Best Medical Alert Bracelets of 2024 (2024)

Best Medical Alert Bracelets

Best Medical Alert Bracelets

• Price for home monitoring: $30–$40 monthly, plus $10 for fall detection
• Connection: Cellular network, Wifi, GPS, landline
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: 1,000 feet

Medical Care Alert outshone its competition because it has a strong warranty program, allows users to add additional buttons in the same household without extra monitoring fees, and has extended battery life.

Medical Care Alert is also known as American Response Technologies and was founded in 2008. The Michigan-based company originally offered home security services, but later shifted to medical alert products. Medical Care Alert combines practical hardware with some impressive, low-cost services.

• Home wall-mounted button: $30
• Buttons that you can wear around your wrist or neck: $40
• Jewelry pendant holder: $50

Customers can choose between mobile monitoring costs, home monitoring costs, or both. Home monitoring starts at $30 a month. Additional coverage to include your home and yard is $32 a month. Mobile monitoring is helpful if you want to be able to connect with your caregivers or emergency services when you’re outside of your home. This GPS-compatible alert monitoring starts at $40 a month.

• Price for home monitoring: $30–$40 a month
• Connection: 4G, Wifi, GPS
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: 1,400 feet

These devices are simple to use but aesthetically pleasing, and Medical Guardian makes it easy for seniors to connect with their loved ones and caregivers.

Medical Guardian is based in Philadelphia and was founded in 2005. This service is ideal for seniors wanting to stay connected to caregivers and loved ones thanks to the Care Circle that links to four contacts. And there is no extra monitoring charge for spouses or partners in the same home, including assistance with emergency and non-emergency calls to Medical Guardian.

A standout feature of Medical Guardian’s call center is that, unlike many other medical alert services, it supports non-emergency calls. For example, a user can ask the Medical Guardian responders to contact caregivers or nearby loved ones included in their “Care Circle” comprised of four non-emergency contacts. However, if a person is having a more serious emergency, Medical Guardian can also dispatch paramedics, police, or firefighters to their home.

Medical Guardian offers many add-on services to expand coverage. These add-ons carry their own charges, but allow users to customize their alert system. Customers can opt into a Support Circle app with chat messaging and calendar reminders. For extra peace of mind, Medical Guardian also offers a second home unit that is always ready to use because it does not need to be recharged. This Alert911 unit connects to a cell signal and contacts 911 operators with a click of a button.

Medical Guardian offers several reasonable monthly home and mobile monitoring plans, and customers can ask about how to get a free Classic Guardian button when they sign up for services. However, customers should plan to budget for the additional costs of add-on services.

If you want to complement the Classic Guardian with other tools, you can expect to pay between $130 and $200. For example, the MGMove smartwatch costs $200. A more basic, portable button that you can wear as a keychain or pendant, like the Mini Guardian, cost $150.

A basic home monitoring plan begins at $30 a month, and mobile monitoring costs $40 a month. Additionally, customers should be aware of other potential fees. A lockbox can add security and convenience, but it includes a $3 monthly charge.

• Price for home monitoring: $33–$45 a month
• Connection: Depends on device; includes 3G/4G, Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: Depends on device; 400–1,000 feet

LifeStation is a great option for people who live with chronic illnesses. Its monitoring plans are affordable, but LifeStation really shines for its Papa Pals program and Uber Health partnership that assists with everyday errands and transportation.

Living with a chronic illness can be exhausting, and it can be difficult to balance important tasks like medical appointments, grocery shopping, and monitoring your wellness. Founded in 1977, LifeStation is a mainstay in the medical alert business. The company sets itself apart from the competition by offering helpful non-emergency services. LifeStation medical alert bracelets are not just for emergency situations. They are also helpful organizational tools to track your heart rate, remind you of appointments, book an Uber for you, and even connect you with companions to assist you during your errands.

