Everything you need to know about KidsFirst.
KidsFirst is a free co-parenting app with an AI Conflict Filter that rewrites hostile messages before they are sent. It helps divorced and separated parents communicate calmly, share a calendar, track expenses, and store documents – all in one place.
Yes. KidsFirst is free for both parents. Every feature, no paywall, no trial, no credit card, no paid tier, and nothing held back. We're not run to make a profit, so there's no business reason to lock anything behind a price. If we ever add optional advanced features beyond what's in the app today, things that cost real money to run, we'll be upfront about it, but the core co-parenting tools you rely on stay free, always.
Because the families who need this most are often already stretched: paying for lawyers, court fees, and a second home. KidsFirst is founder-led and community-built, supported by AWS, and not run to make a profit, so keeping the core free is the whole point, not a catch. Read the full story of how KidsFirst is built and funded.
KidsFirst was bootstrapped by its founder and is supported today by Amazon Web Services through their startup program, which covers most of our infrastructure costs. We keep overheads low because we're community-built, and as we grow we're pursuing industry and government grants and welcoming community donations. Any money KidsFirst brings in goes back into keeping it running and reaching more families, not into profit.
KidsFirst was created by Vincent, an Australian founder who experienced high-conflict co-parenting firsthand with his own daughter. He built the app he wished had existed: one that puts children first by reducing parental conflict. Today it's founder-led and community-built, with a growing group of people helping make it better.
KidsFirst is available in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. It is free to download on iOS and Android in all three countries.
The AI Conflict Filter reviews every message before it is sent. If it detects hostile or aggressive language, it rewrites the message in a calm, neutral tone, and only the rewritten version is delivered. What lands in your inbox has already been through the filter.
Most apps that offer something like this warn the sender and then let them send the original anyway. KidsFirst doesn't work that way: the rewrite happens before delivery, and the filter can't be switched off.
No. Only the rewritten version is sent. This protects both parents from escalation and keeps the conversation focused on your children.
It gets rewritten before it reaches you. You see a calm, factual version focused on the actual issue, not the anger behind it.
This is the difference between a filter and a warning. A warning depends on the other parent choosing to calm down at the worst moment of their day. A filter doesn't depend on anyone's goodwill, which is why we designed KidsFirst so hostile messages are rewritten before they land, rather than flagged for the sender to ignore.
No automated system is perfect, and we won't pretend otherwise. But the whole design intent is that you shouldn't have to brace yourself every time your phone buzzes.
No. The AI Conflict Filter is always active and cannot be disabled. It's a core part of KidsFirst's safety design, and it's the reason the other parent can't send you something hostile through the app. Its purpose is not to censor you but to ensure what gets sent is productive and focused on your children's needs. If you prefer to communicate without AI filtering, you can continue to use other channels outside the app.
When you type a message, the AI reviews it before it is sent. If it detects aggressive or inflammatory language, it rewrites the message in a neutral, factual tone, for example turning "You're irresponsible" into a calm request about logistics. You can review the suggested rewrite before sending. Messages that are already calm and constructive go through as you wrote them.
We automatically remove personal details – such as names and contact information – before your message reaches the AI model, so it doesn't process who the message is about. This happens within our secure systems in Australia. No automated system is perfect, so we treat this as best-effort and keep improving it, but the aim is simple: the filter works on the message itself, not on your family's identity.
No. Your private messages are never used to train AI models. Message content is processed using Amazon Web Services (AWS Bedrock), within AWS infrastructure, solely to process that specific message, never to train AI. If we ever add another AI provider, we will update our Privacy Statement and notify you before anything changes. If you believe a message was processed incorrectly, you can request a human review by contacting privacy@kidsfirst.app.
KidsFirst includes:
KidsFirst uses Topic-Based Threads instead of one endless chat. Most messaging apps put the whole conversation between two people in a single thread, but co-parents need different topics followed up differently – school, health, handovers, and expenses each get their own thread. This keeps every discussion easy to follow, lets both parents pick up exactly where a specific topic left off, and stops important details from getting buried or mixed up.
That's exactly what it's built for. We're not trying to get you and your co-parent talking again, or to repair the relationship. People are different, and some differences don't get resolved.
What we do instead is keep the focus on the only thing that has to work: the arrangements for your children. Topic-based threads are part of that. Instead of one conversation that drags every old argument along with it, school sits in one thread, health in another, handovers in another. You can settle a pickup time without reopening anything else.
No. The expense tracker is a record-keeping tool: you can log and view shared costs, but KidsFirst does not process actual payments or banking transactions.
Yes. Documents lets you store and access shared files – school reports, vaccine records, legal documents, photos – in one secure, organised place. No more digging through old emails or texts.
Yes. You can download a full message thread as a timestamped PDF from within the app. Messages in KidsFirst cannot be edited or deleted once sent, so the PDF reflects the complete thread as it stood when you exported it.
