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
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.
vs. OurFamilyWizard
$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
vs. TalkingParents
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
vs. AppClose
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
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. OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, and AppClose are trademarks of their respective owners and are referenced for comparison only.