LifeStation offers mobile and at-home monitoring policies, with prices starting as follows:

• In-Home Medical Alert system: $33 per month
• Sidekick Mobile Alert button pendant: $38 per month
• Sidekick Smart smartwatch: $45 per month
• Luxury jewelry pendant with a small, mobile unit: $44 per month

Customers will need to call a company representative to get a more personalized quote and to sign up for a monitoring plan.

• Price for home monitoring: $30 a month
• Connection: 4G LTE
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: 800 feet

GetSafe helps protect you where falls are most likely to happen with shower-safe water-resistant buttons, additional coverage for the high-risk rooms in your home where falls happen most, and voice recognition.

Many medical alert businesses prioritize travel-ready pendant buttons or wearable devices. But some customers may forget to wear their medical alert bracelet each day, or they may not want to always wear an alert button when they’re in their own home. GetSafe, founded in 2015, aims to provide alert services without the customer always having to wear a button by relying on voice recognition. So if you’ve fallen or have another emergency, you can activate the wall-mounted device in your room by repeating “Call 911” two times.

Your plan will depend on the size of your home. The Starter plan provides one sensor for your wall and a pendant button for you to wear, so this basic plan is geared toward people who live in studio apartments or other small living spaces. Customers can upgrade based on how many wall buttons they need to keep in different rooms of their home.

GetSafe earned our vote for Best for Fall Protection because the company advises customers to place buttons around their home in strategic spots where a fall may occur. On their website, GetSafe posts pictures of buttons affixed at the bottom of a set of stairs, in a hallway near a bathroom, and in a kitchen. These locations are some of the most common places where a person could fall or accidentally hurt themselves.

Sometimes, a person may be injured, unconscious, or otherwise unable to speak loudly enough to trigger their GetSafe system. To account for this possibility, some of the GetSafe systems use automatic fall detection. For example, if you are using a wearable device and suddenly stumble to the ground and stop moving, the GetSafe alert system can automatically connect you with a dispatcher.

Customers can purchase additional wall buttons for $35.

• Price for home monitoring: $25-$31 a month
• Connection: Landline, GPS, 4G
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: 1,400 feet

LifeFone impressed us with its transparent pricing policies, affordable basic plans, and additional add-ons like daily check-in phone calls. There are also customized procedures that instruct LifeFone on who should be contacted in different non-emergency and emergency situations.

LifeFone was established in 1976, and it's well established in the medical alert business. The company specializes in straightforward, affordable devices—all backed by a lifetime warranty.

Despite LifeFone’s low prices, its alert systems have some impressive details. Customers need only to pay for the subscription charge, since LifeFone provides a variety of medical alert devices (and shipping) for free. The base-level pendant has a whopping 16 days of battery life, and it can easily be recharged overnight. Customers can also rest assured that LifeFone won’t sell their data to third-party sources.

LifeFone could be a good option for people who want to try out a medical alert bracelet without investing in extra bells and whistles. These devices will go a long way in covering most users’ at-home monitoring needs. For example, all of LifeFone’s systems come equipped with voice recognition so customers can call out for help if they’re not wearing their pendant button. Another perk is that all of the devices are safe to use in the shower—a much-needed feature, since bathrooms are one of the most common sites where people fall and injure themselves.

While LifeFone is a great starter system for someone who needs coverage in their home, it may not be the best choice for everyone. Some tech-savvy customers might be frustrated that they can’t pair their alert system with their other smart devices. LifeFone devices do not integrate with other programs like Spotify, Google Home, smart watches, or Alexa.

Mobile monitoring plans start at $37 a month, and the home monitoring plan is cheaper at $25 a month. If customers do not have a landline at home, they should make sure to request a mobile-friendly base system.

LifeFone offers additional services that include:

• Access to the caregiver app: $8 a month
• Lockbox: One-time fee of $30
• Fall detection: $5 a month
• Extra wall-mounted buttons: $40 each

• Price for home monitoring: Starts at $32 a month
• Connection: Bluetooth, 4G, GPS, landline
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: Unlimited

BlueStar Senior Tech is designed for people over 65, and it’s easy to set up and use. Customers can keep in touch with loved ones via seamlessly integrated features like the included caregiver app and GPS monitoring.

