The Senior List is compensated when you click on the provider links listed on this page. This compensation does not impact our ratings or reviews. Click here to learn more about our editorial review process and click here to learn more about how we are compensated.
We picked out a few more recommendations worth considering:
Advertisement
This list consists of brands who have partnered with The Senior List to feature their products or services across our site. These partnerships in no way affect our reviews or ratings, which are derived from thorough research, hands-on testing, and our unbiased expert opinions.
Established in 1976, LifeFone has spent nearly half a century perfecting its personal emergency response systems.
Known for its affordable subscription plans and unique features such as a lifetime price-lock guarantee and a 30-day risk-free trial, LifeFone provides a great way for adults to age in place. The company’s plethora of add-on features, such as wall-mounted help buttons, lockboxes, and fall detection, all work to create one of our favorite medical alert systems.
LifeFone Costs
In-home system
$24.95 per month
Mobile system
$36.95 per month
Most affordable system
$24.95 per month
Fall detection
$5 per month
Extra users
Free spouse coverage
Protection plan
$5 per month
LifeFone Systems
LifeFone customers can choose from five emergency medical systems, which cost between $24.95 and $41.95 per month, on a monthly plan. The systems include two at-home options and three choices for more active and on-the-go older adults. I’ll discuss these LifeFone systems in detail below.
Lifefone At Home Landline and Lifefone At Home Cellular
LifeFone At-Home Landline
Starting at $24.95 a month on a monthly plan, this system uses a landline to connect to emergency help. Perfect for older adults who spend the majority of their time at home, LifeFone’s At-Home Landline system includes a base unit, your choice of a help button necklace or wristband, and optional fall detection for an extra $5 each month. With an impressive range of 1,300 feet and 32-hours of backup battery life, this system is great for providing peace of mind. Additionally, it also has a unique room temperature sensor that will send an alarm if your home temperature is abnormal. You can also answer incoming calls from your landline phone simply by pressing your help button.
You can also answer incoming calls from your landline phone simply by pressing your help button.
LifeFone At-Home Cellular
At $30.95 per month on a monthly plan, LifeFone’s At-Home Cellular System is nearly identical to its At-Home Landline system. The cellular system, however, uses AT&T’s 4G cellular network and is slightly more expensive. With a range of 1,300 feet from its base station and a highly sensitive microphone, this system is a smart choice if you are hard of hearing. Unlike many other home-only medical alerts, LifeFone’s At-Home Cellular option allows you to answer phone calls by pressing a button on your help pendant. You can also add optional fall detection for this system for just $5 per month.
LifeFone At-Home and On-the-Go
For active older adults, the LifeFone At-Home & On-the-Go system offers both a base station for when you’re at home and a mobile device for when you’re out. LifeFone touts this system as two for the price of one, starting at $36.95 per month on an annual plan. If you go for the monthly plan, it’ll cost $39.95 per month. Both the base station and mobile pedant work on cellular networks, so no landline is needed. Adding an optional fall-detection pendant costs an extra $10 per month, and the range is up to 1,400 feet.
With the At-Home and & On-the-Go, VIP Active® system, your entire medical alert system exists inside your pendant. That means no installation; you just put it on. Starting at $39.95 per month on an annual plan, the system works anywhere in the United States that has AT&T or Verizon service. With a 30-day battery life, you can go several weeks before charging your system, which far exceeds the capabilities of most other mobile medical alerts. Bay Alarm Medical and LifeStation, for example, last three and five days, respectively. According to LifeFone, the At-Home & On-the-Go, VIP Active® system is hailed as the smallest and most powerful mobile medical alert to date.
At-Home and On-the-Go, VIPx®
This system is the newest model from LifeFone. It starts at $41.95 per month on an annual plan and includes a voice-in pendant with optional fall detection. With water resistant capabilities, you can wear the pendant in the shower without worrying about water seeping through and causing damage. The battery life is up to 16 days, which is still pretty good compared to other medical alert devices that require charging after 32 hours. For caregivers, there’s an optional VIPx® Caregiver App at an additional $8 per month, which tracks location, button presses, and battery levels.
