Best Cozi alternatives in 2026: free and paid family organizers compared

By the Lighten team · Updated October 14, 2026 · 9 min read

A note before we start: we make Lighten, which is one of the apps on this list. We have tried to write the page we would want to read ourselves. Every price, free plan and platform below was checked on the product’s own website or app store listing on September 24, 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. Where we could not confirm something, we left it out.

Cozi has been the default family organizer for a long time, and for good reason. But if you searched for a Cozi alternative, an app like Cozi but free, or Cozi vs Cozi Gold, you probably hit one of the limits below. Here is what those limits are, what else is out there, and when staying with Cozi is the better call.

Why people look for a Cozi alternative

Cozi still has a free version. It includes a shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists and a recipe library, and Cozi’s own FAQ says it is “supported by ads and sponsors.”

The limit most families notice is time. Cozi’s App Store description says that Cozi Gold gives you “access to add, edit and view events more than 30 days ahead.” In other words, on the free version you work inside a 30-day window. That is fine for this week’s pickups, but it gets in the way of summer camp, holiday travel or a sports season that starts in two months.

The other common reasons:

• Ads. The free version shows them. Removing them is part of Cozi Gold.
• Month view on mobile is a Gold feature, as are calendar search, multiple reminders per event and change notifications.
• Price. Gold is $39 a year, and the newer Cozi Max plan, which adds AI features, is $79.99 a year.

None of this makes Cozi a bad app. It means the free version works more like a trial of the full product than a complete family organizer, and some families would rather pay for something else, or pay nothing.

What to look for in an app like Cozi

• Both phones. If one partner has an iPhone and the other has Android, rule out anything that only runs on one.
• How far ahead the free plan lets you plan. A family calendar that only covers a month is a to-do list.
• Calendar, lists or both. Some apps are calendars with a list bolted on. Others are list-first. Decide which one your family actually opens every day.
• Getting things in. The app only helps if adding an item is faster than remembering it. Look at how many taps it takes to add a dentist appointment and the two things you have to do before it.
• Whether your partner will use it. Account setup, invites and ads all add friction. The best app is the one both of you will actually open.

The alternatives

1. Google Calendar (family calendar)

Who it is for: families who want a free, no-frills shared calendar that works everywhere.

When you create a family group on Google, a calendar called “Family” is created automatically, and a family group can have up to six people. It shows up in Google Calendar on iPhone, Android and the web.

• Free: the whole thing.
• Paid: none needed for the family calendar.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android, web.
• Honest limitation: Google’s help page says you do not get notifications when a family member creates, edits or deletes an event. It is also only a calendar. Shopping lists and chores live somewhere else.

2. Apple Calendar with Family Sharing

Who it is for: households where everyone uses an iPhone, iPad or Mac.

When you join a Family Sharing group, a shared calendar called “Family” is added to the Calendar app automatically. Family Sharing covers you and up to five family members, and Calendar is also available on iCloud.com in a browser.

• Free: the Family calendar comes with Family Sharing.
• Paid: none needed for the calendar.
• Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, iCloud.com.
• Honest limitation: it is built for Apple devices. If your partner has an Android phone, this is not a real option.

If a plain shared calendar is all you need, our guide to the best shared family calendar apps goes deeper on Google, Apple and the rest.

3. TimeTree

Who it is for: families who want a dedicated shared calendar app with a generous free version.

• Free: shared calendars, with ads.
• Paid: TimeTree Premium is $4.49 a month or $44.99 a year, with the first month free. Premium removes ads and adds features like file attachments and an hourly calendar view.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android, web.
• Honest limitation: the free version shows ads, which is one of the things people leave Cozi to avoid. TimeTree’s own site notes that prices may vary by region.

4. FamilyWall

Who it is for: families who want the widest feature set in one app, including meals, budgets and location.

• Free: shared family calendar, shopping lists, task lists, recipes, family messaging, a photo gallery and contacts.
• Paid: FamilyWall Premium is $44.99 a year. The monthly price is $4.99 on FamilyWall’s website and $7.99 in the App Store listing, so check before you subscribe. There is a 30-day free trial. Premium adds Google and Outlook calendar sync, a meal planner, a budget tracker, a timetable, real-time location sharing and more storage.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android, web browser.
• Honest limitation: syncing with Google or Outlook calendars is a Premium feature, and the number of features can feel like a lot if you only want a calendar and a grocery list.

5. Lighten (our app)

Who it is for: parents and couples who want to say what needs to happen and have it turned into shared, dated items, and who want to see which of them is carrying the week.

