Early access
Bring the calm home.
One plan covers both homes. A hello, the odd update, and one email when it's your turn.
Almost there. Check your email and tap the link to confirm. 
Free during early access · one plan covers both parents · unsubscribe anytime
Honest comparison
ParentGlow vs AppClose
For years AppClose was the free one. It isn't any more — and it charges each parent separately. If you're a UK family who'd rather pay once for both homes, in your own language, here's an honest side-by-side.
- One plan — both homes
- Free data export, forever
- UK-native & GDPR-first
The short version
Is there a UK alternative to AppClose?
Yes — ParentGlow is a UK-built alternative. For a UK family it comes down to three things.
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One plan, not per parent
AppClose's own FAQ puts it plainly: your subscription “applies only to your account”, and a co-parent “must also have an active subscription” to answer calls and see messages. Two homes, two subscriptions. ParentGlow is one plan for both parents, with sitter links for grandparents and childminders at no extra cost.
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Around a third of the price, on the app
Most people use the app, not a browser on their phone. In the UK that's £8.99/mo each on AppClose, about £17.98/mo for two homes. ParentGlow's standard price is £5.99/mo, and that covers both.
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Built for UK family life
Child arrangements, contact and PD 27A — not US “custody”. AppClose says its Certified Business Records are “available only in the United States”, so its flagship court feature isn't one a UK parent can lean on.
Where's AppClose ahead? In-app calling, a big head start, and a genuinely generous trial and fee-waiver scheme — the honest version is below.
Side by side
ParentGlow vs AppClose, line by line.
A fair, like-for-like look at price, pricing model, UK fit, your data and court-readiness — plus the things AppClose genuinely does better.
| Feature |
 ParentGlow
|
AppClose |
|---|---|---|
| Price (UK, 22 October 2026) | £5.99/mo · £59.99/yr standard, whole family (early families get a founding price first) | £8.99/mo in the app · £5.99/mo on the web · £64.99/yr prepaid (web) · £98.99/yr in the app · £109.99 per 2 years on the web — each parent |
| What two homes actually pay | £5.99/mo standard, one plan covers both (early families get a founding price first) | ≈£17.98/mo on the app, or ≈£11.98/mo on the web (2 × £8.99 / 2 × £5.99) |
| Pricing model | One plan for both parents, with sitter links for grandparents and childminders at no extra cost | Per parent — “your subscription applies only to your account”; you can buy your co-parent's for them |
| Built for the UK | UK-native — £, NHS numbers, UK school terms, UK family-law language | Prices in £, but US-shaped throughout — “court-ordered in every U.S. county” |
| Court-readiness | Tamper-evident (SHA-256), court-ready export | Certified Electronic Business Records — but “available only in the United States” |
| Your data | Free, full export — forever, no per-record charges | Exporting records is free, including in Read-Only Mode after you stop paying |
| In-app calling | Not yet — messaging, calendar, expenses and records | Audio & video calling in every plan; recorded and transcribed with mutual consent |
| Tone help | Tone Guard flags heated wording; the draft itself is not stored, while a flagged proposal note keeps its flag and suggested wording with the note | Co-Parent Assist reviews tone before you send |
| Free plan | Free during early access; free data export forever | No free plan since 2026; 60-day free trial, plus hardship and domestic-abuse fee waivers |
| Track record | New — UK early access (2026) | Since 2016, with a large established user base |
AppClose figures checked 22 October 2026 from a UK view, and quoted from AppClose's own Subscription & Fee Waiver FAQ. AppClose's public pricing page shows US dollars even to UK visitors, so this page uses the UK figures from its support FAQ. AppClose prices vary by country, verify current pricing before relying on it.
The honest caveat
Where AppClose is ahead.
Three things, and we won't pretend otherwise. Its free in-app calling and video is genuinely useful and we don't have it yet — with both parties' consent, calls can be recorded, transcribed and kept. It has been going since 2016, so it's the more familiar name and the one your co-parent may already have. And its fee waivers — free accounts for parents in financial hardship and for survivors of domestic abuse, with discounts for serving military and veterans — are a good thing that deserves saying out loud.
If free in-app calling is the feature you need, AppClose is the stronger choice, and we'd rather tell you that than win on a technicality.
For UK families
Where ParentGlow is built differently.
AppClose is a good app built for American families. We built ours for yours.
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One price for both homes
Per-parent pricing charges a family twice for the crime of living in two houses. One ParentGlow plan covers both parents, with sitter links for grandparents and childminders at no extra cost.
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UK family life, not a US courtroom
Contact, child arrangements, parental responsibility — plus £, NHS numbers, UK school terms and court-ready records. AppClose's certified records, by its own account, stop at the US border.
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Your data is yours
Free, full export forever, no lock-in. Both apps let you export — we're saying we'll never make that the thing we charge you for.
ParentGlow isn't legal-advice software — it speaks your language and keeps a fair record, so you'd walk in prepared, not panicking.
Honest routing
Which should you choose?
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Choose AppClose if…
You're in the US, or you need free in-app calling, or your co-parent is already settled on it and switching would cause more friction than it's worth. If money is the barrier, look at their fee waiver before you look at us.
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Choose ParentGlow if…
You're a UK family who wants one fair price for both homes, your own family-law language, court-ready records that mean something here, and your data free to take with you.
Honest pricing
One plan covers both homes.
Other apps charge each parent separately — punishing a family for living in two homes. We don't. One subscription covers both parents, with sitter links for grandparents and childminders at no extra cost.
More honest comparisons: vs OurFamilyWizard → · vs 2houses → · vs TalkingParents → · What a family really pays → · Compare all UK apps →
Common questions
Straight answers about AppClose.
Is AppClose still free?
No. AppClose moved to a paid subscription in 2026. In the UK it is £8.99/mo in the app or £5.99/mo on the web (£64.99/yr prepaid on the web), and it is priced per parent. AppClose's own FAQ says a subscription applies only to your account, and a co-parent must also have an active subscription to answer calls and see messages. There is a 60-day free trial, plus fee waivers for financial hardship and domestic abuse survivors. Prices checked 22 October 2026. Verify current pricing at support.appclose.com. ParentGlow is free during early access. Families already in early access stay free until we tell them otherwise, then get a lower founding price for their first 12 months, before the standard £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year, and one plan covers both parents. Exporting your data is always free.
Is there a UK alternative to AppClose?
Yes. ParentGlow is UK-built: one plan covers both homes at the standard £5.99/mo (£59.99/yr), and early families get a founding price first. It includes UK family-law language, court-ready records and free data export forever. AppClose is US-focused; its Certified Electronic Business Records are available only in the United States, per AppClose's own website.
Do both parents have to pay for AppClose?
Yes, if both want to use it. AppClose's subscription FAQ states that your subscription applies only to your account, and that for a co-parent to answer calls and see messages they must also have an active subscription. You can buy a subscription for your co-parent. In the UK that means two homes on the mobile app is about £17.98/mo. ParentGlow's standard price is £5.99/mo for both homes, and early families get a founding price first. Checked 22 October 2026.
What does AppClose do better?
In-app audio and video calling, included in every plan, which ParentGlow does not offer yet, and which can be recorded and transcribed with mutual consent. It also has a large established user base since 2016, a generous 60-day free trial, and fee waivers for financial hardship and domestic abuse survivors. If you need in-app calling, AppClose is the stronger choice.
Bring the calm home.
Early access is rolling out across the UK now. A hello, the odd update, and one email when it's your turn.
Almost there. Check your email and tap the link to confirm.
Free during early access · one plan covers both parents · unsubscribe anytime