OpenFamily

Overview

With 12 built-in modules synchronized across devices in real time, OpenFamily brings household planning into one service: shopping, tasks, calendars, budgets and recipes. That scope can replace a patchwork of family apps, though it also means the best fit is a household willing to use a broader organizer rather than just add a shared calendar.

OpenFamily is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and built by NexaFlow France. Self-hosting keeps the service on infrastructure you manage; OpenFamily Cloud instead hosts data in France and states that it has no ads or tracking. Those are distinct deployment choices, not just different prices.

Key features

Shopping lists provide automatic categories, prices, quantities and reusable templates, with real-time ticking while shopping. The live updates suit households dividing a store run, while the added fields make the list more useful for planning than a bare checklist.

The calendar handles recurring and all-day appointments, supports up to five reminders per appointment, and connects with Google, Outlook and iCloud calendars. It also imports .ics files, which helps households bring existing schedules into the shared system. Push alerts cover appointments and tasks, and can be delivered in each member's language even when the app is closed.

Meal planning links weekly views to recipes, imports Tandoor meal plans and exports the week's plan as a PDF. Family profiles hold health information, allergies, vaccines and emergency contacts for each member. That combination extends the app beyond chores and schedules, though it also means families are putting sensitive household data into the system and should choose their deployment accordingly.

Integrations with Mealie, Tandoor, Home Assistant, Grocy and Nextcloud make OpenFamily more relevant to households already using those tools. The documented security stack includes JWT, bcrypt 12, Helmet, WebSocket and Web Push VAPID, alongside Docker and Nginx; the stack indicates the technologies used, not a guarantee of security.

Pricing

Self-hosted: Free. Self-hosting stays free forever, and the plan keeps data with you. Docker is required except when using the Windows installer. This is the strongest fit for technically equipped households that prioritize deployment control; the cost advantage comes with responsibility for running the service.

OpenFamily Cloud: 3.90 EUR per month, billed 3.90 €/month per family. One subscription covers the whole household and includes automatic updates and backups, data hosted in France, and export with the option to switch to self-hosting. It suits families who want the shared app without maintaining its deployment. Compared with the free plan, it adds managed hosting and maintenance rather than household-by-household seat charges.

Platforms

OpenFamily supports Android, iOS, web, Windows, API access and self-hosting. Windows has an all-in-one installer that bundles Node.js and PostgreSQL; Android is distributed as an APK. The self-hosted Docker Compose setup launches PostgreSQL, an Express server and an Nginx frontend, and can be made available on a local network or production domain. That setup offers deployment flexibility, but it is a real infrastructure choice rather than a one-click hosted alternative.

Who it's for

OpenFamily is a good match for families seeking shared lists, tasks, reminders and calendars alongside meal planning and family profiles. It is especially well suited to households already using its integrations or to those who want a choice between self-hosting and a France-hosted subscription. Families seeking only a lightweight calendar, or unwilling to manage a self-hosted setup or pay for Cloud, have reason to look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Twelve real-time modules bring lists, schedules, meals and household information together, reducing the need to split family coordination across separate tools.
• Pros: Free self-hosting under AGPL-3.0 gives technically capable households a no-subscription path and control over deployment.
• Pros: Cloud costs 3.90 EUR per month for the whole family and includes automatic updates, backups, France-hosted data and an export path to self-hosting.
• Cons: Docker is required for self-hosting except on Windows, so the free option still entails deployment work.
• Cons: Android distribution is via APK, which is less straightforward than a standard app-store installation.
• Cons: Cloud is a recurring cost, so households seeking a hosted free tier will not get one of OpenFamily's central deployment benefits without paying.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, see Family Calendar Apps.

Choose Ahenora if Android, iOS and web support plus a free period matter more than OpenFamily's self-hosting path; its free plan covers two adults, tasks, calendar, shared lists, family chat and reminders after a 14-day free period.

Equal House is an option for Android and iOS households that can work within its free plan's three-day planning horizon, which includes a shared calendar, meals and parties alongside fairness and auto-balancing tools.

Pick Fami if you want a free core set of shared calendar, chores, shopping list, budget and family places across Android, iOS and web.

Famnest is worth considering for households wanting free shared to-dos, a family calendar, chores and routines, meal-planning basics and recipes, with Android, iOS, macOS and web support.

Famnly is an alternative to consider for iOS households.

Choose Cozi if you want a free shared family calendar, automatic notifications, grocery and to-do lists, and a recipe library across Android, iOS and web.

Famora is another Android and iOS family organizer with a free plan covering a shared calendar, shopping lists, todos, a chore chart and meal planning.

Consider FamilyDash if its free allowance of one connected calendar and one reminder per event fits your household's needs, with Android, iOS and web support.

Verdict

OpenFamily is the right choice for families who want one connected organizer and care about where it runs: use the free AGPL-3.0 self-hosted option for deployment control, or pay 3.90 EUR per month for family-wide Cloud hosting, updates and backups. Look elsewhere if you need a hosted free plan or do not want to take on self-hosting or a recurring subscription.