Does the Our Family Wizard App work? Co-parenting app review (2024)

Whether it's the breakdown of a relationship or you were never a couple to start with, co-parenting is incredibly tough.

Co-parenting apps have became a staple part of life for many co-parents, as they tackle the challenge of managing their kids' lives while separated or living in separate houses. Even the most amicable of co-parenting relationships can face difficulties in managing their kids' lives purely because they're not living in the same house.

There are several apps available to help you co-parent, but Our Family Wizard is widely considered to be the leading co-parenting app on the market.

We gave members of the DaddiLife community the opportunity to try and test the Our Family Wizard app to see if and how it helped them to co-parent more effectively.

First launched as a website back in 2001 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Our Family Wizard has been used to help nearly one million co-parenting partners manage their children's lives in a healthy and peaceful ways.

It is often recommended by family courts, mediators, family professionals and mental health practitioners in all 50 US states, and countries like the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Image: Our Family Wizard

However, what sets the Our Family Wizard app aside from the others is 'ToneMeter'. Using AI, ToneMeter flags messages that may be emotionally charged before they are sent, and recommends calmer, friendlier language. It also has 'OFWPay', a built-in payment solution that integrates with your bank account, enabling you to transfer money to/from your co-parent within the app.

Both parents are required to purchase their own subscription, which starts at £79 for the 'Build Your Own' bundle and £99 for the pre-bundled one year subscription.

Mark and Emma's experience

Mark and Emma are co-parenting their five children, ages ranging from 24 to two years old. With Mark working offshore for 2-3 weeks at a time, they needed a co-parenting app to help them manage the children's schedules.

They both admit they weren't expecting big things - not because they had any pre-existing thoughts or feelings about the app, they were just skeptical that an app would be able to help their chaotic life.

However, they were both very pleased with their first impressions of the app.

"I had anticipated that it could be used to schedule childcare, keep track of information and note specific plans, but I was pleasantly surprised when I realise it was a lot more than that. Expenses could be noted and claimed, medical records and appointments, messages sent to each other and insurance details added."

In fact, Mark and Emma struggled to find fault with the app.

"It's very effective and does exactly what it says it will," Mark explained. "The shared calendar and instant access immediately made things more effective. It's very easy to use and the user experience is intuitive. It has made complicated communication much less complicated."

Emma added: "There are so many key features to choose from. The diary and scheduling was the main thing for us, but there was also expenses to bill, messages to send to each other, large notes, important information, medical notes."

Remie and Simon's experience

Remie and Simon have been co-parenting their five year old daughter since she was roughly six months old. Remie admits they had an "old school way" of scheduling their daughter's life, using notebooks and sending text messages, and needed a more modern approach.

"Initially, I found it easy to set up expenses and create a calendar with clearly marked half-term and holiday dates, which were the main two aspects that attracted me to the app in the first place. Events were easy to input, too," Remie began.

However, Remie did experience some issues when it came to schedule rotations. She explained: "I was surprised there were only two options when it came it schedule rotations as I would require a custom calendar. After seeking advice from the support team, I found some customised options."

She added: "It does take a bit of navigating at first to input your personal data and find your way around the features but once you are set up it runs smoothly."

Having been managing their child's life with written notes and texts, Simons review of Our Family Wizard is glowing.

"The app's intuitive interface makes it easy to organise and track shared expenses, creating a transparent way to manage financial responsibilities. Additionally, the shared calendar feature has been a game-changer, allowing us to sync schedules and stay updated on our children's activities and appointments. It has significantly reduced misunderstandings and conflicts," he said.

Remie was also positive about the impact Our Family Wizard (and ToneMeter) had on their communication: "The messaging feature has facilitated smooth and respectful communication between my co-parent and me. It has helped us streamline discussions about our children and their wellbeing, reducing potential tension and misunderstandings.

The ability to store and access important documents, such as medical records and school information, all in one place has been incredibly convenient. It's reassuring to know that crucial information is readily available to both parents whenever needed.

Scheduling

Communication

Info Bank

Accountability

There are a number of features on Our Family Wizard that hold co-parents to account for court or legal proceedings. Messages cannot be edited or deleted, meaning you can't hide any abusive behaviour; co-parents need to 'check-in' for handover times and visitations, and the expenses tracker ensures bills get paid.

Both parents need a subscription

Relies on both parents' input

Video tutorials

As someone who admits she's not the best with technology, Emma would have liked to have seen some video tutorials embedded into the app to help her get to grips with it.

Our co-parents agree that Our Family Wizard is a simple but incredibly effective co-parenting app with a range of features that have a dramatic impact on how they communicate, manage schedules and important information.

With Our Family Wizard's risk-free trial period and a money back guarantee, there's no reason not to at least try it out.

Effectiveness

Our Family Wizard has had a significant impact on the way our parents manage the day-to-day lives of their children. Misunderstandings, conflicts, notebooks and text messages have been swapped for streamlined, effective, efficient communication and management.

Ease of use

Despite a few minor issues here and there, our parents found Our Family Wizard simple and straightforward to use, with an intuitive interface. Some video tutorials would be a nice addition, though.

Value for money

With both parents having to buy their own subscription costing at least £79, it may seem like a lot of money. However, when you break that down over a year, it's less than £10 a month. And our parents all agreed that what you get for your money is fantastic. There's also a discount available for families in need.

Key features

As Emma said, "there are so many features to choose from". Our Family Wizard is arguably the most-loaded co-parenting app in terms of features. And ToneMeter really sets it apart.

Online buzz

Try Our Family Wizard

Do both parents have to pay for the Our Family Wizard app?

What is the Our Family Wizard fee waiver program?

Our Family Wizard's fee waiver program allows families or individuals who are experiencing financial hardship to access the app. In order to qualify, you need to be receiving Legal Aid, Help with Court Fees, Government benefits or have a lawyer doing pro bono work for you. If you are paying for legal representation, it's highly unlikely that you will qualify.

Who can access OurFamilyWizard?

What can a professional see on Our Family Wizard?

Professionals, like lawyers, mediators or mental health professionals can be given access to your account for free. It allows them to check the status of the subscription, access certain client activities, review communications and download certified records.