Co-parenting that works
whether your ex installs the app or not.
CoPa keeps your custody schedule, messages, and expenses on one calm, documented record. If your co-parent uses the app, great. If they'd rather just text, our SMS Relay captures everything anyway.
Two ways to use CoPa. Same record either way.
Both parents on the app
The default. Both of you log in, see the same calendar, message inside the app, and split expenses on a shared ledger. One subscription covers both — the inviting parent pays, the other gets full access at no charge.
SMS Relay
For when your co-parent won't install another app. They keep their phone number, you keep yours, and CoPa sits in the middle. Their texts come through CoPa to you. Your replies go out as SMS to them. Every message lands on the same court-ready record. $7/month per relayed parent.
You can switch between modes at any time. If your co-parent eventually agrees to install the app, the relay turns off and the existing record stays intact.
Three things CoPa does that other apps don't.
A calendar that actually works on mobile.
Custody calendars in most co-parenting apps were designed for desktop and ported to phones. CoPa's was designed for the device you actually use. Tap a day to see whose time it is, color-coded by household. Set up 2-2-5-5, 3-4-4-3, weekly, or a custom rotation in under a minute. Holiday overrides and transfer times sit on a separate layer so they don't clutter the regular view.
We also offer something no major competitor does: a read-only iCal feed that subscribes your custody schedule into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. Your kids' soccer practice and your custody days finally show up in the same place.
Calm Reading. Receiver-side. Opt-in. Original always preserved.
Calm Reading is an AI feature that rewrites incoming messages into neutral language, stripping emotional charge while preserving every date, amount, and request. It runs only on the receiving end, only if you turn it on. The sender's message is never altered. The legal record is always the original, exact text.
Original
"You ALWAYS do this. I can't believe you changed pickup again without telling me. This is unacceptable and I'm getting my attorney involved."
Calm Reading
"Pickup time was changed without prior notice. A heads-up in advance would be helpful."
The original is one tap away. Your co-parent has no idea whether you have it on. The calmer version is a reading aid only; it's never stored as part of the record and never shows up in exports.
Bridge Notes at every handoff.
A short, structured note from the parent doing dropoff, sent before pickup. Sleep last night. Mood today. Anything new with food, school, or health. The receiving parent sees it as they head out the door. The full history exports as a per-child timeline you can hand to a pediatrician, a teacher, or your attorney.
No other app does this. We built it because the alternative — figuring out what happened in the last 48 hours from a string of texts at the curb — is the worst part of the handoff.
Everything in the family plan.
Schedule
- Custody calendar with templates and custom rotations
- Holiday and exception overrides
- Schedule change requests with audit trail
- Right of First Refusal workflow
- Google Calendar / iCal / Outlook sync (read-only)
Communication
- Topic-scoped messaging (schedule, expenses, school, general)
- Immutable message history with timestamps
- Calm Reading (opt-in, receiver-side AI)
- Bridge Notes at custody exchanges
- SMS Relay (add-on)
Records & Money
- Expense ledger with custom splits
- Receipt uploads
- Document vault (parenting plans, school records, medical)
- Private journal (never visible to co-parent, PDF export)
- Universal share extension (iOS + Android)
How CoPa compares.
The comparison matters most to families paying for both sides of the household, and to attorneys recommending a tool their clients will actually use.
