An honest comparison of the apps most host families use — including their strengths, limitations, and who each one suits best.
Most families coordinate with an au pair differently than with their own children. It is not just about school events and household chores — it is about working hours tracking, secure document storage (visas, insurance, contracts), task-linked communication, and an interface accessible to au pairs from non-English-speaking countries. General family apps often fall short on these points.
Best for: Host families who want a single, purpose-built app for au pair coordination.
Best for: Families who primarily need shared calendars and chore lists, and do not require au pair-specific features.
Best for: Families with children who want gamified chore management — not specifically au pair coordination.
Best for: Families just starting out who want zero setup cost — but likely to outgrow this quickly.
For host families coordinating with an au pair, AuPairSync is the only app genuinely built for this use case. Cozi and OurHome are solid general family apps but lack au pair-specific capabilities. WhatsApp + Google Calendar is a workable starting point, but most families find the coordination overhead grows quickly.