Your co-parent refuses to use an app. FairSplit works anyway.
Solo Mode lets you log expenses, build a court-friendly record, and send payment requests — all on your own, starting today, without asking permission from anyone.
Start Free — No Credit CardThis is one of the most common things we hear from single parents:
“I want to use a co-parenting app but my ex refuses to download it.”
Sometimes the refusal is practical — they do not want to deal with another app. Sometimes it is strategic — an uncooperative co-parent has less to answer for when there is no documentation. Sometimes it is spite — if you chose it, they will not use it.
Whatever the reason, most co-parenting apps become useless the moment one parent refuses. The calendar only works if both parents update it. The expense requests only work if both parents have accounts. The court record only exists if both parents participate.
FairSplit was built differently. Solo Mode gives you the full app — every feature, every document, every record — without your co-parent's participation. And when you send requests, they receive them via SMS link and can respond in any browser. No download. No account. No asking them to cooperate with your choice of tool.
What you get in Solo Mode — from the moment you start.
Your expense record starts immediately.
Every shared expense you log is documented from the moment you enter it — receipt uploaded, category assigned, split recorded, timestamp attached. Your co-parent does not need to be in the app for this record to exist. It is yours.
Your co-parent receives SMS links — not app invitations.
When you submit an expense request, your co-parent does not receive a notification asking them to download FairSplit. They receive a text message with a link. They open it in any browser. They see the receipt, the amount owed, and two options: Approve or Dispute. No account required.
Approvals trigger real money movement.
When your co-parent approves a request through the SMS link, Stripe processes the payment — ACH transfer directly to your bank. The entire transaction — receipt, request, approval, transfer — is documented in your FairSplit record.
Non-responses are documented too.
If your co-parent receives the SMS link and ignores it — that is documented. The request sits in your pending queue with a timestamp showing when it was sent and when it was opened. A pattern of ignoring documented requests is exactly the kind of evidence that matters in custody and support proceedings.
Your record is exportable any time.
Every expense, request, and approval you log can be exported any time — on the Free plan or Pro. Your documentation is never locked behind a paywall, and it stays yours regardless of your co-parent's participation.
Your court-friendly PDF builds automatically.
Every entry you make in Solo Mode — every expense, every request, every approval — compiles automatically into a formatted PDF. Download any date range in one tap. Hand it to your attorney. The record exists whether or not your co-parent ever joins FairSplit.
Why some co-parents refuse apps — and what changes when you use Solo Mode anyway.
An uncooperative co-parent is not always being careless. Sometimes the refusal to use a structured communication tool is deliberate.
When co-parenting happens over WhatsApp and verbal conversations, a difficult co-parent has flexibility. They can claim they never received a request. They can dispute an expense amount after the fact because there is no receipt on record. The absence of a system is, for some co-parents, an advantage.
Solo Mode removes that advantage — even without their cooperation.
“"I never received that request"”
Eliminated. Open receipt logged with timestamp.
“"That's not the amount we agreed"”
Harder to claim. The receipt and split are attached to every request.
“Pattern of non-payment”
Visible. Pending queue shows every ignored request.
Courts increasingly expect parents dealing with difficult co-parenting situations to use structured communication tools. Having a record of attempts at organized co-parenting — even one-sided — demonstrates good faith and provides documentation. Solo Mode is not a workaround. It is the product working exactly as designed.
From first open to first documented week.
Total setup time: under 8 minutes.
Create your account
Download FairSplit and sign up with your name and email. When asked about your co-parent, choose Solo Mode. No invitation is sent. You're on the Free plan immediately — no credit card required.
Add your co-parent's contact info
Enter your co-parent's phone number and set your default expense split. FairSplit uses this to send SMS payment requests — no invitation, no account required on their end.
Log your first expense
Upload the receipt, set the category, set the split, and submit the request. Your co-parent receives an SMS link — not a FairSplit notification.
Watch what happens either way
If they approve: money moves and a record is created. If they ignore it: the request sits in pending with a timestamp. If they dispute it: the 3-step resolution flow begins. All three outcomes create a record.
Invite them when — or if — you are ready
At any point you can invite your co-parent to create a FairSplit account. When they join, they see the existing expense history and pending requests. Nothing resets.
What the SMS link looks like from their side.
Your co-parent receives a text message. When they tap the link, they see a clean browser page — not a FairSplit login screen, not a prompt to create an account.
A plain text message — not a push notification, not an app prompt.
- →The receipt image
- →Expense category and description
- →Total amount and the split
- →Their share owed
- →Two buttons: Approve Payment or Dispute
- →A note explaining Stripe processes the payment
Most co-parents who start by refusing join within the first week of receiving their first professional SMS expense request. When it arrives as a clean, documented, receipt-attached link rather than a WhatsApp message asking for money, the dynamic shifts. It is not your app anymore. It is just a system.
Solo Mode compared to what most parents use today.
| WhatsApp + Venmo | Solo Mode (FairSplit) | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense requests | Text message — easily ignored | SMS link with receipt — logged on open |
| Payment proof | Screenshot from Venmo | ACH transfer receipt — timestamped |
| "I never got that" | Available to your co-parent | Eliminated — open receipt logged |
| Court documentation | Screenshots — unverified | Formatted PDF — structured record |
| Co-parent cooperation | Yes — for everything | No — for anything |
| Cost | $0 | Free plan / $9.99/mo Pro |
Start documenting today. Do not wait for permission.
Every day you wait is another expense with no receipt on record. Another request sent over WhatsApp that they can claim never arrived.
Solo Mode starts working the moment you create your account. Your co-parent does not need to do anything. You do not need to ask them.
Free forever. No credit card. Upgrade to Pro any time.
Questions? hello@fairsplit.live
Questions about Solo Mode.
Solo Mode lets you use FairSplit's full feature set without your co-parent creating an account or downloading the app. You log expenses and build a court-friendly record entirely on your own. When you send expense requests, your co-parent receives them via SMS link and can respond in any browser — no app download required.
No. Your co-parent never needs to download FairSplit or create an account. They receive expense requests as SMS links and respond through a browser. If they approve an expense, Stripe processes the payment directly. If they ignore or dispute, that response — or non-response — is also documented in your record.
The request stays in your pending queue with a timestamp showing when it was sent and when it was opened — if they opened it. A pattern of ignoring documented expense requests creates a record of non-cooperation that is visible to your attorney and, if necessary, to the court. Ignoring a documented request is significantly harder to explain than ignoring a WhatsApp message.
Yes, at any point. Go to Settings and invite your co-parent. When they create their account, they see the existing expense history and message record. Nothing resets. Everything you documented in Solo Mode carries forward.
Yes. Solo Mode is available on both the Free plan and Pro. The difference between plans is the withdrawal fee (2% Free / free on Pro), access to court-friendly PDF export (Pro only), and dispute resolution (Pro only). You can start Solo Mode on the free plan today with no credit card.
If your co-parent disputes an expense, FairSplit's 3-step Dispute Resolution flow begins — available on Pro. They state their reason. You upload supporting documentation. The outcome is logged. On the Free plan, disputed expenses remain in your pending queue as documented evidence of the disagreement.
On the Free plan, you can log up to 10 expenses per month — enough for most single-category situations like school costs or medical co-pays. Pro removes that cap, lowers the withdrawal fee to free, and adds court-friendly PDF export and dispute resolution.
Last updated: May 2026 · fairsplit.live/features/solo-mode