Ellsby
The calm co-parenting app

Everything about the kids, in one place.

One calendar, one set of kid records, one ledger, shared between two homes. Set it up once, and nothing about the kids lands on anyone by surprise.

Join the beta How it works

Free in beta·iPhone·One family plan later, both parents included

What's inside

Everything a parent gets asked for in a day, in one app both of you can open.

Custody schedule

Any rotation, holidays, handoffs and where they happen.

Activities and events

Add once, on both calendars, with who's responsible.

Requests and swaps

Propose, answer with a tap, or suggest another time.

School days

Days off, minimum days, bell times, the office number.

Kid cards

Allergies, medications, doctors, insurance cards, notes.

Sitter sheet

An expiring link with everything the babysitter needs.

Shared expenses

Receipts, splits, approvals, settle up on the record.

Ask Ellsby

"Who has the kids Thursday?" Answered from your calendar.

Also: shared to-dos, a planned-versus-actual parenting-time tally, Apple, Google, and Outlook calendar subscription, and notifications only when something changes for you.

Built to lower the temperature.

Most of the friction between two homes isn't big decisions. It's small surprises, and the kids are usually in the room when they land. Ellsby doesn't ask two people to get along. It removes the reasons they'd have to.

Both parents see the same thing

One calendar, one set of records, one ledger. Nothing to relay, forward, or remember to mention, and no version of events to argue about.

Changes on the other parent's time are requests

Not announcements. You propose, they answer, and the calendar updates only when you both agree. Every answer is kept with the date.

Neutral, and nothing forced

Dates, times, places, amounts. No sides, no scores, no commentary. Nobody is made to use it, nobody is locked in, and your data is yours if you go.

I'm Barry. I'm a co-parent, and Ellsby started as the thing my own family needed: one page both homes could trust, so the small stuff stopped turning into the big stuff. It doesn't take sides, it doesn't sell your information, and nobody is made to use it.

If it helps your family the way it helped mine, tell me. If it doesn't, tell me that too.

Barry, founder · hello@ellsby.com

Set it up once. Both homes see the same page.

The schedule, exactly as you agreed it

Week on, week off. 2-2-3. Every other weekend plus a Wednesday overnight. Describe it in plain English and Ellsby builds the calendar: handoffs and where they happen, holidays fixed or alternating, and the one-off changes you both approve.

Any day, either parent can see who has Mabel and Florence, when the next handoff is, and where.

The pharmacy-counter test

Allergies, and how serious they are. Medications, the dose, and when. The pediatrician, the dentist, the therapist, each with a number you can tap. Insurance cards, front and back. Either parent can open it at the pharmacy counter, the urgent-care desk, or the school office, without calling the other one.

Snap a photo of the card or the medication plan and, once you confirm, Ellsby files it on the right kid.

A sheet for the sitter, without the 6:45 text

Grandma, the sitter, the parent hosting the sleepover. Pick the kids and the dates and send a link. It has that window's schedule, the school's number and hours, each kid's allergies, medical notes, and doctors, and both parents' numbers, tap to call. 911 is at the top.

Nothing to install, nothing to retype. It prints. And it stops working when the dates pass.

See a sample sheet →

Ask. Don't assume.

Need to swap a weekend, or pick the kids up at three on a Thursday that isn't yours? Send a request. They see exactly what would change and answer with a tap, or suggest a different time. The request, the answer, and the date are kept.

No group text. No "I thought we said." Just a clear yes or no, and a calendar that already reflects it.

Snap it, don't type it.

The school calendar, the team schedule, the flyer on the fridge, the insurance card, the medication plan. Photograph it, or paste the text from a coach. Ellsby shows you what it found, you confirm, and it's filed where it belongs. Nothing is saved until you say so.

Free tools. No account.

Build a schedule you can print, share, or add to your calendar. If you like how it thinks, the app is the same engine.

Custody schedule generator

2-2-3, 2-2-5-5, week on/off, every other weekend. Pick a start date, get the year.

Parenting-time calculator

Overnights and percentages for any arrangement, by the month and the year.

Holiday schedule generator

Thanksgiving, winter break, the long weekends, alternating by year, as a table and a calendar file.

How it works

Ten minutes to set up. Then it mostly runs itself.

  1. Describe your schedule in plain English

    Type it the way you'd say it. Ellsby turns it into a real custody calendar, including handoffs and holidays.

    "Week on, week off. We switch Mondays at school."

  2. Invite your co-parent

    Send a link. When they join, they see the same calendar you do. Until then, Ellsby is fully yours to use: schedule, events, the kids' cards, all of it.

  3. Everything stays in sync

    Add an event, snap a flyer, file an insurance card, log an expense. It shows up for both of you, and in Apple, Google, or Outlook if you subscribe. Changes on the other parent's time go through as requests.

Questions

How is this different from OurFamilyWizard or TalkingParents?

Those are built around messaging and court records, and priced per parent. Ellsby is built around the calendar and the kids' information: no message board, no tone meter, no per-parent fees. Changes on the other parent's time go through as requests, which is where most of the heat goes out. If you need a documented messaging channel for a legal matter, they do that well, and Ellsby isn't trying to.

What will it cost after the beta?

Free while it's in beta. After that, one family plan that covers both parents. We'll tell you before anything changes, and your data is yours either way.

Is there an Android version?

Not yet. Ellsby is iPhone-first. Leave your email below and we'll tell you the day Android is ready. A co-parent on Android can open any caretaker sheet you send them today.

Does my co-parent have to use it?

No. Ellsby works on your own from day one: your schedule, your calendar, your kids' records. When your co-parent joins, the shared parts turn on. We don't pressure anyone to join.

What goes on a kid's card?

Allergies, with how serious they are. Medications, with the dose and when. Conditions, therapies, and immunizations. The pediatrician, the dentist, and any other provider, each with a number you can tap. Insurance cards photographed front and back. And free-form notes for the things only one of you knows.

Each kid's school has its own card too: phone, address, bell times, after-care, days off, and minimum days.

What does the babysitter see?

Only what you choose: the kids you pick, for the dates you pick. The sheet shows that window's schedule, the school's number and hours, each kid's allergies, medical notes, and doctors, and both parents' numbers. It's a link, so there's nothing to install, it prints, and it stops working when the dates pass. You can revoke it at any time. See a sample sheet.

What about court?

Ellsby is not a legal tool and we don't give legal advice. What it does keep is a dated record of the schedule, events, requests, and answers as each parent entered them. You can subscribe to your calendar from other apps, and if you email us we'll send you your family's data to share with whoever you choose.

If you need documentation for a legal matter, ask your attorney what would actually be useful.

Who can see our family's information?

The two parents in your family, and nobody else, apart from a caretaker sheet you choose to send. Each family's data is isolated in our database. We don't sell it, and there's no advertising. See the privacy policy for the full picture.

What do I need to run it?

An iPhone running iOS 17 or later. The beta is delivered through Apple's TestFlight. Tap Join the beta and it installs in a minute. Any calendar app that can subscribe to a calendar link can show your Ellsby calendar.

Fewer surprises, starting this week.

Ellsby is in beta and free while it is. Install it, set up your family in a couple of minutes, and invite your co-parent when you're ready.

Join the beta

We'll email once, when Android or the App Store release is ready. No list, no newsletter.

Or write to hello@ellsby.com