Pro Tip: Avoid costly repairs to your front door by purchasing a lockbox, which will provide emergency services access to your home. A new door can easily set you back $2,000, with both the new door itself and installation averaging about $1,000 each.
LifeFone Systems at a Glance
System
At-Home Landline
At-Home Cellular
At-Home & On-the-Go
At-Home & On-the-Go VIP Active®
At-Home & On-the-Go VIPx®
Monthly price
$24.95
$30.95
$36.95
$39.95
$41.95
Initial fees
None
None
None
None
None
For use
In home
In home
In home and on the go
In home and on the go
In home and on the go
Features
-Two-way base station speaker
-Long-lasting backup battery
-1,300-foot coverage range
-Emergency trouble indicator
-Two-way base station speaker
-Long-lasting backup battery
-1,300-foot coverage range
-Emergency trouble indicator
-Two-way speaker
-Lighted display with time, date, and ambient temperature
-Back-up battery
-Wearable mobile unit
-Two-way speaker
-Lighted display with time, date, and ambient temperature
-Back-up battery
-Wearable mobile unit
-Two-way base station speaker
-Long-lasting backup battery
-1,300-foot coverage range
-Emergency trouble indicator
-Voice-in pendant
-Water-resistant
-Advanced location technology
Connection type
Landline
Cellular
Cellular
Cellular
Cellular
Fall detection
$5
$5
$10
$5
$5
Caregiver portal
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Additional features
-Personalized emergency care plan
-Medication reminders
-Room temperature sensor with alarm
-Unlimited emergency contact notifications
-Personalized emergency care plan
-Medication reminders
-Room temperature sensor with alarm
-Unlimited emergency contact notifications
-Personalized emergency care plan
-Nationwide coverage
-Medication reminders
-Room temperature sensor with alarm
-Unlimited emergency contact notifications
-Location tracking
-Personalized emergency care plan
-Nationwide coverage
-Medication reminders
-Unlimited emergency contact notifications
-Location tracking
-Personalized emergency care plan
-Nationwide coverage
-VIPx® Caregiver app
-Long-lasting battery (16 days)
Tip: Keep your family safe, too, by sending them a panic button via the LifeFone mobile app. When they press it during a crisis, it will connect them to the monitoring center.
LifeFone Add-Ons
LifeFone offers a far larger selection of add-on services than most personal emergency response brands. Here’s an overview of some of your options:
LifeFone Add-On Services
Activity Assurance caregiver tool: For $6 per month, At-Home Landline and At-Home Cellular users can set up Activity Assurance. With activity assurance, you’ll receive daily check-ins from one of the company’s monitoring centers. A specific tone is played on your base unit each day, and a representative will call to check in if you don’t press a button within 15 minutes to confirm you’re safe and at home. If you don’t answer the call, the center will dispatch emergency services. Regular interaction between you and the monitoring center can provide peace of mind for your caregivers if they can’t see you every day.
Daily check-in calls: For an additional $19 per month, you can receive a daily call from a monitoring center agent. The call is customized to fit your needs, whether it’s medication reminders, a brief conversation, or something else. The price may sound high, but a friendly voice checking in each day may be worth it. Older adults are at a higher risk of loneliness and social isolation, issues connected to dementia, anxiety, depression, heart disease, and more.
Medication reminders: For an extra $6 per month, cellular system subscribers can receive daily or weekly medication reminders. It’s easy to forget your morning vitamins, and the older you get, the easier that kind of mistake becomes. Approximately 30 percent of hospital admissions for older adults are drug-related.
Location services: With location services, caregivers for On-the-Go GPS subscribers can use their mobile device to access their loved one’s GPS location via the LifeFone Caregiver Portal. This service is particularly helpful for caregivers helping individuals with memory problems or who enjoy being out and about alone. Medication reminders plus 30 location requests per month cost an additional $9 per month.
