Court-Approved Co-Parenting Apps: Which One Will the Court Want, and What Does Each Record?
Reviewed by Jacob Reed, founder of Verity ·
Short answer
There is no official list of court-approved co-parenting apps. A judge can name an app in your custody order or parenting plan, and if one is named, that is the one to use. OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, BestInterest and coParenter each keep a record of your messages that you can print for court; they cost from nothing to about $30 a month, and some waive the fee if you qualify.
“Court-approved” is how these apps are often described, but the approval that matters is the one in your own case. Here is what the label means, what each app costs and keeps, and what to do about the messages you sent before anyone was using an app.
What does “court-approved” mean?
No national body or court system approves co-parenting apps. What happens instead is that a judge writes a specific app into a custody order or parenting plan, often after disputes over messages. Once an order names an app, using it is part of following the order, and its record is what the court will expect to see.
So the first place to look is your own paperwork. If the order says “OurFamilyWizard” or “TalkingParents,” that settles it. If it says only that parents must use “a co-parenting app,” or nothing at all, you and the other parent can agree on one, or your attorney can ask the court to name one.
Which co-parenting apps do courts order, and what do they cost?
Prices and features as each company's own site showed them on October 31, 2026.
OurFamilyWizard
Plans from $110 a year, Essentials $149.99 a year (unlimited PDF records, GPS check-ins at exchanges, a writing assistant) and Premium $216 a year (also unlimited certified records, notarized and mailed); a higher plan adds call recording. It has a fee waiver program and a military discount, and offers professionals sample language for orders.
TalkingParents
Essentials $7, Enhanced $16 and Ultimate $32 a month (8% less paid yearly), with a 30-day free trial. There has been no free plan since March 30, 2026. Ultimate includes unlimited PDF records and one free printed records package. It offers a fee waiver for financial hardship or for survivors of domestic violence.
AppClose
One plan with everything, $7.99 a month on the web ($8.99 in the app), less when prepaid for one or two years, with 60 days free and no card needed. Any user can export their records as a PDF, and AppClose also offers certified records it signs digitally.
BestInterest
A free plan with no time limit, then Connect $9.99 a month (adds verified reports), Protect $14.99 a month (unlimited reports and its tone tools) and Protect Plus $29.99 a month (calls with recordings and transcripts), each with a two-week trial.
coParenter
Adds professional mediators who can help parents reach and write down agreements. Its site says your history of conversations, requests, agreements and check-ins can be exported for court.
For how the records themselves differ (tone tools, read times, tamper-resistance), see court-ordered co-parenting apps, compared.
How do you choose and use one for a court order?
1.Read your order first
If your custody order or parenting plan names an app, that is the app. Use it for the topics the order says, even if you would rather text.
2.If no app is named, agree on one or ask
Parents can agree on an app between themselves. If you can’t agree, or the other parent won’t use it, ask your attorney whether to ask the court to order one.
3.Compare cost and fee waivers
Prices run from free to over $300 a year. OurFamilyWizard and TalkingParents both offer fee waivers; BestInterest has a free plan; AppClose has 60 days free.
4.Keep every exchange in the app
The record only helps if the conversation is in it. Move schedule changes, pickups and expenses into the app and answer there.
5.Download your records regularly
Each app can print its record as a PDF. Download one now and then, so you are not waiting on it the week before a hearing.
6.Save the texts from before the app
Messages sent by text, WhatsApp or Messenger before the order are not in the app. Export them from your phone and keep them with the app’s record.
What about the texts from before the app?
An app only records what is sent through it. Months of texts, WhatsApp or Messenger messages from before the order are still on your phone, and often they are the messages that led to the order in the first place. Export each conversation whole, with dates, rather than screenshotting it: the export steps cover iPhone, Android, WhatsApp, Messenger and more.
Can Verity read a co-parenting app's record?
Yes for OurFamilyWizard's message report PDF and TalkingParents' PDF record, as well as the texts and chats from before the app. Verity reads the file in your browser without uploading it, numbers every message in date order and points out patterns such as threats, controlling messages or ignored boundaries. AppClose and coParenter records are not supported yet.
Common questions
Is there a list of court-approved co-parenting apps?
No. No national body approves co-parenting apps. A judge can order parents to use a specific app in a custody order or parenting plan, and that order is what counts in your case.
Is OurFamilyWizard court-approved?
A judge can name it in an order (its site offers professionals sample wording for orders), but no app is approved in general. If your order names a different app, use that one.
Which co-parenting app is cheapest?
On their own sites on October 31, 2026: BestInterest has a free plan, TalkingParents starts at $7 a month, AppClose at $7.99 a month and OurFamilyWizard at $110 a year. OurFamilyWizard and TalkingParents offer fee waivers if you qualify.
Can I use regular texts instead of an app?
If the order names an app, use the app. If it doesn’t, texts can still be evidence; export the whole conversation rather than screenshotting it. See how a court looks at the two in OurFamilyWizard vs. regular texting.
Can Verity read records from a co-parenting app?
Yes for OurFamilyWizard’s message report PDF and TalkingParents’ PDF record: Verity reads them in your browser and numbers every message. AppClose and coParenter records are not supported yet.
More on how courts read these records: OurFamilyWizard vs. regular texting and gaslighting inside co-parenting apps.
Pages cited
Read on October 31, 2026. Prices and plans change; check before you rely on them.
- OurFamilyWizard plans and pricing
- TalkingParents pricing
- AppClose pricing
- BestInterest plans and pricing
- coParenter
This is general information, not legal advice. Verity is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any app named here. Ask your attorney what your order requires. If you are in danger, call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
Have the texts from before the app?
Verity reads an exported conversation in your browser, without uploading it, and numbers every message for your lawyer.
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