The ticks shown below a message you have sent tell you how far it has got. One grey tick means your message has been sent. Two grey ticks mean the other parent has opened the thread and read your message. The second tick only appears once the conversation has actually been opened.
Messages are text only, which is deliberate so the AI Conflict Filter can do its job. To share a photo or PDF, add it under Documents, assign it to your child, turn Share on, and save. You may also want to mention it in a message so your co-parent knows to look. Keeping it in Documents means you can both find it later rather than it being buried in a thread.
Yes. KidsFirst is a free alternative to OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, 2houses, and CoParenter.
Most of those apps charge each parent separately, so the cost lands twice on the same family. A separated family pays roughly USD $155 to $600 a year across the paid apps, depending on the app and the tier (prices checked 4 September 2026). 2houses is the exception, billing per family at USD $169.99.
KidsFirst is free for both parents, with every feature included.
Popular co-parenting apps include KidsFirst, OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, 2houses, CoParenter, and Fayr. (Divvito was discontinued from 22 July 2026.) They cover broadly similar ground: messaging, a shared calendar, expenses, and document storage.
Two things set KidsFirst apart. First, it's free for both parents, with every feature included, while the others charge per parent. Second, the AI Conflict Filter rewrites hostile messages before they are delivered, and can't be switched off. Some other apps now offer AI that detects tone and suggests a rewrite to the sender: OurFamilyWizard has ToneMeter AI and CoParenter flags hostile messages, but in both the sender can dismiss the suggestion and send the original anyway. In KidsFirst, they can't. (Accurate as of September 2026.)
No. KidsFirst includes messaging, a shared calendar, expense tracking, and document storage, the same ground the paid apps cover, plus the AI Conflict Filter. As of September 2026, we're not aware of another co-parenting app that offers all of that, with AI message filtering, free to both parents.
It's free because we're not run to make a profit, not because there's less of it. The families who need calmer co-parenting most are often the ones already paying for lawyers, court fees, and a second home. Pricing them out would defeat the entire point.
No. We won't sell your attention, not yours, not your kids'.
KidsFirst is available on iOS (iPhone and iPad) via the App Store and on Android via Google Play. It is free to download on both platforms.
You can download and set up KidsFirst in about five minutes.
KidsFirst is for parents, guardians, or authorised carers aged 18 and over. You must have the legal right to manage information relating to the children referenced in the app.
Yes. Both parents need to have the app to communicate, share the calendar, and track expenses together. Because KidsFirst is free for both of you, there's no subscription for either parent to agree to first.
This usually happens when your co-parent entered a slightly different email address than the one you registered with. Check your exact registered email under Profile → Account & Security, share it with your co-parent, and ask them to update or re-add the child using that address. The child will then appear under Profile → Add another child. Note that you won't receive an invite email until your co-parent shares a message, document, event, or expense.
You can delete your account at any time via in-app settings (Settings > Delete Account) or through the dedicated web portal at kidsfirst.app/delete-account. Your private data will be deleted within 30 days. Note that messages and events you have already shared with your co-parent will remain visible in their account to preserve the integrity of the co-parenting record.
Yes, and we'd rather be specific than just say we take it seriously. Here's what that means in practice:
No one on the KidsFirst team can read your private messages or records. That isn't just a promise in a policy; it's enforced by how the app is built. Your messages are encrypted, and the only people who can see your shared co-parenting record are you and your connected co-parent.
KidsFirst is compliant with the Australian Privacy Act 1988, the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, and Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act 2012, covering all three countries where the app is available.
It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that security isn't an extra we added on top. We're asking you to keep a permanent record of your family life in one place, and to let an AI read your messages. If you can't trust that, none of the rest of the app is worth anything.
The people building KidsFirst came from enterprise environments in strictly regulated industries, where this level of rigour was the baseline rather than a feature. We brought that standard with us. Being free doesn't change what your data deserves.
Yes. KidsFirst is designed specifically for high-conflict co-parenting. The AI Conflict Filter means hostile messages are rewritten before they reach you rather than flagged after the fact, and it can't be switched off by either parent. The app also includes a Report User function so you can flag inappropriate behaviour, and all accounts are verified parent accounts.
KidsFirst is a communication tool, not a legal enforcement agency. If you are subject to a Family Court Order, Protection Order, or equivalent, you are solely responsible for ensuring your use of the app complies with that order. We recommend consulting your family lawyer before using KidsFirst if you are subject to a non-contact or similar order.
You can download any message thread as a timestamped PDF. Messages are not edited or deleted at a user's request once delivered, which keeps the shared record intact, though you can delete your account at any time and we will act on deletion rights the law gives you. Content you have already shared with your co-parent remains in their account to preserve the co-parenting record. KidsFirst provides record-keeping tools for convenience, and we cannot guarantee that records, exports, or logs will be admissible in court or meet the evidentiary standards of all jurisdictions. You should check with your family lawyer.
Still have questions? Contact us at contact@kidsfirst.app
For privacy-related enquiries: privacy@kidsfirst.app