Your partner has an important meeting tomorrow, the little one needs to get to soccer practice, and you’re at the grocery store not knowing what you’re making for dinner tonight. Sound familiar? Cozi aims to tame the logistical chaos of family life with a shared calendar, shopping lists, and meal planning in one app.
Who’s behind Cozi?
Cozi Inc. was founded in 2005 by Robbie Cape and Jan Miksovsky, two former Microsoft employees from Seattle. They saw how modern families were drowning in sticky notes, paper calendars, and forgotten appointments. Their idea was simple: use technology to organize the logistical chaos of family life.
The app grew steadily and attracted $1.9 million in funding from parties like Hercules Capital, Gannett, and Time Inc. The latter acquired Cozi in 2014, after which the company changed hands again in 2022. OurFamilyWizard, a co-parenting platform, took over. Meanwhile, more than 20 million families worldwide use the app.
Cozi won the Mom’s Choice Award three times and even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Not because of their technology, but for the longest line of rubber ducks ever – a marketing stunt that shows the company doesn’t shy away from humor. The app still runs from the United States, where all data is also stored.
Who is Cozi for?
Cozi is made for busy families and households that want to manage all appointments, groceries, and meals in one place. Parents juggling school schedules, sports practices, and birthdays will find a central hub here where everyone can see what’s going on.
The app is not intended for business teams or project management. Looking for a tool to track deadlines or organize complex workflows? Then you’re better off looking elsewhere. Cozi keeps things simple and focused on family life.
What can Cozi do?
The free version offers core features like the shared calendar, shopping lists, and to-dos. For the month view on mobile, birthday tracker, and an ad-free experience, you need a paid plan. Here are the key features:
- Shared family calendar: Everyone in the household sees the same calendar. You can color-code appointments by person, so you can see at a glance who needs to be where. Automatic emails send daily or weekly summaries to all family members.
- Real-time shopping lists: Add items to the list at home, and your partner sees them instantly at the store. You can create multiple lists for different stores or categories. The app remembers frequently used products, which speeds up adding items.
- To-do lists: Create task lists and assign them to specific family members. Everyone sees what’s expected of them. Handy for household chores or vacation preparations.
- Recipe box and Meal Planner: Save your favorite recipes in the app and schedule them for specific days. With one tap, add all the needed ingredients to your shopping list. Cooking mode keeps the screen on while you’re working.
- Family Journal: A shared diary where you record memories, photos, and special moments. Not everyone uses this feature, but for families who like to document, it can be valuable.
- Birthday Tracker: Store all birthdays of family and friends in one place. The app sends reminders so you never forget a card again.
Cozi works on iOS, Android, and through your web browser. There are no desktop apps for Windows, macOS, or Linux, but the web version is accessible from any computer. You can import external calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar, so you can see work and personal appointments combined.
What does Cozi cost?
Cozi has a free version that offers basic features. You can use the shared calendar, create shopping lists, and keep to-dos. The downside is that you’ll see ads and the free calendar only shows up to 30 days ahead. You also miss out on the month view on mobile and the birthday tracker.
Want to get rid of those limitations? Then you can upgrade to Cozi Gold for $1 per year, which comes out to $1.25 per month. That’s a lot cheaper than many other organizing apps. You’ll get an ad-free experience, unlimited reminders, the month view on your phone, and access to all features.
New users can try the paid version free for 14 days. This lets you experience for yourself whether the extra features are worth the investment for your family.
What should you watch out for?
Cozi’s interface feels dated. Where many modern apps look sleek and minimalist, Cozi appears busy and old-fashioned. This doesn’t directly hinder functionality, but it can be distracting or less pleasant to use.
Users complain about the amount of advertising in the free version. Ads appear in strategic places and can be annoying if you open the app multiple times a day. In early 2026, the free version became even more limited, with the calendar only showing 30 days ahead. That sudden restriction didn’t sit well with long-time users.
Widgets don’t always work reliably. Some users report that the widget doesn’t refresh or won’t load at all. That’s frustrating when you want to quickly check your schedule without opening the app. SMS reminders have also been removed, which can be a loss for families where not all members have smartphones.
Communication from the company about changes leaves much to be desired. Users only discovered that features had disappeared when they ran into the problem, without prior warning or explanation. This causes frustration, especially among people who have been loyal users of the app for years.
Cozi alternatives
Cozi isn’t the only option for shared planning. Depending on your specific needs, there are alternatives that might be a better fit:
- TimeTree: Choose this app if you’re looking for a calendar that isn’t specifically focused on families. TimeTree works excellently for couples, groups of friends, or sports teams. The interface is more modern and you can add photos and notes to appointments.
- Google Calendar: Already in the Google ecosystem and don’t need a recipe box or shopping lists? Then Google Calendar is more powerful and completely free. You will miss the family-focused features like meal planning though.
- FamilyWall: Do you also want to know where your family members are? FamilyWall offers location sharing alongside the calendar and lists. Handy for parents who want to check if the kids arrived safely at school.
Frequently asked questions
Here you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about Cozi:
Is Cozi really free?
Yes, the basic version is completely free to use. You will see ads, and some features like the monthly view on mobile and the birthday tracker are limited to the paid version.
Can I connect my Google Calendar?
Yes, you can import external calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar into Cozi. This way you see all your appointments in one place, both work and personal.
Can we share one account?
Yes, Cozi is designed around one shared family account. Each family member gets access with their own email address and can view and edit the calendar, lists, and recipes.
Conclusion
Cozi does what it promises: it keeps families organized with a shared calendar, shopping lists, and meal planning. The price is reasonable and the basic features work well. The outdated interface and recent limitations to the free version are downsides though.
For families looking for a simple, affordable solution without bells and whistles, Cozi is a solid choice. Looking for a more modern interface or more advanced features like location sharing? Then you’d be better off looking at alternatives. The 14-day trial period gives you enough time to assess whether Cozi is right for your family.
