Transparency

Why is KidsFirst free?

It's the first question almost everyone asks — usually with a raised eyebrow.
"If other apps charge $100–300 a year, how can you be free? What's the catch?"

It's a fair question, and you deserve a straight answer. Here's exactly how KidsFirst works — how it's built, how it's paid for, and what we do (and never do) with your data. No fine print, no catch.

The short version

KidsFirst is free because we're not run to make a profit. That's the whole difference. The money side of KidsFirst exists to keep the app running and reach more families — not to turn a return for owners or investors. So there's no business reason to put the essentials behind a paywall, and we don't.

How it's built

I'm Vincent, and I started KidsFirst after watching my own daughter get caught in the crossfire of conflict between her parents. I went looking for something that would take the heat out of co-parenting — and what I found either cost a fortune or didn't really help.

So KidsFirst began as the app I wished existed. It isn't just me anymore. It's founder-led and community-built — a growing group of parents, engineers, and advisers who believe kids shouldn't pay the price for their parents' conflict, and who help make KidsFirst better. Everyone brings a little, and together it becomes something none of us could build alone.

How it's paid for

Running an app does cost money — servers, storage, the AI that powers the Conflict Filter. Here's how we cover it, honestly:

  • Bootstrapped to start. I funded the early work myself to get it off the ground.
  • Supported by AWS. We graduated the Sydney Founder Institute accelerator and run on Amazon Web Services' startup program, which covers most of our infrastructure costs.
  • Lean by design. Because we're community-built and not chasing profit, our overheads stay low.
  • Where we're heading. As we grow, we're pursuing industry and government grants and will welcome community donations — so we can keep the core free and help more families.

Any money KidsFirst brings in, now or later, goes back into one thing: keeping it running and reaching the parents who need it.

Proudly supported by

"But are you using my data to make money?"

No. This is the part we take most seriously, so let us be specific:

We don't sell or trade your data. Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, not to anyone.
We don't run ads. We're not selling your attention — or your kids'.
We never train AI on your private messages. Your messages are processed only to run the Conflict Filter, and that processing happens inside AWS. Personal details like names and contact information are automatically removed before a message reaches the AI, so the filter works on the tone of a message, not on who your family is.
No one on our team can read your private records. Not the founder, not any contributor. That isn't just a promise in a policy — it's enforced by how the app is built.

If we ever made money from your data, that would be the catch. We don't, so there isn't one. For the full detail, see our Privacy & Disclaimer Statement.

"Will KidsFirst still be here in two years?"

A co-parenting record is something you may need for a long time, so this matters. KidsFirst is founder-led, which means someone is accountable for carrying it forward — but it doesn't depend on any one person being around. It runs on secure AWS infrastructure in Australia, your data is protected by design, and we're working toward formal charity registration to put the mission on an even more lasting footing.

Is "free" just code for "lower quality"?

We get why people assume paid must be better — but free here isn't a discount, it's a philosophy. The families who need calmer co-parenting most are often the ones already paying for lawyers, court fees, and a second home. Pricing them out would defeat the entire point. We'd rather build something genuinely good and make it free than build something locked behind a price the people who need it can't pay.

A note of honesty: core co-parenting features will always be free. If we ever add optional advanced features that cost real money to run, we may ask the people who choose to use those to help cover the cost — never as profit, and never for the essentials. We'll always tell you plainly before anything changes.

Want to help keep it free?

KidsFirst gets better every time someone lends a hand. If this mission resonates with you:

  • Contribute — we're always looking for parents, engineers, designers, and advisers to help build and improve KidsFirst. Get in touch.
  • Tell a parent who needs it — sometimes that's the most valuable thing of all.

We've been where you are. Your pain is ours — and KidsFirst is how we're trying to make it a little easier, for free.

Start today.
It's free.

Download, set up in five minutes, and feel the weight lift the next time you open your phone.

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No credit card. No trial. No catch.