Shared custody, simplified: organize both households without losing your mind
Multi-tribe Android and iOS app for separated parents, co-parents and blended families.
Split schedules, double agendas, expenses to balance, the other parent who "didn't know": shared custody is exhausting when everything lives in your head. Zoku gives each household its own organized space, while letting both parents share child-related events and expenses in real time, without invading privacy.
The daily struggles of separated parents
Co-parenting after a separation isn't just about logistics: it's a constant mental load. The same questions come back week after week:
Custody calendars drift, holidays shift, and one missed handover ruins the week.
Expenses pile up in two heads, two messaging apps, two spreadsheets. And nobody really knows who owes what.
School notes, doctor appointments, soccer practice: information leaks between two homes constantly.
Step-parents need access to family info too, but mixing households on the same app creates friction.
How Zoku is built for shared custody
Most family apps assume one household. Zoku is built around the idea that modern families live across multiple homes. Each tribe is a self-contained space, and you can switch between them in one tap.
Create as many independent tribes as you need: mom's home, dad's home, the kids' co-parenting tribe, vacation rentals. Switch instantly.
Mark custody weeks, school drop-offs, doctor appointments. Both parents see the same source of truth in real time.
Log school meals, clothes, activities, medical bills. Filter by payer, see who owes what. No more arguments at the end of the month.
Each household can include the step-parent in their own tribe, with full access, without leaking data to the other parent.
A concrete setup that works
Here's how a typical co-parenting setup looks in Zoku:
- Tribe "Mom's home": Mom + her partner + the kids. Calendar, shopping lists, meals, household stock.
- Tribe "Dad's home": Dad + his partner + the kids. Same tools, fully independent.
- Tribe "Co-parenting Alex & Léo": Mom + Dad only. Custody schedule, child-related expenses, school events, doctor notes. No personal data from either household leaks here.
Hopping between tribes takes one tap: from the home screen, just touch the tribe name to switch household, create a new one, or join another. When kids are old enough to have their own device, they see a single coherent schedule across both homes.
Privacy and data isolation
This is non-negotiable for separated parents. Zoku enforces strict data isolation:
- Tribe data is cloisonné: members in tribe A never see tribe B.
- You decide who joins which tribe, not the other parent.
- All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and stored on EU-located servers (GDPR-compliant).
- You can export or delete your account at any time.
FAQ - Shared custody with Zoku
How does Zoku help with shared custody?
Zoku lets you create multiple independent tribes (a mom household, a dad household) and switch between them instantly. Each parent keeps their own organization, lists and calendar, but can also share specific events or expenses related to the child.
Is data isolated between both households?
Yes. Each tribe has its own data, members and chat. You decide which parent or step-parent joins which tribe. No data leak between the two households.
Can we track shared expenses for the child?
Yes. The Cashbox feature records child-related expenses (school meals, activities, doctor, clothes), filters by payer and shows who paid what. Perfect for balancing accounts between co-parents.
Does the other parent need to install the app?
It's recommended to use the shared calendar and chat, but not required. You can use Zoku alone to manage your household, and invite the other parent to join only a dedicated child-related tribe.
Does Zoku work for blended families?
Yes, it's a core use case. You can create a tribe for the blended household (step-parent, half-siblings) and a separate tribe with the biological co-parent for co-parenting.
Is the app free for separated parents?
Yes, all essential co-parenting features (multi-tribe, calendar, expenses, chat, lists) are free. Premium adds advanced features but is not needed for shared custody.
Ready to simplify shared custody?
Free on Android and iOS. No credit card. Works for any custody arrangement.