Cozi is one of the best-known family organizers: a shared calendar, shopping and to-do lists, and a recipe box, free with ads or ad-free with Cozi Gold. Family Command Central (Fam Central) is a newer family organizer app that keeps the calendar, lists, tasks and chat in one place, gives parents and children different permissions, and never shows ads. If you’re looking for a Cozi alternative, here’s an honest comparison, including where Cozi is the better pick.
At a glance
| Fam Central | Cozi | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 to $9.99 a month, or $24.99 to $89.99 a year. One subscription covers the family. | Free with ads. Cozi Gold is $39 a year and Cozi Max $79.99 a year. One subscription covers the family. |
| Free version | No. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. | Yes, with ads. Its calendar shows the next 30 days. |
| Ads | None, on any plan. | In the free version. |
| Phones, tablets, computers | iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. | iPhone, iPad, Android, and the web. |
| TV or wall screen | Family Screens on Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV or a tablet (Pro). | None found. |
| Google, Outlook or iCloud calendars | Not yet. | Shows them in Cozi, and publishes a feed they can show. Each direction is one-way. |
| How far ahead | The next 7 days, 90 days or 13 months, by plan. Upcoming events only. | The next 30 days on the free version; further with Gold. |
| Lists | Named shopping lists, with an optional store for each item. | Unlimited shopping and to-do lists. |
| Family chat | A family chat on every plan; custom chats on Plus and Pro, project chats on Pro. A message can become a task, an event or a list item. | None found. |
| Tasks and chores | Tasks with a name on them. | Chores that repeat daily or weekly for each person. |
| Meals and recipes | No. | A recipe box and meal planning; an AI meal planner with Max. |
| Who can do what | Everyone signs in with their own Google or Apple account. Parents manage the family; children add things and tick them off; young children can be profiles. | One shared family account. Everyone can view, add, edit and delete everything. |
| Documents | A parents-only Vault for paperwork, with document scans (Plus and Pro). | No photos or files on events or lists. |
| Members | Up to 5, 8 or 20 people, by plan. | Up to 12 people. |
Where Cozi is the better pick
- It has a free version. With ads, a 30-day calendar and up to 12 people, it costs nothing. Fam Central has a 7-day trial, then a plan.
- It works on a computer. Cozi has a website as well as its apps. Fam Central runs on phones, tablets and TVs only.
- It connects to your other calendars. Cozi can show your Google, Outlook or iCloud calendar and publish its own for them, one way each. Fam Central doesn’t connect to outside calendars yet.
- Meals and recipes. A recipe box, meal planning onto the calendar and ingredients sent to the list. Max adds AI meal planning. Fam Central has none of this.
- Repeating chores. Cozi Chores repeat daily or weekly for each person. Fam Central’s tasks don’t repeat yet.
- A long track record. Cozi has been around since 2005 and says it has more than 20 million registered users.
Where Fam Central is the better pick
- Everyone has their own sign-in and the right permissions. Cozi’s family shares one account and password, and everyone can view, edit and delete everything. In Fam Central, parents manage members and plans, children add things and tick them off, and a young child can be a profile without an account.
- The chat is where plans happen. Fam Central’s family chat sits next to the calendar and lists, and a message turns into a task, an event or a shopping item in a tap.
- Projects, including secret ones. A trip or a party gets its own tasks, shopping, dates and chat, and a surprise stays hidden from whoever it’s for.
- A home for paperwork. Parents on Plus and Pro get a private Vault for receipts, warranties and school letters, with document scans. Cozi doesn’t attach photos or files to events or lists.
- The family’s day on the TV. On Pro, the TV or a kitchen tablet can be a Family Screen showing today, the week, open jobs and the shopping lists.
- No ads on any plan. Fam Central doesn’t show ads or sell personal data. Cozi’s free version is paid for by ads, and its App Store privacy label says some data is used to track you.
- Pay by the month. Plans start at $2.99 a month. Cozi lists its plans by the year.
Which one to choose
Choose Cozi if you want a free calendar and list app, if your family already lives in Google, Outlook or iCloud calendars, if you’d like to use it on a computer, or if meal planning is a big part of your week.
Choose Fam Central if you want everyone on their own sign-in with the right permissions, the chat and the plan in one place, somewhere for household paperwork, or the family’s day on the TV, with no ads on any plan.
You don’t have to guess: Cozi has a free version, and every Fam Central plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Try Fam Central with your family
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and one subscription covers the whole family.
Sources
Cozi’s details come from its own website, help pages and app store listings, checked on 8 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check theirs before you decide. Spotted something out of date? Email support@familyccapp.com and we’ll fix it. Also see Fam Central vs TimeTree.