Parenting is hard, but co-parenting after separation is even harder.

There is no one easy trick solution to becoming an expert at co-parenting overnight. However, to make things a little easier, co-parenting applications can assist you to:

• communicate more effectively with your ex-partner.
• keep all your communication in one place for ease of reference.
• stay organised by using a shared calendar.
• keep track of important documents relating to your children.
• save time and confusion.
• track and share expenses.

The best app for co-parenting is solely dependent on your family’s needs and circumstances. Here, is a list of the most recommended co-parenting apps and their benefits so that you can find which one fits your family’s needs!

1. Our Family Wizard

Created by a divorced couple experiencing the same disconnect that you may be feeling, the Our Family Wizard platform was formed to help keep communication between co-parents as harmonious as possible.

Each parent has an account, and can add as many third-party accounts as they need for no extra cost. For example, accounts can be created and added for grandparents, mediators and therapists.

The optional extra ToneMeter works in a way that picks up on negative tones in a message and gives you a less “argumentative” alternative. It also logs communication, giving you east access to accurate records for use later on.

Cost:

• Ranges from $130 to $154 per parent per year.
• Offers a 30-day money back guarantee.

Notable Features:

• Shared Calendar to ensure parents are on the same page.
• Journal to share moments and record observations with the other parent.
• Expense log to track parenting expenses and share receipts.
• Info Bank to ensure all important information about your children is kept in the one place – for example, medical insurance details, emergency contacts, and school schedules.

2. We Parent

WeParent was founded by a Psychologist who used psychological research to create the app for stress-free co-parenting. WeParent helps you manage events and appointments, documents, expenses, parenting arrangements, and messaging.

The aim of WeParent’s development is enable parents to be able to fully focus on raising health, happy children by eliminating what has been found to be the most common multi-household conflicts.

Cost:

• 14-day free trial.
• $9.99 per month paid monthly or $100 paid annually or $200 for life-time access.

Notable Features:

• Ability to invite third parties who have an interest in your children’s wellbeing and care – for example grandparents and nannies.
• Shared calendar.
• Shared Schedules, with templates.
• Messaging function which cannot be deleted.
• Ability to download an archive of the messages sent via the app, for future use.
• Ability to share photos and notes via the ‘Library App’.

3. 2Houses

2Houses was made to ensure ease in organising a custody schedule, manage children’s expenses, upload photos and notes, and exchange essential information. It was developed with a messaging service and mediator access.

Cost:

• 14-day free trial offered.
• $159 per year, per family.

Notable Features:

• Shared interactive calendar synchronizes to your google or outlook calendar.
• Ability to track and share expenses, add keep a ‘wish list’ of items you would like to buy for your child.
• Messenger function which keeps a secure archive of all communications and cannot be deleted.
• Information exchange platform to share photos and important information.

4. Talking Parents

Developed by a Family Lawyer, this app is designed for more high-conflict families, because of its unique feature which allows parents to facilitate telephone conversations via the app, which are then recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions are then easily converted to PDF, for future use (for example in Court proceedings).

Notable Features:

• ‘Accountable Calling’ allows parties to make video or phone calls, complete with call recordings and transcripts, all without disclosing a personal phone number.
• Secure messaging.
• Unalterable records.
• Shared Calendar.
• Ability to track and share expenses.
• Information exchange platform.

Cost:

• 30-day free trial.
• Ranges from $10 per month (standard plan) to $25 per month (premium plan).

5. App Close

App Close was designed from the get-go to offer co-parenting solutions for all types of situations at no charge, with the same features as many of the paid apps. The website makes some pretty big claims, including that it is used by 20% of newly divorced co-parents in the United States, and is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store. Pretty impressive.

Notable Features:

• Multifunctional calendars designed to keep parents and others involved in your child’s care (eg educators, nannies, grandparents) on the same page.
• Unalterable messenger function which can be exported from the app and allows group chats with third parties.
• Audio and video calling function, which logs every attempted, missed and completed call.
• Expense tracking allows parents to share invoices and receipts for incurred expenses.
• Information sharing platform allow parents to share photos, documents, and other important information in one place.
• 24/7 customer support.

Cost: Free! Zip! Zilch!

To speak to one of our Family Law Solicitors to find out if Mediation or Collaborative Practice is right for you and your situation, contact the team here.