• Price: $29–$74 a month
• Connection: Cellular, GPS
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: Not applicable

Florida Telehealth’s RescueTouch medical alert pendants are great for kids because they include bright colors, a keychain that’s perfect to attach to backpacks, and a durable design that can withstand rough-and-tumble playdates.

Many alert pendants only work when they’re within range of a home base system. However, RescueTouch is perfect to use at school or sports practice because it does not need a landline connection. The RescueTouch has an unlimited range, so children can connect to emergency services or their parents anywhere, at any time. What’s more, their friends, teachers, and coaches can as well in a serious emergency.

Customers will need to choose between different subscription options for the RescueTouch system. One option connects children to their parents with the VoiceConnect system and family alerts, but does not include professional monitoring. That means a child can only alert family (not an emergency dispatcher or operator) during an emergency. However, parents can also opt into the 911 Direct plan for an additional monthly charge.

The RescueTouch comes in a variety of bright colors like blue, green, and pink.

Because RescueTouch does not come with a home base system, there is no subscription plan for home monitoring. The Family Response plan lets children connect with five contacts for text alerts, GPS tracking, or phone calls. This plan starts at $34 a month, and parents can add fall detection for an extra $5 a month. Professional monitoring connects users to Florida Telehealth’s emergency operators, and it costs $29 a month without the family text alerts or calls.

The best value is The Whole Shabang! plan, which bundles 911 Direct coverage, the Family Response features, and automatic fall detection. The Whole Shabang starts at $49 a month. Parents can add coverage for another child with the Chit Chat Monitored Twin Pack, which costs $74 a month.

• Price: $25–$40 a month
• Connection: 4G LTE, GPS
• Fall detection: Yes
• In-home range: N/A

Lively might be a great choice for travelers since the device does not need to connect to a home unit. Users can download the Lively app on Alexa and Apple Watch for additional protection no matter where they are located.

In 2018, Best Buy announced plans to meet a new target audience: Aging people who want to use tech to help them stay active. That year, Best Buy acquired GreatCall. GreatCall offered senior-friendly phones like the Jitterbug and medical alert devices. In 2019, GreatCall was rebranded as Lively.

Lively stands out from the competition because its devices do not need to be tethered to a home monitoring system. Many medical alert buttons only work when they’re within range of a base unit. In other words, if a person tries to press their button, the pendant may not have the signal needed to call for help if that person is too far away from a base unit. This is a drawback for people who want to travel with their medical alert pendants, or simply walk outside to get the mail. Base units tend to be heavier and bulkier than pendant buttons, and some base units need to be plugged into a landline. Lively cuts the cord. Users can use Lively anywhere, in and out of their home.

Lively is a great option for customers who want to have a portable Lively button that they can pair with another smart tech device. When you buy a Lively system, you also get access to the Lively app, which you can install on an Alexa device or Apple Watch. While customers do not need one of those devices to use the Lively pendant, these apps can add extra functionality. For example, the Lively pendant does not have voice recognition. However, if a customer has paired Alexa with the Lively app, they can say, “Alexa, call for help” to contact Lively’s emergency responders.

Travel-loving customers will need to balance the convenience of Lively’s medical alert button with its pharmaceutical appearance. The Lively button may be easy to transport, but it cannot be easily disguised as a piece of jewelry. The pendant is a gray rectangle with a prominent brand logo.

Before a customer enrolls in a Lively subscription, they’ll need to purchase the $50 device. Then, they can choose from three different monitoring plans:

• Basic: $25 per month; includes urgent response service during emergencies
• Preferred: $30 per month; includes urgent response service and no extra copays
• Fall Detection: $10 a month

Users can also opt in to several add-ons, like a $20 lockbox.

Customers with a flexible spending account (FSA), health saving account (HSA), or health reimbursem*nt arrangement (HRA) may be able to use these funds for the initial cost of their Lively Mobile Plus pendant.