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:
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.
The essentials package, which includes ToneMeter, is priced at $12 per month or $144 billed annually. The premium package is priced at $17 per month or $204 priced annually. Or you can personalize your own subscription that varies on what tools and services you want to include in your plan.
2Houses makes it easy to organize a custody schedule, manage children’s 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 $14.17 per family per month, but you can also try it free for 14 days.
Onward is a useful tool to help manage your child’s expenses with your co-parent. Onward enables you to split each expense with your co-parent without having any unnecessary and emotionally charged conversations. You can now propose how you would like to split a particular expense, share the details with your co-parent, and settle up directly in the app. You can hook up your bank account or connect with other apps such as Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or CashApp. Onward helps you keep track of what you’ve spent, what they’ve spent, how much is owed by each parent, and settling up on expenses. Onward is priced at $9.99 per month with no hidden fees.
AppClose is a mobile app with modern co-parenting tools designed to support all forms of families and the people that work with them. AppClose offers co-parenting communications, multi-functional calendars, and record keeping and export abilities all in one place. AppClose also allows you to create and share parenting schedules, track child-related expenses, the ability to preserve and export documentation, and much more. AppClose has no subscription fees or monthly charges and will never surprise you with hidden fees.
TalkingParents is a co-parenting communication app for families no matter the situation. TalkingParents has tools that make joint custody easier to navigate, while keeping all communications unalterable. TalkingParents allows co-parents to make recorded video or phone calls, without disclosing their phone numbers to each other. TalkingParents also offers a shared calendar and the ability for co-parents to keep track of all shared parenting expenses. TalkingParents is free for the basic version of the app, $9.99 per month for the standard version of the app, and $24.99 per month for the premium version of the app.
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.