Less time on logistics. More of this.
The schedule is rarely the hard part. Everything around it is.
Expense disputes
Who agreed to what, and when? Costs that should be simple turn into long threads because nobody asked first, or nobody wrote it down.
Communication everywhere
Texts, emails, WhatsApp, a call nobody remembers the same way. When you need to find something, it's in five places.
Last-minute changes
A work trip, a birthday, a sick day. Asking to swap a weekend shouldn't turn into a negotiation that lives in a text thread nobody can find later.
Apps that feel like court
Most co-parenting tools were built for judges, not parents. They work, but using them every day feels like filing paperwork.
Separation ends a relationship. It doesn’t end a family.
The hardest part usually isn’t the big decisions. It’s the hundred small ones. Who’s picking up Friday. Whether the hockey fees were agreed. Where the health card went. When every one of those turns into a negotiation, everyone loses, and the kids feel it most.
We built Tandem because we’ve lived it. It isn’t for winning arguments or keeping tabs on the other parent. It’s for making the small things small again, so the agreement you both signed does the deciding, and you get to be a parent instead of an administrator.
This is the actual app. Take a look around.
Your custody calendar, built from your plan
Upload the agreement once. Tandem reads the rotation and holidays, then shows whose day it is and what's waiting on you.
The demo is a sample family. Approve a request, send a message, then switch to the co-parent's side to see what they see.
Ask before, not argue after.
Upload your parenting plan or separation agreement. When a cost needs both parents' consent, Tandem sends a pre-approval request that quotes the exact clause, shows each parent's share, and sets a reply-by date.
- The clause travels with the request, so nobody argues about what the agreement says
- Splits come from your agreement, not a guess
- Every approval, question and receipt is timestamped for your record
Try it: the request on the right is interactive.
Your agreement, clause 7.2Extracurricular activities over $200 require the written consent of both parents before enrolment, shared 60/40.
One place for the schedule, the conversation and the paperwork.
Your calendar, built from your plan
Upload the agreement and Tandem reads the rotation, holidays and splits. Confirm it, and your custody days appear in Apple, Google or Outlook calendars, updating whenever a swap is accepted.
Messages that stay calm
Every message is timestamped, with a record of when it was first seen. When a draft runs hot, get a calmer version in one tap, or translate one you've received. You always decide what's sent.
You're late AGAIN. This is the third time this month and I'm done covering for you.
Every document, in one place
Health cards, school forms, receipts, travel letters and court orders, stored once and shared with both parents. No more asking for the same PDF twice.
One record of everything
Import WhatsApp chats and email, and log calls or handoffs in seconds. Filter it, then export a clean record for your lawyer or parenting coordinator.
One price, both parents
Most co-parenting apps charge each parent separately. Tandem is one subscription for the whole family, from $9.99 a month.
Built with safety in mind
A private check flags worrying language in messages you receive, visible only to you. A quick-exit button on every page takes you away in one tap.
Swap days without the back-and-forth
Tap the days you need, offer make-up time, add a reason. Your co-parent accepts or declines in one tap, and the Tandem calendar updates for both of you.
Travel consent, sorted
Taking the kids across a border? Draft the consent letter Canada recommends, get your co-parent's consent in the app, and print it ready to sign.
Nothing slips through
Your home screen shows exactly what's waiting on you: a request to answer, a swap to accept, a trip to approve. Then it tells you when you're all caught up.
New partners, grandparents, the kids and the lawyer. Everyone sees only what they should.
More than one co-parent
Children from different relationships? Keep each family separate on one account, and switch between them in a tap.
New partners, with consent
A partner or step-parent can see the schedule. The kids' medical and school details are shared only if the other parent agrees. Nobody you add sees your messages, money or documents.
A calendar the kids can read
Print a friendly "Mum's house, Dad's house" calendar for the fridge, with switch days, holidays, trips and a packing reminder. Teens get it on their own phone.
Professionals, with consent
Your parenting coordinator or mediator gets read-only access once both parents approve, and every visit is logged for you both to see.
