The 3 Best Cellular Medical Alert Systems of 2025, Tested by Caregivers

Although medical alert systems have the reputation of being costly, Lively proves that’s not always the case with the Lively Mobile2. The straightforward, waterproof pendant costs only $79.99, and monthly fees are capped at $34.99, while other companies charge up to $70 per month. (Looking at you, Kanega Watch and Life Alert!)

The Mobile2 is the only medical alert system available from Lively, a company known for its popular Jitterbug phones for seniors. The Lively Mobile2 is a simple, blank pendant connected to a lanyard with a large Urgent Response button. (You can also wear the device on a belt clip or, to be more discreet, put it in your bag.) The Mobile2 lasts 40 hours on standby, and you can take it anywhere you want due to its cellular capabilities. There’s no additional base station required, unlike with Life Alert, and at only $79.99 it’s by far the cheapest device on this list.

One thing we really appreciated about Lively is the Lively Link app, which lets caregivers view the device’s location and any changes in the user’s recent activity. Caregivers can also see if the device is on and how much battery is left. With a higher-tier plan, the app includes medical advice from an on-call nurse, as well as a care advocate who can help you meet your health goals. Fall detection is optional and doesn’t require an additional device. Rather, it tacks $9.99 per month onto the plan, a standard price in the industry.

Expert Examined

From Cody McGonagill

Firefighter/EMT

Caregiver tracking is an invaluable feature, especially considering the significant number of individuals experiencing dementia or other cognitive impairments. During emergency calls, I’ve encountered situations where elderly individuals have become lost in their neighborhoods or on their properties due to confusion. This occurrence is frequent, and GPS tracking could be immensely beneficial.

The Lively Mobile2 costs $79.99, plus either $24.99 or $34.99 for the services. The top-tier plan adds the on-call nurse and care advocate. Fall detection is an additional $9.99 per month on either plan. We recommend activating the device online, since it lowers the activation fee from $35 to $25. We wish the company didn’t charge activation fees at all, like Bay Alarm Medical. For more information, read our article on Lively medical alert costs.

We think fall detection is an essential feature for a medical alert system. We’re glad the Lively Mobile2 has that capability, but we wish it was included in the monthly price. Check out the Kanega Watch if you want fall detection included, but note that it has much higher activation and monthly fees than Lively.

To learn more about our experience with the system, read our full Lively Mobile2 review.

The Lively Mobile2 provides on-the-go protection for an affordable price.

Although some companies, such as Life Alert, make you sign up for a three-year contract, all contracts with Bay Alarm Medical are monthly — but that’s not the only reason we recommend the company’s cellular medical alert devices.

Bay Alarm Medical lets you choose among a home system, a mobile pendant, and a smartwatch, with a discounted bundle available as well. No matter which product you choose, you’ll get the same 16-second response time, since all emergency calls go to the same monitoring center. For cellular systems in particular, we like the SOS Mobile, a medical alert button you can take anywhere you want.

>>Read more: SOS Smartwatch Review

One of the best features of the SOS Mobile is its battery life. Charging took only a few hours, and once it was charged we didn’t have to charge it again for six days. That means we were never without our SOS Mobile for long. Better yet, the device is trackable through the Bay Alarm Medical app, which allows caregivers to check the user’s step count, location, and device battery level. Because Bay Alarm Medical works with both AT&T and Verizon 4G LTE networks, we were rarely — if ever — without cellular service.

The SOS Mobile costs $99 and monthly costs range from $34.95 to $59.95, allowing for a variety of budgets. All plans are monthly, but the middle-tier plan adds fall detection for an extra $10 a month, bringing the total to $44.95 a month. For another $15 a month — bringing the total to $59.95 a month — Bay Alarm Medical offers a bundle of SOS Mobile, a wearable button, and the SOS All-In-One 2 Help button. It’s a good idea if you want separate on-the-go and in-home protection. If you want to save money, however, go with the lowest-tier package, which is on the affordable side compared to many competitors.

To learn more about the provider’s costs and contracts, read our guide to Bay Alarm Medical costs.

The SOS Mobile has an IP rating of 67, which means it’s water-resistant but not waterproof. You can wear it in the shower, but we wouldn’t recommend submerging it in a pool or bath. For a truly waterproof device, check out the Lively Mobile2.

With no long-term commitment required, Bay Alarm Medical has options that work whether you’re in or out of the home, with two cellular networks to boot.

To learn more about our hands-on experience with the company, read our Bay Alarm Medical review.

Time is of the essence when accidents happen, which is why we personally test falls with all our medical alert systems. Out of all the systems we’ve tested, Medical Guardian has the fastest response time: only eight seconds.

Medical Guardian offers two at-home systems and three on-the-go systems, all of which — except the MGClassic home system — use cellular networks. We want to highlight the MGMove, a smartwatch with a nice, wide face that displays an SOS button, the time, a step-count app, a weather app, and a test button. It’s not nearly as complicated as other smartwatches, like the Apple Watch, which makes it ideal if you’re not totally comfortable with technology, but you still want the protection of a cellular-connected device.

>>Read more: MGMove Watch Review

Another feature we appreciate about the MGMove is the caregiver tracking. Through both the web portal and the MyGuardian app, caregivers can track a user’s location and step count, similar to the Lively Mobile2 and Bay Alarm Medical SOS Mobile. Medical Guardian takes things a step further, however, allowing you to actually message your caregivers from the watch itself. You can also use the app to set reminders, which would be super helpful for medications or daily tasks.

At $199.95 for the device itself, the MGMove is nearly the same price as the Kanega Watch. Although the Kanega Watch doesn’t technically charge for equipment, it makes up for it with a hefty activation fee of at least $199. Medical Guardian also charges $42.95 per month for monitoring. Fall detection costs an extra $10 per month. Those prices are on the lower end, as Kanega Watch fees start at $60 per month. We recommend signing up for a year to save the most money.

To learn more about the company’s systems and costs, read our guide to Medical Guardian pricing.

We loved using the web portal for caregiver tracking, but the MyGuardian app didn’t work quite as well. The iPhone app was particularly troubling, since we could check a device’s location only once per hour and the device connectivity once per day. Worse, we found that the battery data had a lag of about one day, which could be life-threatening for an older adult prone to falls. We weren’t the only customers unhappy with the app; it has a rating of 1.5 out of 5 on the Apple App Store and 2.6 on the Google Play store. The Lively Link app was much more functional.

You just can’t beat the eight-second response time of Medical Guardian systems.

To learn more about our experience with Medical Guardian, read our full Medical Guardian Review.