The honest comparison the paid apps would rather you skip.
OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose — we put them next to CustodyTrac on the features that actually matter when you're co-parenting and, eventually, when you're in court.
Feature by feature.
Same household, same needs — different price tags.
CustodyTrac
Free forever- Price for both parentsFree forever
- Shared custody calendar
- 2-2-3, week-on/off, custom patterns
- Swap & day-change requests
- Transfer check-ins (time + location)
- Shared expenses & receipts
- In-app messaging
- Append-only audit log
- Court-ready PDF exports
- Attorney / mediator portal
- Incident reports
- Child accounts
- Offline-first PWA
- No per-parent fees
- No paywalled features
OurFamilyWizard
$144/yr per parent- Price for both parents~$144/yr each
- Shared custody calendar
- 2-2-3, week-on/off, custom patterns
- Swap & day-change requests
- Transfer check-ins (time + location)
- Shared expenses & receipts
- In-app messaging
- Append-only audit log
- Court-ready PDF exportsPaid add-on
- Attorney / mediator portalThird-party fee
- Incident reports
- Child accountsPaid add-on
- Offline-first PWA
- No per-parent fees
- No paywalled features
TalkingParents
$24.99/mo premium- Price for both parents~$24.99/mo premium
- Shared custody calendar
- 2-2-3, week-on/off, custom patterns
- Swap & day-change requests
- Transfer check-ins (time + location)
- Shared expenses & receipts
- In-app messaging
- Append-only audit log
- Court-ready PDF exportsPaid add-on
- Attorney / mediator portal
- Incident reports
- Child accounts
- Offline-first PWA
- No per-parent fees
- No paywalled features
AppClose
Free- Price for both parentsFree
- Shared custody calendar
- 2-2-3, week-on/off, custom patterns
- Swap & day-change requests
- Transfer check-ins (time + location)
- Shared expenses & receipts
- In-app messaging
- Append-only audit log
- Court-ready PDF exports
- Attorney / mediator portal
- Incident reports
- Child accounts
- Offline-first PWA
- No per-parent fees
- No paywalled features
Custody X Change
Paid- Price for both parentsPaid
- Shared custody calendar
- 2-2-3, week-on/off, custom patterns
- Swap & day-change requests
- Transfer check-ins (time + location)
- Shared expenses & receipts
- In-app messaging
- Append-only audit log
- Court-ready PDF exports
- Attorney / mediator portal
- Incident reports
- Child accounts
- Offline-first PWA
- No per-parent fees
- No paywalled features
2houses
Paid- Price for both parentsPaid
- Shared custody calendar
- 2-2-3, week-on/off, custom patterns
- Swap & day-change requests
- Transfer check-ins (time + location)
- Shared expenses & receipts
- In-app messaging
- Append-only audit log
- Court-ready PDF exports
- Attorney / mediator portal
- Incident reports
- Child accounts
- Offline-first PWA
- No per-parent fees
- No paywalled features
Built for the morning school run. Trusted in the courtroom.
Genuinely free — for both parents
No trial. No per-parent fee. No premium tier hiding court exports behind a paywall. The paid alternatives charge $99–$300/yr for the same household.
Court-ready, by default
Append-only audit log, one-click PDF case reports, and a secure read-only attorney/mediator portal — included for everyone, not gated behind add-ons.
Designed for everyday use
OurFamilyWizard and TalkingParents look and feel like legal software. CustodyTrac is built for the morning school run — calm, fast, and quiet.
Offline-first, install-anywhere
Install on iPhone, Android, or the web. Check-ins and requests queue offline and sync the moment you reconnect. Stays signed in for a year.
Head-to-head.
A fair look at the most-asked-about alternatives.
$99–$144 per parent / year
The most established name and frequently court-recommended — but it charges both parents annually, gates court exports and attorney access behind add-ons, and the interface still feels like legal software from a decade ago.
What CustodyTrac does better
- Free for both parents
- Attorney portal included
- Modern, calmer interface
- Offline-first PWA
Where they still lead
- Court reputation and brand recognition
- Long history of case-law citations
Free tier + $24.99/mo premium
Strong on accountable messaging and call recording, but most of what co-parents actually need day-to-day — unlimited records, PDF exports, advanced calendar — lives behind the premium subscription.
What CustodyTrac does better
- No paywalled features
- Full custody calendar with swaps
- Transfer check-ins with location
- Shared expenses included
Where they still lead
- Accountable Calling™ phone recording
- Long-standing court-record reputation
Free
Also free and broadly featured, but lacks a true append-only audit log, has no dedicated attorney portal, and PDF case reports are limited — so it's harder to use as a legal record when you need one.
What CustodyTrac does better
- Append-only audit log
- Attorney & mediator portal
- Full court-ready PDF exports
- Offline-first PWA
Where they still lead
- Built-in in-app payments via partner provider
Paid subscription
A useful parenting-plan drafting tool, but families still need a place to run the schedule, record exchanges, and preserve the day-to-day history.
What CustodyTrac does better
- Free schedule tracking
- Actual-time totals
- Transfers and swaps
- Court-ready reports
Where they still lead
- Guided plan-document drafting
- Schedule visualization
Paid plans vary
2houses covers shared family coordination. CustodyTrac connects that coordination to an append-only transfer history and professional-ready exports.
What CustodyTrac does better
- Free for both parents
- Append-only audit log
- Unlimited PDF exports
- Attorney portal included
Where they still lead
- Established family organizer workflow
Stop paying two subscriptions to keep one family organized.
Free for you. Free for your co-parent. Court-ready from day one.
Competitor pricing and feature notes reflect publicly listed plans at time of publication and may change. OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, Custody X Change, and 2houses are trademarks of their respective owners and are referenced for comparison only.
Explore co-parenting apps and free planning tools
Compare alternatives, then use the free resources that help you put a parenting plan into practice.
- Free OurFamilyWizard alternative
Same calendar, messaging, and export workflow without the per-parent subscription.
- Free Custody X Change alternative
Build custody rotations, track actual time, and export reports without a subscription.
- Free 2houses alternative
A shared custody calendar, expenses, messages, transfers, and reports for both parents.
- AppClose vs OurFamilyWizard comparison
Compare cost, communication, scheduling, expenses, and court documentation.
- Best co-parenting apps of 2027, ranked
How CustodyTrac, OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, and AppClose compare on price, evidence, and court use.
- State-by-state child support estimator
Applies your state's own guideline model to your numbers.
- Custody schedule patterns explained
2-2-3, 2-2-5-5, week-on/week-off, and every other common rotation.
- Court-ready PDF legal exports
One-click evidence packets for your attorney or a hearing — unlimited and free.