Comparison
CoParent Circle vs OurFamilyWizard
OurFamilyWizard is the most established co-parenting platform, with two decades of court familiarity behind it. It's also the most expensive, and it bills each parent separately. Here's an honest, current comparison of the things co-parents actually use day-to-day.
Why co-parents switch from OurFamilyWizard
- 01A real free plan: CoParent Circle gives you the calendar, messaging, and basic expenses at $0. OFW has no free tier — its cheapest plan is $110 per parent per year, and both parents subscribe.
- 02One bill for the household: any paid plan covers both parents, children, caregivers, and professional seats. OFW pricing is per parent, so a household pays twice.
- 03Verifiable evidence, not just tamper-evident records: hash-anchored chain, digitally signed exports, Bates-numbered motion packets, and an order-compliance ledger — none of which OFW publishes.
- 04Fully bilingual product and site. OFW offers regional resources but not an end-to-end Spanish app.
Side-by-side comparison
Honest, current, and updated when either product ships new functionality.
| Feature | CoParent Circle | OurFamilyWizard |
|---|---|---|
Free plan | ||
Paid plan starts at | $9.99/mo (Essentials) · $19.99/mo (Pro) | $110/yr per parent (Basic) |
Top published tier | $39.99/mo (Family) | ~$299/yr per parent (Max) |
Two-parent shared billing | $34.99/mo (optional Pro Household) | Per-parent only |
Shared custody calendar | ||
Calendar change requests (accept / counter / deny) | ||
In-app messaging | ||
Immutable message history (no edits, no deletes) | ||
Tone-check on outgoing messages Ours on Pro & Family; OFW's Writing Assistant from Essentials up. | Pro & Family | |
Expense splits & reimbursements | ||
In-app payments between parents OFWpay moves money; we track and settle balances. | ||
Document vault with per-doc access | ||
Court-ready PDF / CSV reports | Pro & Family | |
Certified printed & notarized records | Premium tier | |
Hash-anchored, independently verifiable exports | ||
Bates-numbered motion-ready packets | ||
Order-compliance ledger | ||
Immutable audit log (every access recorded) | Pro & Family | |
Free accounts for attorneys & mediators | Included seats on paid plans | |
Per-case, per-resource access controls | ||
Full Spanish product & site | ||
Native iOS & Android apps | PWA + native (in TestFlight) | |
State child-support payment integration |
Switching from OurFamilyWizard
Most switchers keep their final OFW Activity Report PDF as an archive of the historical record, then start a clean log in CoParent Circle from the switch date forward. Your attorney can still reference the OFW archive for events that happened before the switch — the two records sit side-by-side without conflict.
FAQ
Is CoParent Circle a real alternative to OurFamilyWizard?
Yes. CoParent Circle covers the same core jobs OFW does — shared custody calendar, in-app messaging with an immutable record, expense splits, document vault, and court-ready PDF/CSV exports. Where we go further is verifiable evidence: a hash-anchored chain, digitally signed exports, Bates-numbered motion packets, and an order-compliance ledger. Where OFW goes further is payment plumbing (OFWpay), certified printed records, and a 20-year track record with courts.
How does the price compare?
OurFamilyWizard publishes four annual tiers per parent: Basic $110/year, Essentials $149.99/year (about $12.50/month), plus Premium and Max above that — up to roughly $299 per parent per year. Both parents subscribe separately, so a household pays double. CoParent Circle is $0 on the Free plan, $9.99/month on Essentials, and $19.99/month on Pro, and one paid plan covers the whole circle — optional Pro Household is $34.99/month for both parents on one bill.
Do I have to pay for my attorney or mediator on either app?
No, on either one. OurFamilyWizard's practitioner accounts are free for attorneys, mediators, judges, and mental-health professionals. CoParent Circle includes professional read-only seats on paid plans — 1 on Essentials, 3 on Pro, 5 on Family — and lets you grant access per resource, so a mediator can see the calendar and expenses without reading every message.
Will my attorney accept CoParent Circle records in court?
Family-law attorneys care about three things: the record is immutable (no edits, no deletes), every entry is timestamped, and exports include a chain-of-custody manifest. CoParent Circle ships all three, plus a published hash-verification method so an expert can check a report without trusting us. OFW's Activity Report is a well-established equivalent for the first three.
Can I import my history from OurFamilyWizard?
OFW does not offer a structured export of message history, so a one-click import isn't possible from either side. Most switchers download their OFW Activity Report PDF for the record-keeping period that matters, archive it, and start a clean log in CoParent Circle from the switch date forward.
Does CoParent Circle have a tone-check feature like OFW's writing tools?
Yes, on Pro and Family. The composer flags hostile, sarcastic, or accusatory phrasing before you send, with a rewrite suggestion, and your message content is never used to train any model. OFW's Writing Assistant is included from its Essentials tier up.
Try CoParent Circle free
Free plan covers calendar, messaging, and basic expenses. No credit card.