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We stress-test the most affordable medical alert systems to find the ones that don't sacrifice critical features or reliability.
Updated November 7, 2024
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Let’s face it, none of us are getting any younger. Most Baby Boomers have begun settling into retirement, and Gen X is getting closer to 65 every day. So it’s never too early to start researching medical alert systems. Choosing the right one now means your loved ones are protected and can enjoy their golden years with grace and dignity. But with so many great systems available featuring incredible equipment at affordable prices, how do you pick the right one?
It’s all about knowing which medical alert system will give you the best bang for your buck. That’s why we decided to test the best low-cost medical alert systems that money can buy. Bay Medical Alarm came out on top, but we were also impressed with Medical Guardian, Lively, and Mobile Help. Let’s run through each system to find the right one for your family that won’t break the bank.
In our experience, we find it best to begin by considering the two highest expenses when it comes to medical alert systems, namely the monthly monitoring fee and the equipment fee.
Monitoring fees range from $20 to $60 per month, depending on equipment and features. You can usually save money by signing up for a longer-term contract. Most companies offer at-home and on-the-go systems, and which one you choose can affect price as well.
As far as equipment goes, you may or may not be charged. Some companies, like Bay Alarm Medical charge you upfront for equipment, but that allows them to keep monitoring costs low. Others, like MobileHelp, offer free equipment, but you may pay more money per month for monitoring depending on which system you choose. But whichever solution you choose, it’s likely to include shipping expenses.
Once you’re done with the monitoring and equipment fees, we recommend comparing companies’ fall detection features. This is usually an optional add-on, costing an extra $5 to $10 per month. Some systems, such as LifeLine, include fall detection in their monthly fees. You may not need this extra now, but you want a company that offers fall detection for a reasonable price in case the need for it should arise. Our list of the best medical alert systems with fall detection is a great place to start.
Pro Tip: For most at-home systems, fall detection is embedded within a pendant that also includes a help button and is worn around the neck. With on-the-go systems, fall detection is most often embedded within the mobile device.
A few companies offer telehealth options. Since COVID, there has been an increased demand for in-home healthcare, and that’s leading to changes in the industry that can benefit older adults. AI technology, for instance, has been put to a variety of uses, from simple virtual assistants to complex programs that can predict when medical emergencies might occur. You do want to be cautious when investing in extras like these. After all, they come with additional costs that can swell your bottom line.
Bay Alarm Medical is known for two things — their high-quality equipment and their low monthly prices. That’s a winning combination. If you’re looking for an at-home system, Bay Alarm charges no up-front equipment fees. You pay $24.95 per month and the equipment is free. You have to purchase equipment if you choose an on-the-go system, but Bay Alarm keeps prices low, and monthly monitoring fees are $34.95. These are competitive prices, especially when you consider how much quality and service Bay Alarm provides. Plus, Bay Alarm offers free at-home monitoring for spouses, which can save you a lot of additional money in the long run.
FYI: Right now, Bay Alarm Medical is offering 30 percent off all of their systems, they’ll ship everything for free, and they’ll throw in a free month of monitoring.
While we have more information in our Bay Alarm Medical pricing guide, the long and short of it is this: They are our favorite when you weigh features and reliability against monthly costs. All of their systems are less than $40 per month, and they offer both at-home, on-the-go and hybrid systems to fit your family’s individual needs.
| Bay Alarm Medical Equipment | Monitoring Price |
|---|---|
| SOS Home | $24.95 Per Month |
| SOS All-In-One | $34.95 Per Month |
| SOS Micro | $34.95 Per Month |
| SOS Smartwatch | $39.95 Per Month |
Bay Alarm Medical Equipment
The thing is, Bay Alarm doesn’t just offer low prices. The company packs a ton of features into its equipment and plans. A great example of this is the new caregiver tracking app, available with both the SOS Mobile and SOS All-in-One systems. It lets caregivers keep up with their loved ones’ locations – with the loved ones’ permission, of course. And unlike a lot of other providers, Bay Alarm provides this service at absolutely no charge.
Another bonus is there are no hidden fees. For example, you won’t be charged for activation or initiation. Sure, there are shipping costs. But you only have to pay this once to receive your equipment, and some packages don’t even include it in the costs.