Fall detection: Depending on which LifeFone medical alert system you choose, fall detection can be added for $5 to $10 per month. I’m a big advocate for fall detection, especially if it costs as little as $5 a month. Each year, 3 million older adults are treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries. Considering what a single emergency-room visit can cost, $60 a year doesn’t seem so bad.
Complete home package: Any medical alert system added to fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide monitoring is considered a Complete Home Package. This add-on option starts at $42.95 per month.
LifeFone Add-On Accessories
Vanity Pendant: One of LifeFone’s newest options, the vanity pendant looks like a beautiful tiered necklace made of the finest metals. You’d never guess it was a medical alert system. This fashion statement comes at a high cost — $71.95 — but you may want to consider it if it means you’ll feel more confident wearing a medical alert.
Hanging Master Lock Box: Designed to fit around your doorknob, the $39.95 hanging Master lockbox provides quick access to your house keys for first responders or other individuals entering your home during an emergency. Equipped with a password lock, it ensures only those who have your password can access your keys.
LifeFone Hanging Lock Box: A $29.95 LifeFone hanging lockbox safely stores your house key so emergency services can access it with a secret code during an emergency.
Mobile Device Charging Cradle: If you travel frequently, then you may appreciate having this convenient $39.95 extra charging cradle for your mobile system.
Leather Carrying Case for Mobile Device: Priced at $18.95, LifeFone’s protective carrying case for the On-the-Go systems’ mobile device will keep it in the best condition possible while you aren’t wearing it.
Pro Tip: Choose a quarterly or annual plan to pay lower rates. The discount is risk-free since LifeFone will prorate your refund for any unused prepaid service.
Purchasing From LifeFone
LifeFone medical alert systems can be purchased online through the company’s website. If you have questions about your order status or which system fits you best, customer service is available by phone 24/7. You can also reach LifeFone by email for system or service needs.
Voice in Pendant
LifeFone Cancellations and Refunds
To cancel your LifeFone subscription, call 1-800-940-0262 and tell the agent you are canceling your service. Since your equipment is rented, you must return it (at your own expense) to avoid further charges and receive your prorated refund.
LifeFone Warranty Policy
Every LifeFone system is backed by a 100 percent lifetime warranty for normal wear and tear, including free battery replacement. Any damage beyond normal wear and tear, such as accidents, loss, or theft, is not covered by LifeFone’s lifetime warranty. For $5 per month, the company offers a protection plan with additional equipment support. Instead of paying several hundred dollars to fix your medical alert, LifeFone’s protection plan will replace one base unit and two emergency help buttons per year.
LifeFone App
LifeFone is associated with two mobile applications — one for individual users and one for both customers and caregivers.
LifeFone Mobile Alert App
LifeFone’s Mobile Alert application can be used as an alternative to a full medical alert system or in conjunction with one as an extra measure of protection. Available for both iPhone and Android, the Mobile Alert app provides 24/7 access to the LifeFone monitoring center. In an emergency, LifeFone can use your GPS coordinates to identify your location. With three alert modes — panic, concern, and medical — Mobile Alert may be a good choice if you have an in-home system but you want to leave your home. Adding LifeFone’s Mobile Alert to a medical alert system plan costs $5.95 per month, but new customers using Mobile Alert on its own will be charged $7.95 per month.
LifeFone Family Guard App
For a one-time fee of $9.95, your caregiver can keep a closer eye on you by tracking your location in real time. As an upgrade, you may give your family members a panic button through the smartphone app. If they find themselves in a scary situation, they can click the panic button to connect to the LifeFone call center. Similar to the Mobile Alert app, the Family Guard app has four modes: location, concern, panic, and medical. The app will soon add user-defined geofencing and teen driving monitoring.
LifeFone VIPx® Caregiver App
Available on LifeFone’s VIPx® systems, the VIPx® caregiver app allows caregivers to track a number of helpful metrics from their smartphone, including, system location, battery life, steps counted, and any times the user pressed their help button. If a loved one misplaces their system, this app can also be used to generate a sound on the VIPx®, allowing you to quickly find it. This app requires an $8 monthly subscription charge.
