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Sharing a calendar, splitting the cost of school shoes and keeping messages civil is most of what co-parenting actually consists of once the arrangements are agreed. These apps exist to take the friction out of it, and one of them can make a real difference where communication is the hard part.
Some of them keep a permanent record of every message. That cuts both ways: it discourages the message sent in temper, and it means everything you write can be read later. Knowing that changes how people write, which is usually the point.
No app is required or endorsed by the family court in England and Wales. Several of these describe themselves as court approved; in every case that refers to courts in the United States. Using one is a practical choice between the two of you, not a legal one.
An app manages the logistics; it does not teach the two of you how to talk. If that is the harder part, there are free courses for parenting apart from Cafcass, OnePlusOne, Triple P and Coram Family Lives.
The six worth knowing about
Do you need a MIAM first?
Most court applications about children or money need a MIAM first. A one-minute checker tells you whether you do.
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OurFamilyWizard Paid, per parent
The most established of these. Shared calendar, expense log, a journal for appointments and school notes, and messages that are kept and cannot be edited afterwards. Calls can be made without either of you seeing the other’s number. Its ToneMeter flags a message that reads as angry before it is sent. People either find that useful or find it irritating; it can be turned off.
iOS, Android, web
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AppClose Free
Messaging, shared calendars, a parenting plan you both build, and expense tracking with receipt scanning and reimbursement requests. Everything can be exported. The only one here that is free outright, which matters when money is exactly what is being argued about.
iOS, Android
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TalkingParents Free tier, then paid
Built around an unalterable record. Messages, a shared calendar, and on the paid plans recorded calls and video calls with transcripts. The free version is web only. If a permanent record is the point, check what the free tier actually keeps before relying on it.
Web; iOS and Android on the paid plans
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2houses Paid, one subscription
Calendar, expenses, a shared place for the information both of you need, photo albums and a journal. A single subscription covers both parents, the children and any professional you invite. Paying once rather than twice avoids the argument about who pays for the app, which is not a small thing.
iOS, Android, web
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Coparently Paid, per parent
Shared calendar, secure messaging that cannot be altered, expenses, contacts and medical information, and shared documents. Children and professionals join free.
iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Cozi Free tier, then paid
A family organiser rather than a co-parenting tool: shared calendar, lists, meal planning and reminders. Not built for separated families. There is no unalterable message record and nothing for splitting expenses, so it suits low-conflict arrangements and little else. Included because it is often recommended, and it is worth knowing what it does not do.
iOS, Android, web
Prices change, so none is quoted here – check the app’s own site. We have no arrangement with any of these companies and receive nothing for listing them.