2houses: Better Co-parenting Reviews

by SHill74

I paid for the year, last year. (gave up on it after about 6 months). Then looked at my bank account last week and I was surprisingly charged for another year. I’ve never had a company NOT send an email letting you know they’re about to charge you, or some kind of reminder. Nope, not a single word from these people. But they sure as heck didn’t mind taking my money. I clearly would have gone in and cancelled. When I contacted “customer service” I was basically told too bad. I even tried to explain I am currently unemployed, I cannot afford this and it was only a day or two after they took the money, they don’t care. It was an easy $120. Don’t bother with them, there are plenty of similar apps that are FREE.

by Kryslangford

I’ve been using 2houses for years. It’s always been a bit clunky but it served its purpose. The recent update makes 2houses look much better and it’s easier to navigate. HOWEVER, it is constantly crashing on me. It won’t always allow me to send pictures or make updates. I end up having to use the browser more than 2houses . :(

by Ab Gem

As a previous reviewer stated it’s better than not having something else it’s still pretty much like going thru a root canal! 2houses is filled with bugs and when you contact their customer service you don’t even get a canned response to let you know that they have received your request. If you persist you will hear from someone who will let you know they are working on it. 4 months later they are still working on it! And this is a bug/defect not a feature request. And for a paid service which ain’t they cheap it is simply a really pathetic and painful experience! Stay away and use some of the better ones out there some of which are not only free but do a great job of getting back to you on any issues.

by Vajesv

I have tried to cancel in SOOOO many different ways. I get no response then $150 comes out of my account from them. If I could give this no stars I would. It’s trash considering it’s a site that is supposed to help single parents co parent. Single parents can’t afford to be charged and lose that much money.

by Magda333

With the recent update I’m not able to attach a photo of a receipt from my photos gallery.

by Crewtons1511

I just downloaded 2houses - a very expensive app. I am trying the register all of the information and could not get past entering the parenting schedule ending date. I had to go to the website to enter the ending date beacause I could not in the mobile app. Also, when trying to create the parenting schedule on the computer, it would not consistently recognize the parenting schedule for 1st, 3rd and 5th weekend. I could not figure out why. There is also no customer service number to contact. The person listed on livechat help is always the same girl, and there’s always quite a delay in her response. Regarding this issue, she said she would give it to the developer. It is a basic function in the program, and the exact reason I chose this one was so I did not have to calculate it all by hand. Very frustrating.

by ThayerMom

2houses/site so much potential but it needs some better development to get there. The calendar is all right but with shared web calendars it isn't necessary. Unfortunately that seems to be the strongest point of this app. The most disappointing aspect of 2houses is the financial side - there is no way to track when one parent pays the other back. It requires both parents to use it to even be helpful and there is no way to mark when both parents have paid their share to a provider or vendor. Additionally the reports are limited at best (cannot export itemized expenses and uploaded copies of receipts). I've contacted 2house about this and was pretty much told "that's the way it is".

It really has the potential to be great, but doesn't seem like it will ever get there.

by Bucky1

The prior version, and this version won’t launch on iPhone 12 Pro

by 2houses App

New version will not load on my phone

by MamaofThreex

It’s a helpful app for managing shared expenses and proposing and tracking calendar/custody changes.

by Itsanapp123

We have been using 2houses for over a year and it has been very helpful. The color coded calendar for custody is easy to look through, and i like the requests for schedule changes which stay tracked regardless of whether they are accepted or declined. The messaging works fine. The daily digest send a summary of activity of 2houses , including new calendar items, new message, etc. there is a photo album and journal which I use for important kid info like notes from doctor appt, scores on tests, etc. the developers are responsive to input about bugs/fixes.

Thanks this app!
Coparenting In Baltimore

by Strategzz

Divorce is a tough business but this product is needed so kudos for trying.

5 stars for communication side: I can set up a separate string for each subject, and work on resolution on separate issues.

1 Star for bill sharing: this section is pretty useless. As an accountant, I’d recommend dropping this feature. To split bills accountably, need a totally separate App: an actual money account like in Apple or PayPal, with Bill Sharing, and allow a separate file for each expense, so unsettled bills are left “open” and settled bills are “closed”.

by Iunderwood74

2houses is good, and it's a decent front-end for the this app website. However, it doesn't feel complete, which is why I knocked it down a star.

However, the strength of the platform is on the back end. I might be a little old-fashioned, but when it comes to tracking the finances, making change requests in the calendar, and other functions, I much prefer to do these things online.

