Life Alert Alternatives

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 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.

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.

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.

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. The 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, 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.

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 up front and nearly $50 a month, so you save $30 each month by choosing MobileHelp.

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

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.

ADT’s landline medical alert system—ADT Medical Alert Basic—starts at around $30 per month with no up-front charges. That means you save $96 in one-time fees and around $20 per month with ADT Medical Alert versus Life Alert.

If you want to add a shower button, you’ll need to get ADT’s cellular system—ADT Medical Alert Plus. The system starts at around $36 a month, but adding the shower button increases the monthly cost by $2.50 for a total of about $38.50 per month.

That’s still way better than Life Alert, which charges an extra $20 per month for its shower button, for a total monthly cost of around $70.

Learn more in our full ADT Medical Alert review.

Like Life Alert, Lifeline charges some up-front fees but loans out its devices for free. Expect to pay $20 to $99 for installation and $50 for activation. Here’s a tip though: get on the phone and start haggling. The Lifeline sales reps seem to have some leeway when it comes to these up-front fees.

The in-home fall detection system—called HomeSafe with Auto Alert—costs $44.95 a month. If you don’t want automatic fall detection, the cost is $29.95 a month, which is $20 cheaper than Life Alert’s pendant-only system.

Plus, Lifeline has been in business for 48 years—4 years longer than Life Alert.³ 

Lifeline’s AutoAlert is 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 review of the best medical alert systems with fall detection.

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:

• Bay Alarm Medical for a three-in-one bundle
• Medical Guardian for GPS tracking
• MobileHelp for the best deal
• ADT Medical Alert for industry stability
• Lifeline for fall detection

We started by looking at Life Alert’s devices and identifying medical alert companies that offered the same type of equipment, especially the waterproof wall button for shower safety. We also considered reasons why people might like Life Alert—like the fact that it’s been in business for over 40 years—so that we could offer alternatives that spoke to those needs.

We also suggested alternatives that filled gaps in Life Alert’s offerings, like fall detection. To pick the best-of-the-best for each category, we relied on our testing experience and knowledge of the medical alert industry. Learn more about SafeWise’s methodology.

• Types of Medical Alert Systems and How They Work
• How to Talk to Your Parents about a Medical Alert System
• How to Choose a Medical Alert System
• Are Medical Alert Systems Covered by Medicare?
• How Smart Home Tech Can Help Older Adults

1. Better Business Bureau, “Bay Alarm Medical.” Accessed November 29, 2022.
2. Better Business Bureau, “Life Alert Emergency Reseponse, Inc.” Accessed November 29, 2022.
3. Better Business Bureau, “Lifeline.” Accessed November 29, 2022.