Co-parenting apps are designed to encourage productive communication and reduce opportunities for conflict between parents living in different households. Two of the most common co-parenting apps are Our Family Wizard (“OFW”) and AppClose.

Most co-parenting apps allow for secure, written messaging by the parents that cannot later be tampered with or deleted. To encourage accountability and streamline efforts to resolve conflict, some apps allow for attorneys and other family professionals to have direct access to parents’ intra-app communications. To further assist with written communication, OFW is known for its “tone meter” feature. This feature is designed to screen drafts and cause parents to re-think sending potentially inflammatory messages. Some apps also allow parents to document audio or video calls to varying degrees.

Additionally, many co-parenting apps, including OFW and AppClose, assist parents with managing shared expenses and/or scheduling events and activities for their children. OFW and AppClose each have a running expense log that makes it simple for a parent to request reimbursement from the other while creating a clear record of the request. Both apps prompt the requesting parent to upload a corresponding bill or receipt and identify the expense’s purpose. Parents can even choose to exchange money within these apps, and both apps keep track of the total amount owed by a parent.

An app’s shared calendar feature also creates a central platform for parents to jointly keep track of a child’s activities and appointments and request deviations from the parenting schedule, including requesting vacation time with the children or offering time to the other parent.

Many apps advertise various other features designed to assist with co-parenting. While some apps, such as AppClose, are free, other apps, such as OFW, are paid subscriptions. If you and your co-parent struggle with communication, it may be worthwhile to discuss using an app.