The Best Co-Parenting Apps for Healthy Communication

First up on our list of the best co-parenting apps is My Family Wizard. Pegged as the number one co-parenting app, it’s accepted by courts in all 50 states and offers all the tech features you would expect (and more). A shared calendar lets you view which parent has the kids on what day, events are color-coded with notes on who’s doing pick-up and drop-off and holidays are marked with a star. Need to adjust the schedule? Avoid getting into a heated back-and-forth by sending a calendar change request. Your co-parent can simply accept or reject it. The app also has a messenger tool that streamlines communication. Once sent, messages can’t be deleted or edited and each one is dated and time-stamped to create a tamper-proof record of your conversations. Ready for the real standout feature? The ToneMeter analyzes your writing and alerts you when your tone is likely to cause conflict, giving you a chance to rephrase (optional, of course). Co-parents can also log expenses, upload receipts and make payments in-app to reduce financial tension and stress. Finally you can store important documents, prescriptions, emergency contact details and more in the “info bank” section and use the journal feature to share special moments and photos with your co-parent. Seriously, is there anything this co-parenting app can’t do? The app offers an essentials or premium plan, both of which are billed annually. Although Our Family Wizard doesn’t offer a free trial you can try the app risk-free, and if you’re not satisfied you’ll receive a full refund within the first 30 days of your plan.

Finances can be a huge cause of tension in co-parenting relationships, but Onward is here to help. The financial planning platform helps eliminate stressful conversations around money by automating the process. Confused? Allow us to explain. With Onward you can upload receipts, enter shared expenses and then send an invoice to your co-parent to get paid back. You can send one invoice a week or submit one a month. With a few clicks your co-parent can pay you back using apps such as Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or CashApp. And because finances can be fraught with conflict you can copy a third party, like a lawyer, on the email. Onward also keeps a timeline of paid and unpaid transactions that's easy to print off for court if necessary. Plus, you can download reports on how much both parties have spent on each child per month.

Custody X Change has a range of tools to help co-parents draft and navigate a parenting plan. A parenting plan—also known as a custody agreement—outlines how you and the other parent will continue to care and provide for your child after a separation or divorce. Custody X Change has a range of step-by-step templates to help co-parents draft a parenting plan, which can then be court-documented at a later date. To inform your plan you can create a shared calendar that’s color-coded so you can see which parent has custody day by day. Your calendar feeds into a parenting time report that shows how your child’s time is split between co-parents. This helps create an ideal schedule that works for both parties and can be instrumental in negotiations, hearings and child support calculations. Custody X Change also hosts a parent-to-parent communication system that detects hostile language, giving you the opportunity to rephrase messages and avoid any drama. This app operates on a two-tier system: and is available to both parents and legal professionals. Try it free for 30 days and then opt for monthly or annual billing

Cozi wasn’t specifically designed for co-parents, but it’s a great scheduling tool for all family structures. A shared calendar assigns each parent (and child) a color, so you can view everyone’s commitments at a glance. Reminders keep co-parents on track so no one misses an important appointment or event. Switch to the daily agenda view to see that day’s events, current to-dos and notes all on one easy-to-digest page. With the to-do list feature you can record essential tasks and assign family members to any list to share the load. Cozi shopping lists lets you create individual lists for back-to-school supplies and birthday or holiday gifts—when one parent buys an item they can check it off the list so your kid doesn’t receive the same present twice. Genius! You can even add your little one’s favorite meals to the recipe box page, so they can chow down at Mom or Dad’s house.

App Close is a court-approved co-parenting app recommended by parents and professionals alike. Why? Like the other options on this list it has a user-friendly interface and tons of practical applications. The calendar has a scheduling tool that lets you set up and track parenting time using statistics—you can also export your records for free. An integrated expense tracker lets you upload receipts, submit expenses for reimbursement and send or receive money in-app. A tamper-proof messenger lets you communicate with a co-parent and all messages are time-stamped. But the real standout feature is that you can audio or video call your co-parent using the app. AppClose automatically documents every attempted, missed and completed call in case you ever need the records. Don’t want to receive calls? No problem. Simply disable this feature and you’ll never receive unwanted calls.