OurFamilyWizard Cost in 2026, and a $45-a-Year Alternative for Both Homes
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Custody rules differ by state and country; check with a family-law professional for your situation.
OurFamilyWizard is the co-parenting app most often named in custody orders, and it is priced like it: $110 to $299.88 per parent per year, with each parent paying separately. This page sets out what each tier includes as read from ourfamilywizard.com on 4 October 2026, who is genuinely better off staying on it, and what SplitDay offers instead at $44.99 a year for both homes.
What OurFamilyWizard costs in 2026
Four tiers, all billed per parent, all available as one-year or two-year plans, with a 30-day refund window:
- Basic, $110 a year: messaging, shared calendar, expense log, info bank.
- Essentials, $149.99 a year: adds the ToneMeter on messages and more storage.
- Premium, $216 a year: adds certified records and larger attachments.
- Max, $299.88 a year: adds recorded and transcribed calls.
Because the price is per parent, a two-parent household on Essentials pays $299.98 a year between them, and on Max $599.76. OurFamilyWizard does run a fee-waiver programme for parents on SNAP, Medicaid or legal aid and for survivors of domestic violence, plus a military discount; if either applies to you, use it before paying list price anywhere.
What you get for it, honestly
The product has been in family courts since 2001, and that history is the product. Courts in all US states have ordered parents onto it, lawyers and mediators can hold free practitioner accounts that see a client's record, messages cannot be edited or deleted once sent, and the higher tiers produce certified records that OurFamilyWizard will stand behind under subpoena. If your situation needs any of that, the price is buying something real.
The complaints are just as consistent. Parents on Reddit describe it as "cumbersome and expensive for how little of its functionality we actually use", note that the calendar export to Google Calendar is "basically a static snapshot", and resent paying for an app they were ordered to use. The calendar, which is what most families touch every day, is not where OurFamilyWizard's money goes.
Who should stay on OurFamilyWizard
- Your order names it. If a judge told you to use OurFamilyWizard, use OurFamilyWizard. No alternative changes that.
- You need certified records or recorded calls. Those exist on the Premium and Max tiers and nowhere in SplitDay.
- Messaging is the problem. If the conflict lives in the messages, an unalterable message log with a tone filter is the feature to pay for.
OurFamilyWizard and SplitDay, feature by feature
| Feature | OurFamilyWizard | SplitDay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $110 to $299.88 per parent per year | Free tier; Pro $8.99 a month, $44.99 a year or $99.99 once, covering both homes |
| Does the other parent have to pay? | Yes, each parent subscribes | No; the invited co-parent views and messages free |
| Works with one parent only | Limited | Yes |
| Custody calendar and rotation patterns | Yes | Yes, every pattern plus custom, colour-coded by parent, with a parenting-time scoreboard |
| Handover log with timestamps | Via the journal and check-ins | Yes, every exchange, swap and return timestamped when written |
| Expenses with receipts | Yes, with OFWpay | Yes, with AI receipt scanning and a split ratio |
| Exports | Reports; certified records on higher tiers | CSV of the full custody history and a chat-transcript PDF on free; printable calendars and expense PDFs on Pro |
| Messaging | Unalterable messages with ToneMeter | Household messaging with an AI tone indicator; not the centre of the product |
| Certified records, recorded calls, court mandates | Yes | No, and no admissibility claims |
| Offline and on-device data | Cloud | Works offline; data stays on the device unless you share |
If you came for the calendar
Most families who leave OurFamilyWizard say the same thing: they were paying for a courtroom and using a calendar. SplitDay is built the other way round. Pick a pattern and the whole year fills in, both of you see the same colour-coded month, every handover is logged with the time it happened, and the record exports in one tap as a PDF your mediator or lawyer can read in a minute. It works if only one of you installs it, and the one who subscribes covers both homes.
Switching takes about five minutes. Set the rotation and start date in SplitDay, add the holiday rules for your country, then keep OurFamilyWizard open for as long as your order requires it. Nothing in your existing record is lost by running the two side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is OurFamilyWizard free?
No. OurFamilyWizard is a paid subscription billed per parent, from $110 to $299.88 per parent per year (ourfamilywizard.com, read 4 October 2026). It offers a fee waiver for parents on SNAP, Medicaid or legal aid and for survivors of domestic violence, a military discount, and a 30-day refund window.
How much does OurFamilyWizard cost for two parents?
Each parent subscribes separately. Two parents on the Basic tier pay $220 a year between them, on Essentials $299.98, on Premium $432 and on Max $599.76. Prices read 4 October 2026.
Is there a cheaper alternative to OurFamilyWizard?
SplitDay's Pro plan is $44.99 a year and covers both homes: the parent who subscribes shares the calendar, and the invited co-parent views it and messages for free. The free tier has no time limit and includes the custody calendar, every rotation pattern, exchange logging with timestamps and a CSV export.
Can I use SplitDay if my co-parent stays on OurFamilyWizard or refuses any app?
Yes. SplitDay works with one parent signed up. You keep the schedule, log every handover with the time and export the record on your own; inviting the other parent is optional.
Is SplitDay court approved?
No consumer co-parenting app is approved by courts as a category. If a court has ordered you to use OurFamilyWizard or any named platform, use the one in the order. SplitDay makes no admissibility claim about its exports; what it gives you is a record that is timestamped when it is written and exported in one tap.
Still want a free co-parenting calendar
SplitDay's free tier covers the calendar, the scoreboard, the exchange log and a CSV export of your full custody history. It shows banner ads.
You do not need your co-parent's permission — or their phone — to set it up.