Child support, agreed
Record each payment, the other parent confirms it, and you keep a running balance you both trust. Reminders for the annual income update too.
Works with your calendar
Subscribe from Apple Calendar, Outlook or Google, and accepted swaps appear on their own. No Google account needed.
On your own, or together.
No invite needed. Your calendar, expenses, notes and imported emails start building a timestamped record today.
Share a six-letter code. Your co-parent joins free, and you both work from the same calendar, the same expenses and the same plan.
One family. One price.
From $9.99 a month, and both parents are included. Try everything free for 30 days.
Plus applicable tax.
Family Essential
Everything two homes need day to day.
- Shared custody calendar with Google Calendar sync
- Documented, exportable messaging
- Expense log with receipts and splits
- Kids Vault and Legal Vault
- Communication Record and court-ready export
- Kids' info hub and child support log
- Calendar subscription for Apple, Outlook and Google
- Printable kids' calendar
- View-only access for partners, caregivers, teens and professionals
Family Premium
For families who want the agreement doing the work.
- Everything in Essential
- Plan Parser: upload your agreement, get your calendar
- Pre-approval requests that quote your agreement
- Calmer-message rewrites
- Private message check
Money tight right now? Apply for a fee waiver.
The same essentials, for a fairer price.
| Feature | Tandem | OurFamilyWizard | TalkingParents | AppClose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost for both parents, per month | From $9.99 | $18 to $50 | $13 to $64 | $14 to $16 |
| How billing works | One family price | Each parent pays | Each parent pays | Each parent pays |
| Calendar built from your uploaded agreement | Yes | No | No | No |
| Expense requests that quote your agreement's clause | Yes | No | No | No |
| Court-ready export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Totals cover both parents, from each company's published pricing as of October 2026. Features as publicly described by each company. All names are trademarks of their owners. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it. See how Tandem compares with six apps.
Become a founding family: 3 months free.
Tandem is new. Our first families get three months free in return for an honest review in their first two weeks, and help shape the app they actually need.
Straight answers.
Does my co-parent have to pay too?
No. One subscription covers both parents. Invite your co-parent and they get full access to your plan at no extra cost.
What if my co-parent won't join?
Start on your own. Your calendar, expenses, notes and imported emails still build a timestamped record. When they're ready, they join the same family and see the same plan.
What happens when the free trial ends?
You get 30 days of everything, no card needed. At the end, pick monthly, 6-month or yearly billing to keep going. If you don't, your account becomes read-only and you can still export your full record.
Can my lawyer or parenting coordinator see it?
Yes. Invite them for read-only access once both parents approve, and every time they view the record it's logged for you both to see. You can also export a printable record anytime.
Can my new partner or our kids see it?
Only what you choose, and never your messages, money or documents. A partner or step-parent sees the schedule; the kids' medical and school details are shared only if the other parent agrees. Teens get a view-only calendar on their phone, and you can print a kid-friendly calendar for the fridge.
Will this hold up in court?
Messages and records are timestamped and exportable, which is what family lawyers ask for. Whether any record is admissible is always up to the court, so talk to your lawyer about your situation.
What if money is tight right now?
Apply for a fee waiver. We offer free or reduced access to families in financial hardship and to survivors of domestic violence.
Is my information private?
Only the parents in your family, and anyone you both choose to add, can see your family's data. We don't sell data and we don't show ads. You can export your record at any time, and ask us to delete your account whenever you like.
Which countries does Tandem work in?
Tandem is built for families in Canada and the United States.
On your phone in two taps. No app store.
Tandem installs straight from your browser and opens full screen with its own icon, just like an app. It updates itself, so you always have the latest version.
Open Tandem in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
Open Tandem in Chrome and tap Install when it asks, or Add to Home screen from the menu.
Phone, tablet or computer. Your family's information follows you everywhere.
This is hard. Tandem makes it lighter.
Set up your family in about five minutes. Your co-parent joins free. Nothing to pay for 30 days.