Family-unit pricing
One subscription covers both co-parents
Calm Reading
Receiver-side AI summary; never alters the sender's message or record
Bridge notes
Age-adaptive child-handoff notes at custody transitions, with fields that adjust as your child grows
Google Calendar / iCal sync
Read-only .ics feed into the parent's personal calendar
SMS Relay
Works without your co-parent installing the app
Universal share extension
Push screenshots, texts, and call metadata from any app into the journal
Custody calendar + holiday builder
Court-admissible messaging
Immutable, timestamped, exportable records
Shared expense ledger
Logging, categories, dispute flow
Document vault
Private journal
Threaded entries, tagging, PDF export
Free access for legal professionals
Attorneys, mediators, parenting coordinators use it at no cost
| Feature | CoPa | OurFamilyWizard OFW | AppClose | TalkingParents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Only CoPa does this | ||||
| Family-unit pricing One subscription covers both co-parents | Not available. $140/yr Per Family | Not available. up to $432/yr Per Family | Not available. $216/yr Per Family | Not available. $154/yr Per Family |
| Calm Reading Receiver-side AI summary; never alters the sender's message or record | ✓ | ◐ ToneMeter rewrites on sender side | — | ◐ Sentiment Scanner · Ultimate only · sender-side |
| Bridge notes Age-adaptive child-handoff notes at custody transitions, with fields that adjust as your child grows | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Google Calendar / iCal sync Read-only .ics feed into the parent's personal calendar | ✓ | — | — | — |
| SMS Relay Works without your co-parent installing the app | ✓ | — | ◐ Solo mode is one-sided only | — |
| Universal share extension Push screenshots, texts, and call metadata from any app into the journal | ✓ iOS + Android | — | — | — |
| Core features across all four apps | ||||
| Custody calendar + holiday builder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Court-admissible messaging Immutable, timestamped, exportable records | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared expense ledger Logging, categories, dispute flow | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ 2–4% fee per payment |
| Document vault | ✓ | ◐ 1 GB at base plan · unlimited at Premium+ | ✓ | ◐ per-user only · 1–50 GB by plan |
| Private journal Threaded entries, tagging, PDF export | ✓ | ◐ no PDF export | ◐ can be shared with co-parent · not private-only | ◐ Personal Journal · PDF records extra at base plan |
| Free access for legal professionals Attorneys, mediators, parenting coordinators use it at no cost | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
Reading the marks: ✓ supported · ◐ partial or different approach · — not available. AppClose Solo mode lets one parent journal alone, but does not capture the other parent's communication. CoPa SMS Relay captures both sides of the conversation regardless of which parent installs the app. Competitor pricing reflects publicly available rates as of April 2026 and is shown per family (both parents combined).
One subscription. Both parents.
The paying parent invites the other; CoPa covers them both at no extra charge. SMS Relay is available as an optional add-on if your co-parent prefers not to install the app.
Family Plan
- Both parents, full access
- Unlimited children
- All features included
- Cancel any time
SMS Relay (add-on)
- For the parent who won't install the app
- All texts captured to the family record
- Calm Reading still available on incoming SMS
- Add or remove any time
Even if your co-parent never agrees to use CoPa, the inviting parent gets the full app. Solo use is supported.
Communication that becomes evidence.
Every message, schedule change, expense entry, and Bridge Note is timestamped, immutable, and exportable. We don't edit, delete, or reorder records — and we don't let users do it either. When you need to give your attorney a clean record of the last six months, you generate a PDF in two taps.
Messages cannot be edited or deleted after sending.
Every record is timestamped at the server, not the device.
Exports include cryptographic verification metadata for chain-of-custody review.
Built for parents. Not for courtrooms.
Most co-parenting apps were designed for attorneys and litigation. They feel like surveillance. They're priced like enterprise software. CoPa is different. It's built for parents who need less friction in their week and a record they can rely on if things ever escalate — without making everything feel like a deposition.
If your weeks still involve last-minute schedule changes by text, expenses tracked in a spreadsheet, and the occasional message you wish you hadn't sent — CoPa is for you.
Built by Joel at Connemara Labs, a one-person software studio in Maryland. CoPa is bootstrapped and self-funded. The goal is software that does one thing well and earns trust over time.
— Joel, founder
Be first when CoPa launches.
We're in closed testing on Android. iOS is in development. Join the waitlist and we'll reach out when your seat opens.
No spam. Unsubscribe any time.
Frequently asked questions.
- Does CoPa work if my co-parent refuses to install it?
- Yes. You can use CoPa solo for your own calendar, journal, and document vault. For shared communication, SMS Relay routes their texts through CoPa to you and captures everything to a shared record — no installation required on their end. ($7/month add-on.)
- Are CoPa records admissible in court?
- CoPa records are timestamped, immutable, and exportable in formats designed for legal use. As with any platform, admissibility depends on jurisdiction, evidentiary rules, and how records are introduced. We recommend confirming with your attorney how they prefer records to be authenticated.
- Will my co-parent know if I have Calm Reading turned on?
- No. Calm Reading runs only on the device of the parent who enabled it. Senders see no indication. The original message is what's stored on the record and shown in any export.
- Is there a free trial?
- We're offering a 30-day free trial at launch. During closed testing, the family plan is free for participants in exchange for feedback.
- What happens to my data if I cancel?
- You can export your full record at any time. After cancellation, your data is retained in a read-only state for 90 days, then deleted unless you reactivate. SMS Relay numbers are quarantined for 180 days before recycling, given the sensitivity of content that may have flowed through them.
- Is CoPa available on iOS?
- Android is launching first. iOS is in active development and will follow. Join the waitlist to be notified.
- How is CoPa different from OurFamilyWizard?
- Lower price, family-unit subscription (one fee for both parents instead of two), Bridge Notes, calendar sync to your existing apps, and SMS Relay for the parent who won't install one more app.