar
- Profiles for each child, including secure vital information such as birth certificates, social security numbers, and passport information
Parentship is available on Google Play.
Best Apps for Co-parenting Expenses
Got an ex who won’t pay up? If they’re just forgetful, an app can help remind them and keep track of any child support or funds they owe you. And if they’re being difficult, these apps help you keep track of what you’re owed and whether it’s been paid up.
Plus, many of these co-parenting expenses apps include easy-to-use budget tools that allow each parent to see exactly what they are contributing to each child across different areas from food to clothing to extras like vacations and electronics.
DComply
Features:
- Expense tracking tool that allows you to request payment and upload proof of payment
- Payment through the app
- Ability to pay and receive child support through the app, directly to your bank
- Autopay and recurring payment options
- Ability to dispute payments or nonpayments through the app
DComply is available in the App Store and Google Play.
Fayr
Features:
- Shared calendar that tracks custody
- Easy communication through messages
- Ability to add, categorize, and monitor expenses
- Invoices and receipts can easily be uploaded
You can download Fayr in the App Store and Google Play.
Onward - Co-Parenting Expenses
Features:
- Expense tracking tool
- Notifications to improve communication ease and response times, especially if communication is sometimes strained or infrequent from one parent.
- Visual spending data to help you know what each parent is spending on the kids across different categories.
Onward is available in the App Store and Google Play.
SupportPay - Child Support
Features:
- Ability to automate child support payments
- Expense tracking for child support, alimony, and child-related expenses
- All financial transactions are recorded in one simple place
SupportPay - Child Support is available to download in the App Store.