2houses alternative: which other co-parenting apps are there?

For many co-parents in the Netherlands and Belgium, 2houses is the first app they come across. It's Belgian, available in Dutch, and bundles a calendar, messaging, expenses and a photo album into one package. Even so, parents regularly go looking for an alternative. Usually because of the price, sometimes because they only use half of what it offers.

Below you'll find the options side by side, along with the distinction that really decides your choice.

Why parents look for an alternative

The price. After the 14-day trial, 2houses costs from around €8.99 a month. That's reasonable for what it does, but it adds up, especially when you've just been through a separation and ten other fixed costs have landed on your plate.

You only use part of it. Plenty of co-parents sorted out their schedule long ago with a shared calendar and just want a tidy place for photos and memories. Then you're paying for an expenses module and a message inbox you never open.

The other parent doesn't join in. This is the most common reason. A co-parenting app only works if both parents open it. If it costs money per parent, one of them usually drops out, and you're left with an empty app.

First things first: two kinds of app

Most comparisons lump everything together, when in fact there are two categories that do completely different jobs:

• Logistics apps. Calendar, messages, splitting costs. This is a working document for the two of you. It's about this week.
• Memory apps. Photos, videos and milestones on one timeline. This is for your child. It's about the next twenty years.

2houses tries to be both and is strong in the first category. The photo album does the job, but it isn't a growing-up book. Once you know which of the two you're after, the choice gets a lot easier.

The alternatives compared

OurFamilyWizard for legally sensitive situations

The American market leader, which you can also use in the Netherlands. Its strength is the logging: messages are time-stamped and can't be edited afterwards, so they can be used in legal proceedings. The downsides: the interface is in English, the servers are in the US, and it costs around €100 a year per parent. There's more on this in our article on OurFamilyWizard alternatives.

AppClose: free, but American

A free basic version with a calendar, messaging and a payments feature. Easy to start with because there's no price tag, so the other parent is more likely to join. The flip side: it's in English, runs on American servers, and the business model is less transparent than with a paid app.

A shared calendar plus a shared album: free and simple

For co-parents who communicate well, this is often enough: a shared Google or Apple calendar for the weekly schedule. It works, costs nothing, and everyone already knows how to use it. For photos, a shared Google album is less suitable. Everyone needs a Google account, and your child's photos end up in the ecosystem of an advertising company.

Ouderliefde: only the memories side, in English and Dutch

Ouderliefde deliberately stays out of scheduling. It's a Dutch app for one thing: all your child's photos, videos, milestones, drawings and school reports on one shared timeline that both parents add to.

What makes it different in practice for co-parents:

• One subscription covers both parents. You don't pay per parent, so the other parent doesn't have to spend anything to take part.
• In English and Dutch. Both parents can use it in either language, so there's nothing to explain and no barrier.
• European servers, GDPR-compliant. No ads, no selling of data.
• Grandparents follow along via their own secure link, on both sides of the family, and you can revoke each link at any time.
• A time capsule: letters for your child to receive later, for example on their 18th birthday.

The combination that works best

Many co-parents aren't looking for a replacement for 2houses at all. They split it up:

• A free shared calendar (or 2houses, if the schedule really is complicated) for the logistics
• Ouderliefde for the memories

That saves money, and it keeps apart two things you want kept apart: the practical back-and-forth about drop-offs and pick-ups, and the place where your child's lovely moments live. You don't want the photo of the first day at school landing in the same inbox as an argument about who gets which holiday.

What to look for in an alternative

1. Do you pay per parent or per family? This is the difference between an app that works and an app that stays empty.
2. Where are the servers? For photos of your child and communication about your child, you want European storage under the GDPR.
3. Is it available in your language? Every barrier lowers the chance that the other parent joins in.
4. Can you export your data? If you want to switch in five years, you'll want to take your photos with you.
5. Can the grandparents get access? After a separation, the grandparents on one side often lose touch with the photos too.