LifeFone Monitoring
LifeFone’s subscription monitoring plans cost between $25 and $40 per month, depending on your system. Monitoring is the only recurring fee LifeFone charges unless you add accessories or services. Considered one of the best medical alerts for couples, LifeFone protects spouses at no extra cost. The free spouse coverage is an exceptional deal, since many medical alert systems charge full price to cover a second individual.
LifeFone has three monitoring centers: one primary center in White Plains, New York, and two U.S.-based backups. The company provides choices within its monitoring, such as having the monitoring center call or text your emergency contacts before requesting first responders. If you sign up for a daily check-in or your caregiver requests Activity Assurance, expect to hear from the monitoring center frequently.
My LifeFone At Home and On the Go system cost $36.95 per month.
Is LifeFone Worth It?
LifeFone’s medical alert systems offer top-of-the-line monitoring options along with a wide variety of products and add-ons you can customize to fit your needs. LifeFone is one of my picks for this year’s best medical alert systems.
LifeFone is great for:
Reasonable prices: Life Alert costs as much as $90 per month, so I appreciated that LifeFone’s most affordable systems cost less than a third of this amount. Because of this, LifeFone is one of our favorite Life Alert alternatives.
Caregiver tools: Caregivers have access to a wide variety of tools to ensure their loved one’s safety and provide them with engagement on a day-to-day basis, such as activity assurance, daily check-in calls, medication reminders, and location services.
Affordable add-ons: Accessories make a medical alert system more efficient, more aesthetically pleasing, or easier to use. Additional emergency wall buttons ensure you can always reach help during an emergency, for example, and vanity pendants provide a stylish way to wear your safety button. LifeFone offers an abundance of unique and affordable add-ons, which make it a more enticing brand — particularly since some medical alerts, such as QMedic, have almost no add-ons.
Fire, Smoke, Carbon Monoxide Monitoring: LifeFone offers the option of adding on their Complete Home Package starting at $42.95 per month on an annual plan. This package includes 24/7 monitoring for fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide in the home. This is especially helpful for older adults who may be inside or away from home and want an extra layer of protection.
LifeFone is not ideal for:
Affordable add-ons: Although they’re optional, LifeFone offers many add-on services that can add up to a higher price.
If you press your emergency help button accidentally, don’t worry! The LifeFone call center does not charge for false alarms. That said, it’s important to stay on the line. Once the representative answers, explain that you pressed your button by accident and LifeFone will categorize the call as a system test.
Yes and no. To receive a full refund, you must cancel your service and return your equipment within 30 days of exactly three business days after your system is shipped. Most systems arrive within three to five business days with standard shipping, but faster shipping is available at an additional cost.
Your in-home help button should last between two and five years. When your battery reaches 20 percent, LifeFone will be automatically notified and send you a new one at no cost. If you are concerned about your button’s battery life, feel free to reach out to customer service at any time.
LifeFone does not charge equipment fees. You pay only for the monitoring service, and equipment rental is included in your monthly subscription. If your needs change over time, there are no additional fees for switching or adding features to your system. You’ll pay only for the new rate.
LifeFone’s in-home help buttons are considered waterproof, so you can wear them in the shower or bathtub or wash the dishes with them on. Your help button should never be submerged underwater, though, and they’re not built for swimming-pool use. Mobile pendants are water-resistant and safe for the shower.
Written By
Amie Clark
Amie has been writing about senior care products and services for the last decade. She is particularly passionate about new technologies that help improve the quality of life for seniors and their families. Seeing her parents and grandparents age made Amie ask herself, “Would this be good enough for my loved ones?” In her spare time, Amie enjoys outdoor adventures and spontaneous road trips. Learn more about Amie here
Join for Free
Members get updates like best products for seniors and senior discounts delivered right to their inbox for free.