A Guide to Life Alert Costs and Contracts in 2026

Video Rundown of Life Alert Cost

Curious how much you stand to pay with Life Alert? Then watch this video, in which our Managing Editor, Ryan Molloy, walks through the nitty gritty of his Life Alert contract.

Life Alert System Costs Breakdown

*System must be bundled with the Help PERS LTE
**Activation fee reflects the price for a bundled system

Life Alert's basic in-home system costs $49.95 per month. Their other two systems, the mobile unit and wall-mounted button, cost $20 per month apiece; however, neither of these devices can be purchased alone. You can purchase one or both of them in addition to the in-home system.

This bundled approach, in addition to being more costly, is rare for medical alert companies that usually allow you to purchase mobile systems as standalone devices.

Life Alert Purchasing Process

Life Alert only sells products by phone—not online. During your call, a sales agent will ask questions to determine which system you need.

The company currently offers three systems: the in-home Micro Voice Pendant System, the HELP Button, and the mobile system with GPS. The latter two cannot be purchased as standalone devices; rather, you must first buy the Micro Voice Pendant System.

Micro Voice Pendant System

The most basic Life Alert device, the Micro Voice Pendant System, costs $49.95 per month, with a one-time $95 activation fee. The system includes:

• 1 base unit (pictured above)
• 1 help button (pictured below)

The base unit serves as the center of your system. Pressing the help button will trigger a call to Life Alert’s dispatch center. The base unit also has a built-in microphone and speaker, which allows you to communicate with the dispatch agent, who will ask you about your emergency and send the appropriate help, whether it’s a nearby loved one or first responders.

The base unit operates on a cellular connection, so you won’t need a landline to connect to the Life Alert dispatch center. The device also has a built-in, rechargeable backup battery. In the event of a power outage, the battery will keep your system powered for up to 72 hours. Since most falls happen in the home2, this type of home-based system will suffice for many users.

The help button, worn as a pendant or bracelet (with the included wristband attachment), can also trigger a call to the Life Alert dispatch center. The device, however, doesn’t have a built-in speakerphone, and pressing the help button will instead trigger a call through the base station. Luckily, the speakerphone on the base unit is loud, and I could communicate with dispatch agents from multiple rooms away. That said, the help button can connect to the base unit only when it’s within 500 feet.

>> Read More: The Best Medical Alert Necklaces

HELP Button

This wall-mounted help button can be placed on nightstands, stairwell walls, or showers using adhesive backing or the included mounting kit. Life Alert recommends bathroom placement. Its IP67 water resistance makes it ideal for bathroom use.

Unlike the wearable button, the wall-mounted version has a built-in speakerphone and LTE cellular connection, allowing placement outside base unit range and direct emergency call handling. Battery life reaches up to 10 years. When low, the button announces “The battery is low,” prompting you to contact Life Alert for replacement.

The wall-mounted button costs an additional $20 per month but cannot be purchased alone. Adding it to your Micro Voice Pendant system brings monthly charges to $69.95.

On-the-Go + GPS

The On-the-Go + GPS is, as you may have guessed, a mobile medical alert with GPS. Much like the wall-mounted help button, it has a built-in speakerphone and cellular connection, which allows emergency calls to be handled directly from the device.

What differentiates the On-the-Go + GPS, however, is its built-in GPS. When I placed test calls with the mobile help button, dispatch agents could determine my location within several yards, making this device ideal for users who spend ample time outside of the home.

Unfortunately, unlike mobile systems from Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical, this mobile device does not pair up with a caregiver app. This means that dispatch agents will be able to access your location; however, loved ones will not have access to this information. If you’re looking for this type of caregiver connectivity, I recommend a system from Lively or Medical Guardian.

Similar to the wall-mounted button, the On-the-Go + GPS costs only $20 per month — but it cannot be purchased alone. Instead, you’ll need to bundle it with the Micro Voice Pendant system, bringing your cost to $69.95 at a minimum.

The Expert Take

From Cody McGonagill

Firefighter/EMT

During an emergency call as an EMT, I was guided to the patient by a GPS device they were carrying, which dispatch could track. The patient had become confused and disoriented, and the GPS technology was crucial in helping my team locate them. This feature could be invaluable for anyone at risk of similar situations, especially if they are active outside their home.

Life Alert Contracts

Regardless of which system you purchase, Life Alert requires you to sign a binding three-year contract. For the medical alert industry, this is unprecedented. Several companies offer discounts if you pay on an annual basis, but most allow you to pay monthly. At any time, you can cancel your service, send back your equipment, and stop making payments. Life Alert, however, keeps you on the hook with two notable exceptions.

Termination of Contract

Section three of my Life Alert service agreement notes:

Upon death of the Subscriber(s), this thirty-six month agreement is automatically terminated. This agreement can also be terminated if Subscriber enters a skilled nursing facility or has 24-hour in-home professional care with documentation from an accredited health or social service organization.

Essentially, you may exit your Life Alert contract, ceasing monthly payments, if you either pass away or transition to around-the-clock care. I must note, however, that a skilled nursing facility would not necessarily include assisted living. Legally speaking, that leaves a bit of ambiguity as to whether a person moving to assisted living would be able to terminate their contract.

Monitoring Fee Refund

Section four of my Life Alert service agreement states:

Without waiver of any of the Limitations and Liability set forth herein, in the event that the Subscriber dies, for any reason, while at home alone during the initial three-year term of this Agreement, Company shall refund the monitoring fees and Initial fee paid by the subscriber to an authorized representative upon the submission of a written proof that the Subscriber died home alone and provides a death certificate.

As section three of my contract notes, death alone is not enough to warrant a total refund of your monitoring fees. However, suppose a person dies alone in their home during the first three years of using Life Alert. In that case, an authorized representative can receive a refund of all monitoring fees. Again, there is legal ambiguity here. While a person can potentially die at home, they often are not pronounced dead until brought to a hospital or other care facility, and it’s unclear if this situation would qualify for a Life Alert refund.

Regardless, death in the home alone will not warrant a refund of your Life Alert activation fees to an authorized representative.

Video Rundown

In this short video, our Managing Editor, Ryan Molloy, highlights the more egregious portions of his Life Alert contract.

Is Life Alert Worth the Price?

“I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” is a phrase familiar to many of us since it was first spoken by the actress Dorothy McHugh in the late eighties.4 If you or a loved one ever falls in your home, Life Alert can provide an essential lifeline to help. The company’s equipment is durable, and its dispatch agents are highly trained.

In my experience testing medical alert devices, however, there are several other companies that provide medical alerts of an equal caliber for less than half the price. To my knowledge, Life Alert is the only medical alert provider that locks users into three-year contracts.

To learn more about my experience using Life Alert, check out my hands-on Life Alert review.