I've been using this app since Cofamilies went out of service and while there was a little bit of a sticker shock, using 2houses with my ex and my kids' caregivers has been convenient and powerful. Over the last couple years, 2houses and the back end have continued to mature into a unique product whose function hasn't been matched by anyone else at any price.

by Lyns0579

Overall, this is a useful app. It does just about everything I need it to do in order to keep our kid schedule up to date. We have tried several different ways to keep our parenting schedule organized and this platform has been working well for us. There are a few bugs that make it slightly clunky to use (lots of screens to click through to make simple changes and some issues with deleted calendar events still feeding to my Google calendar) but it is the best custody sharing calendar I have found so far. The price is a little steep for the features I use (just the calendar and parenting schedule) but we will probably continue to pay for the service as this calendar works far better than any of the free ones we tried.

by Scrappy2888

2houses has a lot of features, but for our family the financial assistance is all we need. And it is well worth it. You can keep track of child expenses on the go, and the balance is kept for you. Each parent can choose whether to approve or deny a claimed expense, and there is a section for notes if any explaining is needed. It also tracks categories of expenses, such as medical, activities, or whatever you need it to track. I can't imagine trying to manage every expense and tabulate all the receipts at the end of the month. Who has time for that? I strongly recommend 2houses, and perhaps the other features will be helpful for your situation as well.

by Dad Do Over

2houses helps to deal with a narcissist Ex.

by Scarletgil

It’s so important to keep open communication with your ex when you are co-parenting. There are so many great features in 2houses that have made my life easier. I can look on the calendar and easily see visually whether I have the kids or he does in any date in the future (we do every other week custody). If I need to request a change there is a change request feature where he needs to approve before the change shows up in the calendar. There’s just so many great features in 2houses that make co-parenting easier.

by 4 Year Old

We’ve been using 2houses since 2015 to manage shared expenses and calendaring. It has easily earned its high price tag through stability during a time of need.

The recent update unfortunately uses some nefarious privacy-violating internet tracking that adblockers disable. So as of July 2021 2houses no longer works on iOS.

Sad to see it go!

by Lostwithoutthisapp

Loved 2houses and the communication available. Definitely a way to keep everyone honest and on the same page.

by Mileeha1

The flexibility to create your custody schedule according to your agreement makes 2houses phenomenal. it easily integrates into Google calendar so you don’t have to look into two different places I’ve really enjoyed 2houses !

by Squirrly McCue

Trust the negative reviews. I was ignored by customer service time and time again. They do not fix any reported issues you may have and they do not honor their refund policy for defective service. They do not care about anything but your $. Nothing is made clear on their application either- you must go on the desktop website to get full information. I hope you choose not to walk into the trap like we did.

by (Less) Big Jim

this app is better than not having a co-parenting app at all, but after two years of use — several times a day — I find the this app mobile app (and web app) to be clunky, hard to use, and time-consuming. At the time we signed up, I tried and compared a bunch of co-parenting apps, and this app seemed the best based on that limited trial. Now that we’re locked in, I wish I had held out for an app better designed around use and efficiency. Even though I like this app better than other means of communicating with my ex, I generally find it tiresome and frequently frustrating.

by Morethen2houses

I was absolutely in love with 2houses. I could access it from my desktop or my phone, I loved getting the alerts and not having to directly communicate via text. But now I can only access from the desktop. I’ve done everything in power that I know what to do. Restarted my phone, deleted 2houses etc and all I get is a white screen, or an occasional login and then it freezes. Super annoying when I only have the desktop at work.

by New To 2houses

I appreciate that this tracks finances and all communication is stored and time stamped. The messaging system could be a bit more user friendly - wouldn’t have to close it and go back in to see responses and the calendar could be as well. If you are trying to put in an ongoing schedule that is unique to you, it only allows for start days as Sundays or Mondays.

by Awal256

I feel like 2houses can be primitive in some aspects like uploading images but in other ways (that are more important) it is very quick. For example, when there are last min changes, 2houses sends quickly like a text message so there’s no excuse that someone didn’t get the message. This company handles this dirty job well.

by Divorced Mom

Started using this right after our separation to keep our schedules for the kids and what days we had them. This is a great app to keep in communication with your ex when you share custody. This will let you have a little or as much communication with your ex but still keep in sync about the kids. I want as little direct communication with my ex so for me, it was a blessing. The staff is very helpful when you have a question and is quick to respond. This is my second year using it. Well worth the money spent.

by Amma Martin

2houses has worked very well for my co-parenting of my child. We really only use the calendar, parenting schedule, and finance sections. Like other users have said, it isn’t perfect. It constantly says I have a message (which can be annoying, even after I told customer service) and the calendar is clunky to use when entering in events and repeating events. But the finance and parenting schedule section works just fine for our needs. I would recommend.

by TAGamero

I only use the calendar, schedule, and finance potions, but they do exactly what I need them to. This works very well for our family, and I like that other caregivers can be added as well. My only complaint: 2houses calendar pages take FOREVER to load, making it hard to check in the moment. The webpage on a desktop is faster. If 2houses loaded faster, this would be 5 stars easily.

by Brandonneur

While 2houses isn’t extremely cutting edge and going to make it to the AppStore’s top designs, it does fulfill its purpose as a communication tool between parents. The majority of what we use is the Calendar and Messaging components, which work great. After having been on OFW for a time before I find this app much simpler and less expensive to boot. Good job!

by Molly7654321

A very helpful app for us as we begin having two houses and making all that more official. I especially appreciate the calendar ability to setup a custody schedule, and then look at any given date in the future and know where the kids are scheduled to be. Thank you for making 2houses!

by Illinigrl07

2houses is perfect for parents who can’t seem to get along or need those boundaries. Also, perfect for other caregivers involved. I love it because it keeps track of parenting days, events, expenses and appointments. Also, information can’t be deleted! I recommend 2houses.