Cupla, the Planning App, Is the Go-To Relationship Organizer for Busy Couples
Originally Published on DatingAdvice.com
The Short Version: They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. For busy couples juggling different schedules, endless household chores, and family time, Cupla is that refreshing lemonade. This couples’ planning app lets you take control of your and your partner’s schedules and household management. Co-Founder Erika Palmer shared the inspiration behind the app and how it’s already strengthened the bonds of thousands of couples navigating busy lives together.
I met my husband in college. Back then, we lived separately, balanced full-time school, and a patchwork of part-time jobs while also somehow juggling our time together amid extracurriculars and social lives.
Finding quality time together was a challenge: We were always trying to coordinate around work shifts that ended late at night or rushing through homework to grab a quick dinner together.
Now, nearly a decade later, our schedules have become more manageable. But as he embarks on a new semester for his master’s program, I anticipate returning to the days when syncing up for grocery shopping or enjoying a night out becomes a rare luxury.
Truthfully, I don’t look forward to this part of playing Tetris with our schedules. But I think that’s where Cupla will come in handy. Cupla is a couples’ planning app designed to bring busy partners together when the demands of daily life are a little too loud.
“Our goal is to remove the stress and friction that couples experience when trying to coordinate everyday life,” said Erika Palmer, co-founder of Cupla. “And we do that through a suite of utility tools designed specifically for couples.”
An Idea Born Out of Necessity
More than 4 million businesses were formed during 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — the highest total on record! — and Cupla is one of them.
Cupla was created to fulfill a specific need. In this case, Erika and her husband, William, had their own businesses, so work was always busy. They also had children, so finding time for just the two of them was nearly impossible.
“We felt like passing ships in the night,” Erika explained. “We struggled to prioritize our relationship, and even when we found time for a date night, we never had anything planned.”
Erika and William aren’t alone: More than 74% of parents say they feel too busy to enjoy life, and nearly three-quarters of those surveyed say they find meaning in their families or relationships.
“We were experiencing something all couples go through, so when COVID hit and we were finally able to settle down, it was a great opportunity to address this problem,” Erika recalled.
Since its inception in 2020, Cupla has become a go-to app for couples seeking a seamless way to manage their lives together. With more than 100,000 couples registered, Cupla has evolved into more than just a scheduling tool. It’s a comprehensive platform designed to enhance every aspect of a relationship.
Cupla Isn’t Just a Shared Calendar
It’s time to get to the fun part: the features.
First and foremost, Cupla’s calendar feature can integrate with all major calendars you or your partner might use, whether it’s Google, Apple, Outlook, or Android.
“What the shared calendar does is consolidate all of our calendars. For instance, I have multiple work calendars, a calendar with my girlfriends, and a shared family calendar,” explained Erika. “Cupla pulls all of these into a single view, and it also includes my husband’s calendars alongside them, which allows us to easily see when we’re both busy and identify opportunities to prioritize time together during our free time.”
Erika also emphasized that Cupla’s calendar differs from other shareable calendars, like iCalendar, Outlook, or Google Calendar.
Google Calendar’s sharing feature primarily involves sharing individual calendars separately, so users must toggle between multiple calendars to see combined schedules. But Cupla provides an integrated view of both partners’ calendars, allowing couples to see each other’s schedules alongside their own.
In addition to the calendar, Cupla also offers:
- To-Do Lists: Create individual or shared tasks, customize tasks with labels, priorities, and due dates, and connect tasks with shared and individual calendar events
- Private Chat: Private messaging channel where you can share photos, videos, and files
- Date Planner: Set regular date goals that suit you and your partner, plan and organize dates, and receive reminders for upcoming dates
- Grocery List: Collaborative shopping list for couples, add items by category or from a common database, save favorite items for future shopping
- Dedicated Lists: Dedicated space for sharing essential items and ideas, creating lists for chores, shopping, travel plans, and more, storing items in various list types (checklists, to-do lists), and assigning lists to your partner or keeping them private
“What’s cool about our Date Planner is you can also set your date frequency goal,” said Erika. “If you want to go on a date night every couple of weeks, it will look at your schedule, suggest the best date night, and then remind you if you haven’t got something in the diary.”
Cupla has also enlisted Dr. Jessica Maxwell, an Assistant Professor of Social Psychology at McMaster University. She’s an incredible resource for Cupla, acting as an in-house authority on everything from relationships to sex.
Dr. Maxwell also researches Cupla to identify areas for improvement and understand what’s working effectively: Her findings show that 70% of users reduce stress in their relationships with Cupla, 65% mention increased quality time spent with their partners, and 75% say they feel more excited about the future.
Making Time with Micro-Dates
While a phone app can’t solve every aspect of a relationship, it can help steer couples in the right direction.
“What I love about it is that it gives them that space on their phone that is just for them and their relationship,” said Erika.
But outside of Cupla, Erika also emphasized the importance of always making time for those 10 to 15-minute check-ins where you’re not talking about work, children, or your to-do list.
“I don’t believe a date night needs to involve a whole evening out at a restaurant, especially considering how busy we all are. Sometimes that’s just not possible,” said Erika. “It’s about carving out dedicated time where you both leave work, set your phones aside, and share a cup of tea or wine — whatever you prefer. Take that moment to ask each other about your day.”
As for what’s next, Erika says her team is actively accelerating the date-planning feature.
Cupla aims to implement features that allow couples to share date ideas within the app, drawing inspiration from what other couples are doing on their date nights. The hope is that this will streamline the planning process, making it easier than ever for couples to discover and enjoy unique date ideas.
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Written by: Jordan Sprogis, Edited by Lillian Castro and Reviewed by Sheena Holt
