AppClose Alternative (2026): One $6.99 Subscription for Both Parents
AppClose discontinued its free plan on January 1, 2026. It now costs $7.99/month per parent on the web ($8.99 in-app) after a 60-day trial — roughly $16–18/month for a co-parenting pair. If you mainly used AppClose to track shared expenses, CoParentSplit does that job for one $6.99/month subscription that covers both parents — and it still has a free tier.
CoParentSplit
$6.99/month or $59.99/year per pair (both parents included)
AppClose
$7.99–8.99/month per parent (~$16–18/month per pair, free plan ended Jan 2026)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CoParentSplit | AppClose |
|---|---|---|
| Price (monthly, per pair) | $6.99/month | ~$16–18/month |
| Free tier | Yes (10 expenses/month) | Ended Jan 1, 2026 |
| Free trial | 14 days | 60 days |
| Both parents included in one subscription | ||
| Expense tracking | ||
| Auto balance calculation | ||
| Monthly reports | ||
| CSV export | ||
| In-app messaging | ||
| Shared calendar | ||
| Setup time | 2 minutes | 10+ minutes |
What Changed at AppClose in 2026
For years AppClose marketed itself as the free co-parenting app. That ended on January 1, 2026, when AppClose discontinued its free plan and moved all users to paid subscriptions: $7.99/month per parent on the web, or $8.99/month if you subscribe in-app, after a 60-day trial. Because each parent pays separately, a co-parenting pair now spends roughly $16–18 every month — about $192–216 per year. For families who signed up specifically because it was free, that's a big shift, and many are now looking for an alternative.
What Switching to CoParentSplit Looks Like
CoParentSplit is built around the one thing most co-parents actually opened AppClose for: tracking shared child expenses and knowing who owes whom. One subscription — $6.99/month or $59.99/year — covers the pair. You subscribe, your co-parent joins free, and both of you get full access. There's a 14-day free trial of premium, and unlike AppClose in 2026, a free tier still exists: 10 expenses per month, 1 child, and 30-day history, free forever. Setup takes about 2 minutes: add your kids, set your split ratios, invite your co-parent, start logging.
The Math: $16–18/Month vs $6.99/Month
Two AppClose accounts at $7.99–8.99/month each come to $192–216 per year for the pair. CoParentSplit's annual plan is $59.99 per year for the pair — both parents included. That's roughly a third of the cost. And because it's one subscription, there's no awkward conversation about whether your co-parent is willing to pay for their half of an app: they never pay anything.
What You'd Give Up — Honestly
AppClose is an all-in-one platform: it includes in-app messaging and information sharing that CoParentSplit doesn't have. CoParentSplit deliberately skips messaging — most low-conflict co-parents already text or email — and instead goes deeper on expenses: per-child tagging, category-based split ratios, receipt uploads, automatic monthly reports, CSV export, and a shared custody calendar. If monitored in-app messaging is essential to your situation, an all-in-one app may still be the better fit. If expenses are the job, a focused tool does it better for less.
No Payment Processing, No Payment Fees
CoParentSplit calculates the balance — "you spent $X, they spent $Y, they owe you $Z" — but never touches your money. You settle however you already do: Venmo, Zelle, e-transfer, cash. That means zero transaction fees and no bank accounts linked to yet another app.
Which Is Right for You?
Choose CoParentSplit if:
AppClose users who mainly tracked expenses and don't want to pay $16+/month per pair after the free plan ended; parents who want a free tier or one subscription covering both parents
Choose AppClose if:
Parents who want one app for all co-parenting communication including messaging and info sharing, and don't mind two paid accounts
The Bottom Line
AppClose's move to paid-only in January 2026 changed the deal: what was free now costs a pair around $16–18/month. If you use its messaging heavily, it may still earn that. But if expense tracking is why you're there, CoParentSplit does that job better — reports, CSV export, receipts, custody calendar — for $6.99/month or $59.99/year covering both parents, with a 14-day trial and a free tier to start.