Co-Parenting Streamlined

The best app for co-parenting depends on your family’s needs and wants. Perhaps you want a shared tool to improve communication and keep all important information in one place. Or maybe your relationship with the other parent is still on shaky ground and you need something that allows you to stay in touch while keeping disagreements and negativity to a minimum.

Here are a few co-parenting app options so you could find the best one for your situation. Bonus: Many of them offer free basic versions or free trial periods so you can try a few of them to figure out what works for you both.

WeParent: WeParent helps you manage events and appointments, documents, expenses, custody schedules, and messaging. The hope is that by eliminating conflicts, parents can fully focus on raising healthy, happy children.

Cozi: Cozi wasn’t specifically created with co-parents in mind, but its simple design and cool features make it one of the best free co-parenting apps. You can set up shared calendars, create to-do lists and share photos and recipes — with minimal stress. The basic version is free, making it a good first family calendar app if you want to try something out before making a financial commitment, and anyone — kids, grandparents, sitters, etc. — can access the shared calendar, get reminders, and see lists.

FamCal: Although it’s not exclusively for co-parents, FamCal has tons of features that can improve family connection, such as a shared calendar for important dates, events, tasks, and notes. It can be color-coded for family members, which makes it ideal for families with lots of kids with different schedules, activities, and commitments. It’s a great way to keep those lines of communication open without having to talk on the phone or use text or email, which can often be difficult for co-parents, particularly in the early stages of separation or divorce.

OurFamilyWizard: Each parent has their own account, and can then add as many third-party, child, and professional accounts as they require at no extra cost, for example for grandparents, mediators and therapists. The optional extra ToneMeter works a little like a spellchecker, picking up on negative tones in a message and giving you an alternative that’s less likely to start an argument. It also logs communication, giving you easy access to accurate records for use in court proceedings.

Coparently: This app provides a set of digital communication tools to make scheduling, communicating, tracking expenses, and sharing and updating contact details and important information easier for co-parents. It’s easy to use, and you can add your kids to the account to let them contribute to the scheduling, make requests, etc., which makes it a good choice for families with teenagers who want to have a say in the decision-making process.

Custody Connection: Custody Connection makes sticking to a custody schedule easier. It’s based on a central calendar with a synchronized custody schedule, and parents can make “trade requests” via the app if they need to switch custody dates. The app automatically records whether requests are accepted or denied and updates both parents’ calendars to reflect the change, which helps keep misunderstandings to a minimum.

2Houses: 2Houses makes it easy to organize a custody schedule, manage kids’ expenses, upload photos and notes, and exchange all necessary information, such as medical notes and school details. It also comes with a messaging service and mediator access via the web and mobile devices. The pricing is per family, not per parent, making it more affordable than other similar co-parenting apps.