Alternative to Talking Parents: Custody X Change
Although Talking Parents and Custody X Change offer many of the same features, they're meant for different situations. Talking Parents is great for co-parents with a history of domestic violence. Custody X Change is meant for nonviolent co-parenting relationships (which may have low, medium or high conflict).
If you need to hide your phone number from your co-parent and record calls, Talking Parents is probably the choice for you. Otherwise, use Custody X Change for fewer constraints and extra options (like syncing with other calendar apps).
Talking Parents versus Custody X Change
Custody X Change
- Primary use: Coordinate parenting in two households
- Target user: Co-parents whose disagreements stay nonviolent
- Install from: custodyxchange.com
How you use Custody X Change is flexible. When you first separate, you can make a schedule and parenting plan for court. Later, use it for day-to-day co-parent communication: messaging each other, tracking expenses, etc.
You also have the option to use CXC without your co-parent to keep yourself organized.
Try this with Custody X Change.
Talking Parents
- Primary use: Keep parenting relationships safe
- Target user: Parents with a history of domestic violence
- Install from: App stores
With a focus on recorded and transcribed calls, Talking Parents is popular with parents who have restraining orders. A court may order parents to use TP if they've had severe clashes or if there has been intense counterparenting.
You can't use TP on your own — you must link accounts with your co-parent.
Features compared
Both apps offer...
- Calendars: See custody exchanges and appointments. Get notified when your co-parent makes changes.
- Co-parent messaging: Timestamps let you know if your co-parent has seen your message. Messages can't be edited, so both parents keep an accurate record.
- Expense tracking: Keep track of which parent owes the other.
- Child-info storage: Save details in premade forms (e.g., school info) or make custom ones.
- Private journal: Write about what happens and add attachments.
- Records for court: Get printed and PDF records of what happens in the app.
- File storage: Both have various places to upload files, like your journal.
- Mobile and desktop views: Move between your phone, computer and tablet.
Try this with Custody X Change.
Only Custody X Change offers...
- Parenting plan template: Courts worldwide have accepted agreements made with Custody X Change.
- Planned time calculator: See your percentage so you make a fair schedule and get the right child support order.
- Actual time tracker: Know how much time you really get so you can plan makeup visits or get a new order.
- Hostile language monitor: Get alerted when you draft an antagonistic message so you can take a breath and rephrase.
- Syncing with other calendar apps: See your custody schedule on external calendars, like Google Calendar.
- Linking with family and legal pros: Let your kids view the calendar and your lawyer access everything.
Only Talking Parents offers...
- Recorded, web-based calling: Have your calls automatically transcribed and recorded as evidence. Keep your phone number secret.
- Payments: Reimburse each other or send child support (for a fee).
If you like features from both apps, you can sign up for both. This is common — for example, parents may have been ordered by a court to use Talking Parents but want the parenting time calculations in Custody X Change.
Weighing the pros and cons
Custody X Change pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Use with your co-parent or on your own | No calling through the app |
| Link with other people to give free access | Need another way to pay your co-parent |
| Calculate planned or actual parenting time | Have to print records yourself |
| Make custody schedules quickly with templates | Won't know what day your co-parent viewed a calendar event |
| Get a holiday schedule for your child's age | Download from the website, not an app store |
| Sync with other calendar apps | |
| Get warned before you send a hostile message | |
| Make a court-ready parenting plan |
Talking Parents pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Works well for domestic violence cases | Must use with your co-parent |
| Make audio and video calls | No linking with anyone besides your co-parent |
| Calls automatically recorded and transcribed | Some features only available in the U.S. |
| Send payments to your co-parent | No parenting time calculator |
| Upload freestanding files (not as attachment) | Have to schedule every holiday manually |
| No syncing with other calendar apps | |
| No private calendars for drafts you aren't ready to share | |
| Combative messages likely — no hostility warnings | |
| Need another way to make a parenting plan |
Which app should you use?
Do you have a restraining order?
Use Talking Parents. You'll be able to speak without sharing your phone number, and your calls will be recorded in case you need to prove verbal abuse or threats.
Can you wave hello to each other?
Use Custody X Change. You'll benefit from extra capabilities, like a parenting plan template and free calendar access for anyone you invite.
Is your co-parent likely to sabotage your calendar entries?
Use Talking Parents. Only the parent who creates an event will be able to edit it.
Would you like both parents to be able to edit calendar entries?
Use Custody X Change. Parents will be able to edit any calendar entry, and the other parent will get a notification.
Do you want to see previews of messages you receive?
Use Custody X Change. You can opt to get message alerts — with previews — on your phone, by email or just in the app.
Do you need to hide all message contents until you feel ready?
Use Talking Parents. Your message alerts won't show any part of a message until you're ready to read the whole thing.
Do you need records delivered in a sealed evidence bag?
Use Talking Parents. You'll be able to order sealed records that display a watermark if copied. PDF records include a digital signature to prove they haven't been altered.
Are standard PDF records sufficient?
Use Custody X Change. Our standard PDFs have been accepted in courts around the world.
Bottom line
Talking Parents and Custody X Change are two of the leading co-parenting apps. Which one will work best for you depends on your needs.
If you need safeguards for an unusually volatile parenting relationship — e.g., sealed records and recorded calls — go with Talking Parents.
If you want co-parenting support with more flexibility — e.g., linking with other calendar apps and family members — use Custody X Change.
Either way, you'll get a co-parenting app that's loved by parents and accepted by courts.