Bay Alarm Medical SOS Smartwatch Digital Face
Maybe the biggest way Bay Alarm saves seniors money is by covering at-home monitoring for spouses at no additional charge. You have to purchase an additional pendant, but that’s a one-time cost of $30. There are no additional monthly fees. You get a lifetime price-lock so your monthly fees can never increase, and you have a full 30 days to decide if you like the Bay Alarm system before you commit.
Have we piqued your interest? Find out more in our Bay Alarm Medical review.
| Connectivity | Landline and cellular |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | $10/month |
| In-home Range | Up to 1,400 feet |
| Battery Backup | Up to 32 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30-day |
Like Bay Alarm, Medical Guardian offers two types of systems – home-based, and on-the-go, so you can get a system that suits your senior’s lifestyle. As we covered in our full Medical Guardian review, both systems are great options for customers who want an at-home personal alert system at an affordable price, and you can save even more if you’re willing to sign up for a full-year subscription.
Medical Guardian’s most popular system is the MGClassic system. No surprise there. It’s the classic system, right? Normally, that package costs $32.95 per month. However, you can save a little money if you sign up for a full year of service. That price is just $30.20 per month. The MGClassic system includes a base station with a 1,400-foot range. You also get your choice of a wristband or pendant. One downside: this system requires a landline for connectivity, and landlines are becoming increasingly rare, even among older adults.
The thing is, if you spend a little more, you’re still getting a lot of value for your money. If, for example, you sign up for the MGHome cellular system, you’re going to pay more – $37.95 a month – but this system is more advanced. For instance, it comes with voice assist technology, 4G connectivity, and a backup battery that can last for up to 32 hours. Obviously, these extra features cost you extra money. You won’t get them cheaper from anyone else, though, making Medical Guardian the most affordable option. As with the Classic system, you can get a discount on this price by signing up for a full year of monitoring.
MGClassic from Medical Guardian
Medical Guardian also offers on-the-go medical alert systems at a reasonable price. These start at $39.95 per month and include a variety of features, such as location tracking with GPS, clear-2-way communication and cellular backup. However, they do come with equipment fees. The MGMini Lite and the MGMini both cost $149.95 each. The MGMove costs $199.95.
Here’s a breakdown of the three’s features:
| Medical Guardian Equipment | Features | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| MG Move |
|
$199.95 |
| MGMini Lite |
|
$149.95 |
| MG |
|
$149.95 |
Another advantage that helps Medican Guardian stand out from the pack is its range. The MGClassic lets you venture out as far as 1,400 feet. Meanwhile, the MGHome Cellular has a range of 1,400 feet away from the base station. It’s perfect for anyone who loves to spend their day in the garden.
We also like Medical Guardian’s pricing transparency. It makes shopping with them straightforward and easy. And in our experience, the company doesn’t have any hidden fees. We paid what the website said we’d pay and got exactly what was promised – even that 1,400-foot range mentioned above.
| Connectivity | Landline, cellular, and Wi-fi |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | $10/month |
| In-home Range | Up to 1,400 feet |
| Battery Backup | Up to 32 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | None |
Lively sells three systems. One works with a traditional help button. Another combines the help button with a smartphone. The last one takes advantage of the power of two cell phones. To be honest, we found more use for the latter two systems, and because of that, we don’t recommend it as an in-home system (or as a system for folks who don’t want to use smartphones). But if your loved one does have a smartphone and loves to spend their time out and about, Lively is great. It’s also affordable.
Although Lively charges equipment fees for all its products, you can save a lot thanks to its very low monthly fee offers. Fees start at just $24.99 per month for their standard plan — more than $10 less than the industry average — and it’s just $34.99 per month for their Premium coverage, which offers care advocates and nurse-on-call services. Fall detection can be added to either plan for just $9.99 more per month.
FYI: Lively has an app on iPhones and Alexa devices that allows users to access Lively’s professional monitoring centers. The app also helps caregivers provide premium care to Lively customers.
Lively’s feature products are the Jitterbug Smart3, a Samsung Android smartphone, and the Jitterbug Flip2, a Samsung folding cellular phone, which come with equipment fees of $149.99 and $99.99 respectively. While it’s not inexpensive, it’s a considerable bargain when compared to other cellular phones on the market that will likely run in the hundreds of dollars. These phones include everything that other Samsung phones include, plus adaptations and special features for older adults. So if you need to buy or replace your current phone, you will actually be saving money by purchasing your phone and medical alert system together.
