2026 Update: New Co-Parenting Apps
When parents separate, family mediation helps resolve disputes, agree schedules, and improve communication. Co-parenting apps can also be a very useful tool for communication, record keeping, and more. Online Mediation has been sent the information below by developers of some new co-parenting apps, and we thought it would be helpful to share these with clients. Our mediators encourage separated parents to look at a range of options, and consider which app best suits their needs and budget. We aren't affiliated with any app, haven't received payment, won't receive payment, and don't make recommendations. If you have questions about an app, approach the company, or discuss difficulties at your next mediation session.
New for 2026: ParentGlow
"After mediation: keeping your parenting plan working, week by week
By Joe M., founder of ParentGlow, a UK co-parenting app in early access. ParentGlow paid nothing for this post and gains nothing if you use it; it does not pay mediators or ask for referrals. Online Mediation is not connected with ParentGlow and does not endorse any co-parenting app.
The hard part often starts when the mediation ends.
In the session, with a mediator keeping things steady, two parents agree a pattern for the weeks, a plan for the holidays and a way to share the costs. Then Monday arrives. The swimming kit is at the other house, a work shift moves Thursday's handover, and a message written in a hurry lands harder than it was meant to.
I run ParentGlow, a co-parenting app built in the UK, and this post is about the part after the agreement: how both homes keep seeing the same plan, how changes get agreed rather than announced, and what it costs. It is general information for parents in England and Wales, not legal advice, and no substitute for mediation or for a mediator's assessment of whether mediation is safe for you.
One calendar both homes can see
The pattern you agreed goes into one shared calendar, set once: alternating weeks, week-about, every other weekend and the like. Each day is colour-coded by parent, and UK school terms, INSET days and bank holidays are already in. Handovers take their usual time, place and who is collecting from that schedule, and each one has a short thread and a kit list either parent can tick off, so the swimming-kit question is answered before the doorstep. For the holidays, our free two-home school holiday planner needs no sign-up and stores nothing.
Changes proposed, not announced
Mediation works because the decisions stay with the two of you. We kept that rule. A swap, or a change to a handover's time or place, is proposed by one parent and agreed, countered or declined by the other, in writing. Costs work the same way: set a spending threshold, say £50, and anything over it waits for the other parent's yes before it counts. Receipts attach, and one balance shows who is owed what in pounds.
Messages have a tone check we call Tone Guard. It checks a message as you type it and flags wording that might read as heated, and on a flagged message you can tap for a calmer version, then use it, change it or ignore it. Nothing is sent until you press send, it never stops you sending a message, and it only ever looks at what you are writing, never what your co-parent sends you.
A plain record of what you agreed
One screen pulls together what you have actually agreed, each part marked "agreed between you" or "backed by a court order". Messages are timestamped, cannot be edited or deleted, and show when the other parent read them. The point is not to build a case. It is so the everyday facts are never in doubt, for both of you, and so that if you come back to mediation, what has changed since is already written down. If things ever reach a solicitor or court, exports come out structured and PD 27A-friendly. ParentGlow is not legal-advice software, and a record guarantees nothing about any outcome.
What it costs
ParentGlow is in early access: parents can join at parentglow.co.uk and we invite families in turn, and it is not yet in the App Store or Google Play. It is free during early access. At launch it will be £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year per family, and one plan covers both parents and the grandparents or childminders you add. Nobody is charged per parent, exporting your whole family record is always free, and if a plan lapses you keep read-only access. Several apps that were free when many guides were written now charge, so whichever you look at, check the price on the day you choose and ask whether the other parent will be asked to pay as well.
When it isn't the right tool
Where mediation isn't suitable, for example because of domestic abuse, a shared app may not be suitable either, and it is never a substitute for a mediator's screening. Online Mediation's post on whether family mediation is safe explains that assessment well. Where a court order sets out how contact or handovers happen, the order comes first. And the app is not a place for without-prejudice discussion: what parents write in it becomes part of their shared record.
If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 999. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247.
Where to start
If you haven't started mediation, start there, with an individual meeting (a MIAM) with a mediator on the Family Mediation Council's register. If you already have an agreement, the job now is to keep it visible and fair in two homes. ParentGlow is one way of doing that, and it is optional: mediation works without it. Access for professionals is being built too. When mediator access opens, a mediator will read nothing until both parents have said yes, and how it will work for each role is already published.
Joe M., Founder of ParentGlow. Questions to hello@parentglow.co.uk.
Please note: this post was correct on 30 September 2026. Prices and features change; current details are at parentglow.co.uk. It is general information, not legal advice. If you need legal advice, speak to a suitably qualified solicitor."
New for 2026: Parentlog
"Parentlog
Cost: free
Keeping track of arrangements after separation isn't always straightforward. Important details can end up spread across messages, calendars, receipts and personal notes, making it difficult to find what you need later.
Parentlog was created to bring those things together. It's an app for separated parents who want a clear way to manage parenting arrangements and keep a record of what's happening in their children's lives.
The app doesn't depend on both parents participating. One parent can use it privately, even if communication with the other parent is difficult or they simply prefer not to use an app.
Key features include:
- Parenting journal: Keep dated notes, photos and records relating to your children.
- Handovers and parenting time: Record pickups, drop-offs and actual care arrangements.
- Expenses: Track child-related costs and receipts, with shared expense approvals and payment records when connected.
- Schedules: Plan parenting time, propose arrangements and request changes.
- Messaging: Communicate through a timestamped message history.
- Child information: Store school, medical, emergency contact and routine details.
- PDF exports: Download organised, tamper-evident records that can be independently verified.
Platforms: iPhone and Android."
New for 2026: Families Uncoupled
"Families Uncoupled is a UK co-parenting app designed to help separated parents manage family life with less stress, confusion and conflict. Created by Matt Taylor, a separated father of two young children, it brings together shared parenting calendars and schedules, secure co-parent messaging, shared expenses, parenting plans, handover and communication records, important documents and trusted read-only calendar sharing for appropriate family members or professionals.
The aim is to provide one clear place for arrangements and communication rather than juggling texts, emails and calendars. It can also complement mediation and family support services.
Currently available on iPhone, with Android in the final stages of development. Pricing: £9.99/month or £89.99/year, with a 7-day free trial.
Website: https://familiesuncoupled.com
"
Please note:
This Online Mediation blog post was authored by other businesses, and queries should be directed to those businesses on the links provided. Prices, processes and options can change.
Posts are not usually updated to reflect changes that happen after publication. Any information provided is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice, please contact a suitably qualified solicitor.
A.I. declaration: A.I. / Large Language Model (LLM) may have been used in the formation, drafting, editing of this article as the text is from external providers.
