Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (2024)

skip to main content

We may earn money when you buy through our links.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (1)

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (2)

Home | Senior Safety | Life Alert Alternatives

Life Alert is expensive but reputable. Here are some alternative medical alert companies you can trust.

Best overall

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (9)

Bay Alarm Medical

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (10)

4.75

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (11)

    15 years in business

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (12)

    30-day trial

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (13)

    Free spouse coverage

Best GPS tracking

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (14)

Medical Guardian

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (15)

4.75

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (16)

    16 years in business

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (17)

    14-day refund period

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (18)

    Discounted spouse coverage

Most affordable

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (19)

MobileHelp

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (20)

4.5

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (21)

    14 years in business

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (22)

    30-day trial

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (23)

    Discounted spouse coverage

Best at-home system

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (24)

LifeFone

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (25)

4.5

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (26)

    47 years in business

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (27)

    30-day trial

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (28)

    Free spouse coverage

Best for all detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (29)

Medical Alert

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (30)

4

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (31)

    19 years in business

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (32)

    30-day trial

  • Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (33)

    No free spouse coverage

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (34)

May 07, 2024

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (35)6 min read

SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review.

Life Alert is arguably the most famous medical alert system on the market—and also the most expensive. Bay Alarm Medical is our favorite alternative to Life Alert, because you get the same medical alert devices and quality service without exorbitant fees, long-term contracts, or confusing sales tactics. But if you’re looking for something specific, try one of our other recommended brands.

Best Life Alert alternatives

  1. Bay Alarm Medical

    : Best overall
  2. Medical Guardian

    : Best GPS medical alert
  3. MobileHelp

    : Most affordable
  4. LifeFone

    : Best at-home system
  5. Medical Alert

    : Best for fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (36)

  • How we reviewed

Compare Life Alert system alternatives

Product

Best for

Price starts at

Contract length

Warranty

Fall detection option

Learn more

Read review

Best overall Life Alert alternative$24.95/mo.Month-to-monthPaid lifetime

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (38)Yes

View PackagesRead review
Best for GPS tracking$29.95Month-to-monthPaid lifetime

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (40)Yes

View PackagesRead review
Most affordable Life Alert alternative$19.95/mo.Month-to-monthFree lifetime

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (42)Yes

View PackagesRead review
Best at-home Life Alert alternative$24.95/mo.Month-to-monthFree lifetime

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (44)Yes

View PackagesRead review
Best for fall detection$19.95*/mo.Month-to-month$5/mo.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (46)Yes

View PackagesRead review
Best to avoid$49.95/mo.36 monthsFree lifetime

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (48)No

View PackagesRead review

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*$19.95 Medical Alert starting price for landline in-home system with annual plan paid up front. Month-to-month plans start at $27.95/mo.

Best Life Alert alternative reviews

1. Bay Alarm Medical: Overall best Life Alert alternative

Best overall Life Alert alternative

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (49)

Bay Alarm Medical

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (50)

4.75

Starts at

$24.95

/mo

Bay Alarm Medical offers the same equipment as Life Alert—a panic pendant, a waterproof wall button, and a GPS help device—all for a fraction of the cost. Plus, Bay Alarm Medical is just as reputable as Life Alert since they’ve both earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.1,2

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (51)

Pros

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (52) Month-to-month contracts

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (53) 30-day trial period

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (54) Waterproof wall button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (55) Mobile GPS help button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (56) Fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (57) Five-Diamond certified

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (58) Free spouse coverage

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (59) Price lock guarantee

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (60)

Cons

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (61) Paid lifetime warranty

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (62) Relatively short time in business

Cost of Bay Alarm Medical versus Life Alert

Buying all of Life Alert’s devices costs $198 up front and nearly $90 per month. If you buy the same types of devices from Bay Alarm Medical, you’ll pay $79 up front and nearly $50 per month.

That’s a savings of $119 up front and $40 per month by choosing Bay Alarm Medical instead of Life Alert.

Learn more in our full Bay Alarm Medical review or take a closer look at Bay Alarm Medical vs. Life Alert.

2. Medical Guardian: Best GPS medical alert

Best GPS medical alert

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (63)

Medical Guardian

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (64)

4.75

Starts at

$29.95

/mo

One of our biggest complaints with Life Alert is its lack of equipment diversity. Medical Guardian doesn't have that problem—it sells virtually everything you could want in a medical alert system, including three options for GPS tracking.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (65)

Pros

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (66) Month-to-month contracts

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (67) 14-day refund period

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (68) Voice-activated wall button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (69) Smartwatch option

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (70) Fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (71) Five-Diamond certified

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (72)

Cons

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (73) Paid lifetime warranty

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (74) Relatively short time in business

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (75) No price lock guarantee

With Life Alert’s GPS pendant, only the monitoring center knows where you are when you ask for help. In contrast, Medical Guardian gives caregivers the ability to see where you are through a mobile app. But Medical Guardian understands that your privacy is still important—caregivers don't get real-time location updates unless you press the help button.