We should mention that Lively both hits you up with a few extra charges yet provides places for decent savings. We’ll start with the good stuff. Lively’s pricing system is flexible. Lively frequently runs sales on their monthly fees, so it pays to keep an eye on their website. In fact, right now you can get 50 percent off select devices. That Jitterbug Flip2 we just mentioned, for instance? It’s on sale for just $49.99. Finally, it never hurts to ask sales representatives about any special promotions or discounts that you could tap into. If you’re an AARP member, for example, you can save $5 per month on select health and safety packages with the purchase of a Lively Wearable2 or a Lively Mobile Plus. And, with their Refer-a-Friend program, you can get a $25 credit any time someone you refer activates a Lively phone or device.
Lively Watch
That said, Lively does come with some extra costs. First, you can expect to pay a $35 activation fee if you purchase either phone. (The Lively Mobile Plus and Lively Wearable2 do not require activation fees.) In addition, you will be paying an additional monthly fee for talk, text, and data. However, this cost is something that you would pay anyway with any other cellular service.
We will say, though, that Lively’s monthly packages are really affordable, especially when you consider that you’re getting phone service and medical monitoring in one device. Lively offers two Health & Safety packages. The Basic package, costing $24.99 per month, includes access to professional monitoring and a caregivers app. The Preferred package costs a little more, $34.99 per month, but features a telehealth service. Fall detection can also be added to either Health & Safety Package for $9.99 per month with the Lively Mobile Plus or Lively Wearable only.
FYI: One thing to be aware of is that the Lively Wearable has been discontinued. However, while you can no longer purchase this device on the Lively website, you can still find it in some retail stores.
Read more about these affordable and comprehensive on-the-go systems in our in-depth Lively analysis.
| Connectivity | Cellular |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | Included in some plans |
| In-home Range | N/A |
| Battery Backup | Up to 82 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30-day |
MobileHelp makes our list of most affordable systems due to its relatively low monthly fees coupled with no equipment charges. In addition, it offers two really appealing bargains: an on-the-go system for couples or two members of the same household and a hybrid system with both at-home and on-the-go devices.
Every package comes with MobileHelp Connect at no extra charge. It’s a nifty online portal that manages medication reminders, checks activity levels, and has several other tools that help caregivers stay involved in the user’s health.
With seven MobileHelp at-home and on-the-go systems to choose from, you are likely to find something that fits your needs at an affordable price. One of the nicest things about MobileHelp is that you pay no up-front costs for equipment. Instead, you choose a monitoring plan and the equipment for that plan is absolutely free.
Of course, you’ll pay extra for any additional devices or equipment. And the cost of those monthly plans? The cheapest of MobileHelp’s at-home systems, MobileHelp Classic runs just $19.95 a month, while the MobileHelp WiredHome plan costs $24.95. You’ll pay a one-time connection fee of $49.95 activation fee. Still, if you use the system more than five months, it beats other systems that charge $10 more per month. And these are highly-rated at-home systems with excellent ranges of 1,300 to 1,400 feet.
MobileHelp MD 4 on Charger
The basic on-the-go system is the MobileHelp Solo. The device’s design is not the most discreet we have seen, but it contains all of the important safety features we expect, like two-way talk, location detection, and optional fall detection for a $37.95 monthly fee. (Most mobile devices come with monthly fees between $37 and $40.)
MobileHelp goes the extra mile when it comes to bonus rewards. The Mobile Duo, for example, covers a user and spouse for $49.95 a month, a savings of $5 per month over investing in two separate plans. Or, you can sign up for the MobileHelp Duo, which includes both the Solo system and an in-home base unit. Here again, you get the best of two worlds for one low price of $41.95 per month.
FYI: You can save more money with MobileHelp’s referral program. If you refer someone to MobileHelp, they reward both you and your friend with a $200 service discount after the friend purchases a system and remains enrolled for at least 60 days.
| Connectivity | Landline and cellular |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | $10/month |
| In-home Range | Up to 1,400 feet |
| Battery Backup | Up to 48 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30-day |
If you’re on a tight budget, it’s easy to dismiss medical alert systems as non-essential. However, medical alert systems save lives. They can alert emergency personnel immediately if you suffer from:
Speaking of falls, what happens if you take a tumble and can’t communicate? If you have fall detection on your device, an alert is sent to a call center regardless of whether you respond, and they will dispatch emergency services. We can’t know when an adverse medical event will happen, but if it does, having a medical alert system increases your survival odds significantly.