You type or say one messy sentence, like “Maya has a party Saturday at 2, need a gift under $30, and we’re out of dog food,” and Lighten turns it into dated tasks, events, reminders and shopping items, shared with your partner in real time. There is no account to create: you start without an email, and your partner joins with a six-character invite code. The app has four tabs: Today, Calendar (week, month and year views), Lists (Shopping, Gifts, Forms & Admin, Notes) and Family. Share the load shows who is carrying this week’s items, and Balance it suggests a fairer split. There is also Organize my week and voice input, and you can snap a photo of a school flyer, sports schedule or party invite and Lighten turns the dates in it into a plan (Cozi keeps flyer import for its $79.99-a-year Max plan). Items can repeat daily, weekly or monthly, and a private calendar link puts everything in Apple Calendar or Google Calendar.

• Free: unlimited manual items, sharing, lists and reminders, plus 5 AI brain dumps or photo scans every 7 days per household.
• Paid: Lighten Plus is $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. One subscription covers the whole household. See pricing.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android, and a web app at /app.
• No ads, and your data is not sold.
• Honest limitations: the calendar link goes one way. Your Lighten items show up in Apple Calendar or Google Calendar, but Lighten will not pull in your existing events or import from Cozi. It has no meal planner or recipes, and no location sharing, and each account belongs to one household. It is also new: it launched in September 2026 and has few reviews so far.

Two names you will still see recommended

OurHome was a popular free chores-and-rewards app. On September 24, 2026, its original App Store and Google Play listings returned “not found” for us, even though its website is still online. A different app with a similar name, “OurHome by Elusios,” is on the App Store; it is not the same product. If chores are your main need, our household chores list is a good place to start while you decide.

Maple, an AI-style family assistant, has announced on its website that it was acquired by Wander and will shut down on December 31, 2026. Accounts and data will be deleted after that date, and annual subscriptions will not renew. We would not move a family to it now.

Side-by-side comparison

Cozi vs Cozi Gold

According to Cozi’s plan comparison page, the free version, Gold and Max all include the shared calendar, automatic notifications, shared grocery and to-do lists and the recipe library. Here is what paying adds:

• Cozi Gold, $39 a year: no ads, the calendar beyond 30 days, month view on mobile, calendar search, up to three reminders per event, calendar change notifications, a birthday tracker, Shopping Mode and VIP customer support.
• Cozi Max, $79.99 a year: everything in Gold, plus AI Event Import (turning emails and photos of flyers into events), an AI Recipe Creator and an AI Meal Planner.

One practical tip: Cozi’s App Store listing shows several different in-app prices for Gold, so check the price shown in your app before you pay.

When to stay with Cozi

Switching apps has a real cost, especially for the partner who did not ask for the change. Cozi is probably still the right choice if:

• You use the recipes and meal planning. None of the free calendars above do this, and Lighten does not either.
• Your family already has years of habits in Cozi. Everyone knows where things are. That is worth something.
• $39 a year is fine for you. Gold removes the two biggest complaints, ads and the 30-day window.
• You want a proven app. Cozi has more than 399,000 ratings on the App Store and averages 4.8 stars.

If instead the problem is that one of you is doing all the remembering, a different calendar will not fix that. That is the gap we built Lighten for.

Frequently asked

Is Cozi still free?

Yes, Cozi has a free version with a shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists and a recipe library. It is supported by ads, and adding, editing and viewing events more than 30 days ahead requires Cozi Gold.

What is the best free alternative to Cozi?

For a free shared family calendar with no ads, Google Calendar’s family calendar is the simplest choice and works on iPhone, Android and the web. All-Apple families can use the Family calendar that comes with Family Sharing. If you want lists and a calendar in one free app, look at TimeTree or FamilyWall, which both have free versions.

Is Cozi Gold worth it?

Cozi Gold costs $39 a year on cozi.com. It removes ads and unlocks the calendar beyond 30 days, month view on mobile, calendar search, up to three reminders per event, change notifications, a birthday tracker and Shopping Mode. If your family already lives in Cozi and plans more than a month ahead, it is a fair price.

Which Cozi alternative works for an iPhone and Android couple?

Google Calendar, TimeTree, FamilyWall and Lighten all have apps for both iPhone and Android. Apple’s Family calendar is built for Apple devices, so it is a poor fit when one partner uses Android.

Does Lighten sync with Google Calendar or import from Cozi?

Partly. Lighten gives each household a private calendar link, so your Lighten items show up in Apple Calendar or Google Calendar and keep updating. It works one way: Lighten does not import events from Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Cozi. It also has no meal planner or location sharing. It is built for turning what you say into shared, dated tasks and lists for you and your partner.

Sources

All pages checked on September 24, 2026. Prices are in US dollars and may change.

• Cozi, Compare Plans: Free, Gold and Max
• Cozi, FAQ and Cozi Gold
• Cozi Family Organizer, App Store listing
• Google, Use a family calendar on Google and Create a family on Google
• Apple, What is Family Sharing?, Add events to your Family Sharing calendar and Use Calendar on iCloud.com
• TimeTree, TimeTree Premium and App Store listing
• FamilyWall, FamilyWall Premium and App Store listing
• Maple, shutdown notice
• Lighten, App Store and Google Play

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