Custody Logs is a documentation kit for parents in high-conflict custody cases. You buy it once, download it, and fill it in yourself. People search for an alternative when they want to see the price first, when they want something free, or when their record is already sitting in text messages.
Here is a fair look at what it includes, when it is the better pick, and what else fits. The facts come from the Custody Logs homepage, checkout and FAQ, checked October 22, 2026. We have not bought or tested it. Check their site again before you buy. Prices and contents change.
What Custody Logs includes
- A spreadsheet tracker. Its FAQ says it works in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, on a phone, tablet or computer. Each entry gets a date and a category, and you can filter one category to see those entries in order.
- A printable binder. The homepage lists 30 pages you edit in Canva, then print.
- Message templates. More than 100, written in neutral, child-focused wording.
- One payment. The checkout showed $39.99 with no subscription, plus optional paid add-ons such as guides and a calendar planner.
- Private by default. The homepage says nothing is shared with the other parent unless you choose to share it.
If you like working in a spreadsheet, want a paper binder, and are glad to type each entry, a kit like this can fit.
When another option may fit better
| Your situation | Why a spreadsheet kit may not be the whole answer |
|---|---|
| You want to spend nothing yet | Free printable logs, a timeline and an evidence index already exist. You can start there and decide later |
| Your history is in phone texts or WhatsApp | A spreadsheet holds what you type into it. It does not turn a phone export into a numbered message log |
| You have photos, screenshots and documents as well | A tracker can note where each file lives. Numbering files as exhibits and indexing them is a separate step |
| A court order names a co-parenting app | Follow what that order requires. A private log is separate and does not replace an app the order names. A clerk, self-help center, or licensed attorney where you live can confirm |
Free templates first
If the main draw is printable logs, try the free set before paying for any kit. The custody binder printables and log templates page has a binder tab checklist, a master timeline, an evidence index, cover sheets, and custody, visitation and phone call logs, in PDF, Word or Excel. No signup, no email. They are blank forms for your own notes, not court forms.
Whatever you use, the habits are the same. Our guide to what to write in a custody journal covers keeping entries short, dated and factual.
What many parents put in a custody log
A paid kit, a free template and an app all work the same way at the core: one entry per event, written soon after it happens. Before you pick a tool, check that it makes these easy:
- The date and time of the event, and the date you wrote the entry if it was later.
- What happened, in plain facts: who was there, what was said or done, and how long it lasted. Leave out guesses about why.
- A category, such as a missed exchange, a late pickup, a schedule change, a school or medical note, or an expense, so you can pull every entry of one kind in order.
- Where the proof lives: the screenshot, photo, receipt or message that backs up the entry, named so you can find it again.
- A copy kept somewhere safe, in a place only you can reach.
Whichever tool you choose, a short, factual entry written the same day is easier for anyone to follow than a long one written weeks later. The tool matters less than the habit.
When the record is texts you already have
Retyping months of messages into a spreadsheet is slow, and it is easy to drop a date or a line. A different job fits better here: export the conversation from your own phone and number it.
- Who: each sender's name or number on every message.
- When: a date and time on every message.
- Both sides, in order, for the stretch you print.
- Page numbers, so a person can find one page quickly.
- The originals kept on your phone.
Courts differ on exhibit format. The clerk, a self-help center, or a licensed attorney where you live can tell you what yours expects. Nothing on this page tells you what to file, or how a judge will see it.
A private option for texts and files
Custody Commander takes an export you already have, from an iPhone, an Android phone, or WhatsApp, and turns it into a chronological, numbered PDF log (MSG-00001 onward) with an index page. It runs in a web browser. The other parent does not create an account and is not notified.
- Free preview first. The free text message log preview numbers the texts in your browser. Your texts never leave your device.
- One log for $39, no subscription, when you need the full PDF.
- Or the Full Suite, $24.99 a month or $199 a year, which keeps the log with your evidence, timeline, and hearing prep. The Full Suite is free for 7 days and a card is required for that trial. The free plan does not require a card.
It is self-help software. It organizes the messages and files you provide. It does not decide what to file or how a court will treat them.
Pick a spreadsheet kit if you want to fill in every entry yourself. Pick the free templates if you want printable logs without paying. Pick a text log when the record is messages you already have.
Get the free log templatesFree plan, no card · Full Suite free for 7 days