FYI: The length of time, or “lie time,” that someone who has fallen and is unable to get up on their own is significant. Researchers determined that a lie time of 72 hours or more increases mortality by 67 percent.1
After evaluating most systems out there, we can say with confidence that not all medical alert systems are priced the same. Some providers offer pricier-than-average plans, and we have steered clear of them in our discussion. But others offer economical plans. It is also important to point out that any one particular system can offer several packages of varying prices.
Before selecting a medical alert system, compare the various features available to determine which offers you the most features at the lowest price. Here are some things to look for when selecting an affordable alert system.
Affordable medical alert system providers offer 24/7 emergency response. This feature is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. After all, what good would an alert system be if the monitoring center closed at dinnertime? However, not all monitoring centers and emergency personnel are created equal. Look for a TMA Five Diamond certified monitoring center for the best service for you or your loved one.
“Cheap” and “low-quality” often go hand in hand — but not in the world of alert systems. The market abounds with high-quality, affordable systems that deliver reliable peace of mind for seniors. With that said, no system is perfect. That’s why some providers now offer a lifetime warranty. With this feature, you’ll get a free replacement should your alert system malfunction. Most warranties cover only normal wear and tear and exclude devices that are lost or stolen.
Get 24/7 monitoring from well-trained agents without breaking the bank. That’s the promise of many alert system providers. This, of course, is a good thing! Most aging adults live on a fixed income, so it’s nice to stretch dollars and save where they can. Thankfully, there are several affordable alert systems on the market that offer rock-bottom monitoring fees — some starting at $19.95 per month or less.
No English? No problem. You still have a range of affordable medical alerts to choose from. Multilingual support enables assistance in your mother tongue. Sometimes this means that a monitoring center agent who speaks a language other than English (usually Spanish) is available to provide assistance. More often, providers are outfitting their support departments with a translation service that can accommodate hundreds of languages — from German to Swahili. Chances are you’ll find help in your native language.
A money-back guarantee takes 100 percent of the risk off of your back by essentially allowing you to test their product. It’s not uncommon to find 30-day, money-back guarantees, also known as free trial periods. If you don’t love your alert, just send it back for a refund. Most often these refunds cover equipment and monthly fees, but some providers refund shipping costs, too. Look for this feature to protect your pocketbook and eliminate buyer’s remorse.
Several medical alert providers make it easy and affordable to add free or discounted coverage for your spouse. Most of these offers are for at-home systems, but we have seen one or two for on-the-go systems. It happens all the time that a loved one sees the value and peace of mind that alert systems deliver, and suddenly they desire one of their own. So look for this feature — one that offers seamless integration of a family member into your plan.
Affordable coverage matters. That’s why nationwide coverage is an important feature for seniors who desire low-cost, on-the-go cellular monitoring. Whether travelling across the state or the country, you don’t want to be caught in a dead spot during an emergency. These affordable medical alert companies are constantly expanding their coverage area. From Florida to Minnesota, and California to Maine — look for this feature to get the nationwide coverage you need and deserve.
Is it possible to find a low-cost alert system with no strings attached? You bet it is. No-contract monitoring plans are incredibly popular among seniors on fixed incomes. That’s why it is unusual for providers to require contracts. (Although we do still occasionally see it.) No-contract plans offer minimal commitment, with month-to-month coverage for those who value flexibility. Remember, you’re not married to your alert system. Don’t like it? Try a different system.
Don’t be too surprised if you come across a “free equipment” offer. This feature is commonly advertised by the cheapest alert system providers. Know that providers either rent or sell their equipment. So while an upfront cost may be eliminated with a rental agreement, the equipment isn’t actually free. The cost is often absorbed in the monthly fees. Still, cash-on-hand today is better than cash-on-hand at some future point in time.
Gurley, R J et al. (1996, Jun 27). Persons found in their homes helpless or dead. National Library of Medicine.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8637517/