Cost of Medical Guardian versus Life Alert

Medical Guardian's prices technically start at $29.95/mo., but that's an in-home price. Medical Guardian's GPS trackers start at $39.95 a month. This medical alert company doesn't offer a free lease option right now for on-the-go systems, so expect to pay about $125 to $200 for equipment.

That's still more affordable than Life Alert's various activation fees and equipment fees, especially when you consider that Life Alert's mobile device must be bundled with the in-home base station. You'd easily pay about $200 in activation fees and about $70 in monthly fees for a GPS device from Life Alert.

Learn more in our full Medical Alert review or take a closer look at Medical Guardian vs. Life Alert.

3. MobileHelp: Most affordable Life Alert alternative

Most affordable Life Alert alternative

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (76)

MobileHelp

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (77)

4.5

Starts at

$19.95

/mo

A lot of folks look up Life Alert because it’s the only medical alert brand they know of. Then, they’re turned off by the high price. We hear you on that. If a budget-friendly help button is what you’re after, MobileHelp has the best starting price.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (78)

Pros

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (79) Month-to-month contracts

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (80) 30-day trial period

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (81) Waterproof wall button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (82) Mobile GPS help button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (83) Fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (84) Free lifetime warranty

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (85) Discounted spouse coverage

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (86)

Cons

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (87) Relatively short time in business

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (88) Not Five-Diamond certified

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (89) Price lock guarantee costs extra

Cost of MobileHelp versus Life Alert

The MobileHelp Classic is an in-home medical alert system that connects to a cellular network, so you don’t need a landline to use it. Just like Life Alert’s basic in-home system, it includes a base station and a pendant.

MobileHelp charges around $50 for activating the system, but monitoring costs around $20 a month. Life Alert’s pendant-only system costs $96 upfront and nearly $50 a month, so you save $30 each month by choosing MobileHelp.

Plus, MobileHelp sends you a free lockbox with your purchase, giving you even more bang for your buck.

Cost of adding a waterproof wall button

If you want to add a waterproof wall button to keep in the shower, your monthly MobileHelp bill increases by about $3 per month (total of $23/month). Life Alert charges an astonishing $20 extra for a shower button, bringing the total up to almost $70/month.

MobileHelp has plenty of additional devices and services that you can add to your system, so the total price can get expensive. But no matter how much you pay with MobileHelp, its overall value is much better than Life Alert’s.

Learn more in our full MobileHelp review, or check out other affordable medical alerts.

4. LifeFone: Best at-home Life Alert alternative

Best at-home Life Alert alternative

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (90)

LifeFone

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (91)

4.5

Starts at

$24.95

/mo

If you’re attracted to Life Alert because it’s been in business for so long, take a look at the LifeFone medical alert system. LifeFone has been in business for nearly 50 years and offers a full suite of medical alert options (in-home, GPS, and more) and caregiver support—all for a lot less money than Life Alert.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (92)

Pros

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (93) No contracts

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (94) No equipment fees

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (95) Mobile GPS help button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (96) Fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (97) Caregiver resources

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (98) 30-day trial period

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (99) Five-Diamond certified

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (100) Interpreters available for any language

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (101)

Cons

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (102) No voice activation

Cost of LifeFone versus Life Alert

LifeFone's monthly monitoring starts at $30 per month, and if you don't choose any extra accessories, you'll pay $0 for LifeFone equipment. But LifeFone offers several upgrades that can land you between $65 and $83 per month.

Without upgrades, you'll save around $20 per month with LifeFone versus Life Alert. You save on equipment costs, too. Life Alert's lowest equipment price is $95—you can get LifeFone equipment for nothing. The only up-front fee you need to pay is shipping, starting around $17 for standard ground shipping.

Plus, included with every LifeFone system you get a free lifetime warranty, free low-battery button replacements, and free spouse coverage. And, LifeFone has been in business for 47 years—3 years longer than Life Alert.3

Learn more in our full LifeFone review.

5. Medical Alert: Best for fall detection

Best for fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (103)

Medical Alert Mobile System

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (104)

4

Starts at

$39.95*

/mo

*$39.95 price for mobile system with annual plan paid up-front. Month-to-month plans start at $47.95/mo.

