FamilyDash vs Cozi
Cozi has been the default family organizer for over a decade. It works, it's mature, and a lot of families are happily on it. Here's an honest breakdown of where they overlap, where each one wins, and which one fits which kind of household.
Cozi is the long-running incumbent — shared calendar, shopping list, to-do, meal planner, recipes, and family journal, all in mature iOS/Android apps. It's free with ads; Cozi Gold ($39.99/yr) removes ads and adds extras like a birthday tracker and color customization.
FamilyDash is newer, web-first (works in any browser, installs as a PWA), and built around two ideas Cozi doesn't go deep on: a real chore engine with rotation, streaks, and allowance, and a layout designed for an iPad mounted on the fridge that the whole family glances at every morning. It's free with no ads — free includes unlimited kids, push notifications, chores, the meal planner, one connected calendar, and a shareable family calendar link. Pro ($34.99/yr or $4.99/mo) adds unlimited calendar connections, recipe scanning, Kroger one-tap, and the allowance ledger.
The honest version: if you want a generic family hub and Cozi is already working for you, there's no urgent reason to switch. If you want chore tracking with allowance baked in, fridge-tablet ergonomics, or modern automation like recipe scanning and one-tap grocery checkout, FamilyDash is built for that.
| Feature | Cozi | FamilyDash |
|---|---|---|
| Shared family calendar | ||
| Apple/Google/Outlook calendar sync | 1 free, ∞ Pro | |
| AI email-to-calendar (school / sports / doctor emails) | Pro | |
| Shopping / grocery list | ||
| Meal planner | ||
| Recipe box (manual entry) | ||
| Recipe scanning from photos / TikTok | Pro | |
| Auto-fill meal planner | Pro | |
| One-tap grocery checkout (Kroger) | Pro | |
| Chore tracking | ||
| Chore rotation between kids | Pro | |
| Streaks for daily consistency | ||
| Allowance / rewards tied to chores | Pro | |
| Kid login without email or password | ||
| Fridge-tablet kiosk layout | ||
| Family journal / memory book | ||
| Birthday tracker | Gold | |
| Native iOS / Android apps | PWA | |
| Ad-free on Free plan | ||
| Free tier price | $0 (with ads) | $0 |
| Paid tier price | $39.99/yr (Gold) | $34.99/yr (Pro) |
Comparison reflects publicly documented features as of 2026. Green check = included on the free plan; amber dash = partial / limited; grey X = not available; "Pro" / "Gold" = paid tier required.
Yes — FamilyDash covers the same core ground as Cozi (shared calendar, shopping list, meal planner, recipes, family-wide visibility) but adds a real chore-tracking system with rotation and streaks, allowance tied to chores, kid PIN logins, recipe scanning from photos, and one-tap Kroger grocery sync. It's also designed for fridge-mounted tablets first.
Cozi Gold is $39.99/year and primarily removes ads and adds extras like the birthday tracker. FamilyDash Pro is $34.99/year (or $4.99/month) and unlocks unlimited calendar connections, recipe scanning, Kroger checkout, and the allowance ledger. The FamilyDash free tier is ad-free and includes unlimited kids, push notifications, chores, the meal planner, one connected calendar, and a shareable family calendar link.
Cozi has a generic to-do list that some families repurpose for chores, but no dedicated chore engine — no rotation between kids, no streak tracking, and no allowance integration. FamilyDash was built around chores from day one.
Cozi doesn't offer a direct export, but you can re-add a calendar feed (Apple/Google/Outlook ICS — your first one's free, unlimited on Pro) in seconds, and the chore/grocery tools take a few minutes to set up. Most families who switch end up cleaner after the move because the new setup matches their current routine, not last year's.
FamilyDash is designed for it: full-screen kiosk layout, big touch targets, and a kid view that works without a parent's account. Cozi runs as an app on a tablet but isn't optimized for always-on fridge use.
Free forever with no ads, 14-day Pro trial when you're ready for the automations. Switching from Cozi takes about 10 minutes.