If you found your way to this article, see our 2023 UPDATE here: https://www.berkshire-law.com/2023/07/25/the-best-co-parenting-apps-2023-update/.
Going through a divorce can be complicated and arduous, but communicating with your former spouse shouldn’t have to be. While many separated couples may be able to communicate with each other amicably and without issue, some separated couples find one of the many communication applications available today an invaluable resource. The best application for co-parenting for separated spouses depends on your individual 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 party is still on shaky grounds and you need something that allows you to stay in touch while keeping disagreements and negativity to a minimum. Whatever the case, clear and effective communication with a former spouse is incredibly important during the separation process and beyond. The following are our clients’ current favorite co-parenting apps:
The founder of WeParent, a Ph.D. in Psychology, used psychological research to create an app for stress-free co-parenting. 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. WeParent is a convenient and affordable co-parenting app that removes stress and conflict from the co-parenting relationship. It lets divorced, separated and single parents manage custody schedules and family calendars, share information, and exchange messages, all in one place. Customers start with a free 14-day trial, and then pay just $2.99 per month for an unlimited number of adults in both households.
Coparently 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 scheduling, make requests, etc. This makes the app a good choice for families with teenagers who want to have a say in the decision-making process. Add the app to your phone for anywhere access to important medical information, including prescription history and contact information for each of your kids’ doctors. Coparently costs $99 per year, per parent, or $9.99 per month. That is per-parent pricing, which adds up. On the plus side, the solution’s clear interface may mean that you will be more likely to use it regularly.
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 at $9.99 per family per month, but you can also try it free for 14 days.
OurFamilyWizard includes several potentially useful tools for parents raising kids separately together. For example, you will find an interactive calendar that helps display holiday-specific parenting time, special occasions or whenever else. Another feature is an expense log for tracking the costs you share and that allows for easy reimbursement from the other parent. Parents can upload receipts and invoices and, in some circumstances, make payments inside the app. Other sections of OurFamilyWizard allow for storing medical histories, insurance information, emergency contacts, and school schedules. Parents can communicate with each other through a secure message board. To assist with communication challenges, a ToneMeter feature can flag emotionally charged language before you send off a message you may regret – think of it as kind of a spellchecking tool for exchanges that might assist with avoiding conflict. ToneMeter costs $10 per year, on top of the $99 each parent pays for OurFamilyWizard on an annual basis.
Any one of these applications could be right for you, depending on your specific needs and situation. At Berkshire & Burmeister, we are here to assist with your parenting and custody needs. Speak to our family law attorneys for your custodial legal needs and advice.