It’s odd that a company whose slogan is, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” doesn’t sell any automatic fall detection devices, but it’s true. So, if you spend time alone and are at risk of falling, consider Medical Alert's mobile system with add-on fall detection. Medical Alert includes three different fall sensors for better accuracy—the most on the market. Plus, it calls the monitoring center automatically if you fall. Learn more about how fall detection works in our FAQ.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (105)

Pros

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (106) Month-to-month contracts

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (107) Mobile GPS help button

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (108) Fall detection

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (109) 3 different fall sensors

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (110) Free trial period

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (111) Free equipment lease

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (112) Five Diamond certified

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (113)

Cons

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (114) $5/mo. equipment warranty

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (115) No free spouse coverage

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (116) No price lock guarantee

Cost of Medical Alert versus Life Alert

Like Life Alert, Medical Alert charges some up-front fees but loans out its devices for free. Expect to pay $79 for activation programming and if you opt to pay monthly, you'll also have to cover shipping costs.

The mobile system—that gives you coverage at home and around town—costs $39.95 a month if you can pay for a full year in advance. If you want to pay monthly, that price jumps to $47.95, but you can pay for six months at a time for $44.95 a month. Unfortunately, fall detection is the industry standard extra $10 per month, but it's more than worth it for Medical Alert's three-sensor fall detection.

If you don’t want a mobile system, you can get Medical Alert's landline in-home system for just $19.95 per month (paid annually) or $27.95 if you pay monthly. Depending on the type of system and how you pay, you can save between $30 and $10 per month with Medical Alert, compared to Life Alert. But if you add fall detection, your base price goes up $10 per month—that extra cost gets you fall protection that Life Alert doesn't even offer.

Other medical alert systems with fall detection

Medical Alert offers a top-tier fall detection device with some of the best sensors and a track record of accuracy. But there are more affordable options available from other brands, including some non-wearable solutions.

Learn more in our full Medical Alert review.

Final word

We struggle to recommend Life Alert because it’s so much more expensive than higher-quality alternatives. Regardless of why you’re drawn to Life Alert, there’s a more affordable option:

FAQ

Yes. Aloe Care Health’s in-home base station gives the option to call a caregiver instead of the professional monitoring center.

Or, check out the Angel Watch Series R - Assist—it’s a senior-friendly smartwatch with automatic fall detection that calls family.

How we chose the best Life Alert alternatives

We began our search for the best Life Alert alternatives by identifying Life Alert’s main features and strengths: a solid reputation, fast response to calls, a waterproof wall button with two-way talk, and a long battery life.

We then identified other brands that provide the same (or very similar) products and services at a more affordable price or with extra features like automatic fall detection or a caregiver app. We evaluated the quality of those brands by testing products hands-on, reading customer testimonials, and leaning on our overall editorial experience in the medical alert field. To learn more about what we consider when recommending medical alerts, read the methodology section of our Best Medical Alerts page.

Related articles on SafeWise

Sources

  1. Better Business Bureau, “Bay Alarm Medical.” Accessed July 31, 2023.
  2. Better Business Bureau, “Life Alert Emergency Reseponse, Inc.” Accessed July 31,2023.
  3. Better Business Bureau, “Lifeline.” Accessed July 31, 2023.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (117)

Written by

Cathy Habas

With over eight years of experience as a content writer, Cathy has a knack for untangling complex information. Her natural curiosity and ability to empathize help Cathy offer insightful, friendly advice. She believes in empowering readers who may not feel confident about a purchase, project, or topic. Cathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Southeast and began her professional writing career immediately after graduation. She is a certified Safe Sleep Ambassador and has contributed to sites like Safety.com, Reviews.com, Hunker, and Thumbtack. Cathy’s pride and joy is her Appaloosa “Chacos.” She also likes to crochet while watching stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (118)

Recent Articles

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (120)

06/06/2024

Best Medical Alert Necklaces

If you find yourself in an emergency, a medical alert necklace can contact trained professionals...

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (121)

06/05/2024

Best Medical Alert Systems

See which medical alert system is the best to keep you and your loved one...

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (122)

06/05/2024

Best Apartment Security Systems

These renter-friendly apartment security systems help keep you safe and require less commitment than your...

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (123)

06/05/2024

Best DIY Home Security Systems of 2024

SimpliSafe is the best DIY home security system because it's cost-efficient, effective, and easy to...

Stay Safe!

Subscribe to SafeWise for updates on safety news, product releases, and deals!

By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy | Cookies Settings

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | How We Rank and Review | *SafeWise has conducted impartial research to recommend products. This is not a guarantee. Each individual’s unique needs should be considered when deciding on chosen products.© 2024 SafeWise. All rights reserved.

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (129)

Back To Top

Life Alert Alternatives | SafeWise (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 6006

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.