Best medical alert systems with fall detection

Out and about? Choose a mobile system with GPS and fall detection. Mostly at home? A home base station is cheaper and simpler.

By the Age at Place team · Updated October 24, 2026

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How we picked: from company pages, published prices and policies, each cited in the table.

Older woman talking on a mobile phone at home — Photo by Maxim Tolchinskiy on Unsplash

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Every device compared · prices checked Oct 25, 2026
					Where it works
Medical Guardian MGHome Landline In-home coverage over a landline View price	$31.95^src	$27.95^src	Not stated^{sources differ}	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	At home
Medical Guardian MGHome Cellular In-home coverage without a landline View price	$38.95^src	$34.95^src	Not stated	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	At home
Medical Guardian Guardian Flex A wearable for a parent who goes out, worn on a necklace or belt clip View price	$44.95^src	$39.95^src	Not stated	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Home and away
Medical Guardian MGMini A small GPS pendant for a parent on the go View price	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Not listed	Not stated	Not published	Home and away
Medical Guardian MGMini Lite A lighter GPS pendant View price	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Not listed	Not stated	Not published	Home and away
Medical Guardian MGMove A smartwatch-style alert View price	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Not listed	Not stated	Not published	Watch
LifeFone At-Home Landline In-home coverage over a landline View price	Not published	$24.95^src	None	+$5/mo^src	At home
LifeFone At-Home Cellular In-home coverage without a landline View price	Not published	$30.95^src	None	+$5/mo^src	At home
LifeFone VIP Active An on-the-go button with optional location requests View price	Not published	$37.95^{sources differ}	None	+$5/mo^src	Home and away
LifeFone VIP flex An on-the-go button worn several ways View price	Not published	$39.95^src	None	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Home and away
LifeFone VIPx2 A long-battery mobile button with an optional caregiver app View price	Not published	$39.95^src	None	+$5/mo^src	Home and away
LifeFone Safe Watch Active A smartwatch alert for a parent who would not wear a pendant View price	Not published	$43.95^src	None	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Watch
MedicalAlert Medical Alert Home System In-home coverage without a landline View price	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Not listed	Not stated	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	At home
MedicalAlert Medical Alert Mobile System A GPS button for home and away View price	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Not listed	Not stated	Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src	Home and away
Alert1 Bundles with accessories like lockboxes and wall buttons View price	Not published	Not listed	Not stated	Not published	Brand

Short answer: if your parent leaves the house regularly, choose a mobile system with GPS and add fall detection. If they are mostly at home, a home base station is cheaper and simpler.

Prices and promotions change often, so we link to each company’s current pricing rather than quoting numbers that go stale.

How to choose in three questions

Where could they fall? Mostly at home means an in-home system. If they drive, walk, or garden, go mobile.
Do they need automatic fall detection? If they have fallen before, are unsteady, or live alone, we recommend it. No fall detection is perfect, so they should still press the button when they can.
Who should be alerted? Some services notify family through an app as well as calling the monitoring center.

What to check before you buy

Total monthly cost with fall detection and any caregiver features added.
Equipment fees and whether you must return the device.
Contract length and cancellation terms. Month-to-month is common; avoid long lock-ins.
Battery life and charging. A device that sits on the charger cannot help.
Water resistance. It must be worn in the shower, where many falls happen.

The options

Medical Guardian

A broad lineup of home and mobile devices with a caregiver app. Watch out for add-on pricing for fall detection and equipment fees on some plans.

LifeFone

A family-focused service with caregiver check-in options and month-to-month plans. Watch out for extra costs on some caregiver services.

MedicalAlert

A straightforward choice for a simple home setup. Watch out for fewer smart features than rivals.

Alert1

A wide device range with accessory bundles such as lockboxes and wall buttons. Watch out for the total price once accessories are added.

Who should skip a medical alert

If your parent has significant memory loss, they may not remember to wear or use a button. Talk to their doctor about monitoring options designed for dementia care instead.

We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It does not change our recommendations.

Every device, with its fees and sources

Prices come from each company's own pages on the date shown. "Not published" means the company does not list it; call and ask.

Medical Guardian · At home

Medical Guardian MGHome Landline

In-home coverage over a landline

Billed monthly: $31.95/mo^src
Paid yearly: $27.95/mo ($335.40 a year)
Device fee: Not stated^{sources differ}
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

Range up to 1,400 ft
32-hour backup battery
Needs a landline

Cancelling: No long-term contract and no activation fee; it issues pro-rated refunds for unused service, but a footnote says cancellation fees may apply.^{sources differ}

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

Medical Guardian · At home

Medical Guardian MGHome Cellular

In-home coverage without a landline

Billed monthly: $38.95/mo^src
Paid yearly: $34.95/mo ($419.40 a year)
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

Range up to 1,400 ft
32-hour backup battery
Cellular, no landline needed

Cancelling: No long-term contract and no activation fee; it issues pro-rated refunds for unused service, but a footnote says cancellation fees may apply.^{sources differ}

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

Medical Guardian · Home and away

Medical Guardian Guardian Flex

A wearable for a parent who goes out, worn on a necklace or belt clip

Billed monthly: $44.95/mo^src
Paid yearly: $39.95/mo ($479.40 a year)
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

GPS location
Cellular, no landline needed

Cancelling: No long-term contract and no activation fee; it issues pro-rated refunds for unused service, but a footnote says cancellation fees may apply.^{sources differ}

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

Medical Guardian · Home and away

Medical Guardian MGMini

A small GPS pendant for a parent on the go

Price: Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published

Battery up to 5 days
GPS location

Cancelling: No long-term contract and no activation fee; it issues pro-rated refunds for unused service, but a footnote says cancellation fees may apply.^{sources differ}

View current price

Medical Guardian · Home and away

Medical Guardian MGMini Lite

A lighter GPS pendant

Price: Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published

GPS location

Cancelling: No long-term contract and no activation fee; it issues pro-rated refunds for unused service, but a footnote says cancellation fees may apply.^{sources differ}

View current price

Medical Guardian · Watch

Medical Guardian MGMove

A smartwatch-style alert

Price: Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published

GPS location

Cancelling: No long-term contract and no activation fee; it issues pro-rated refunds for unused service, but a footnote says cancellation fees may apply.^{sources differ}

View current price

LifeFone · At home

LifeFone At-Home Landline

In-home coverage over a landline

Paid yearly: $24.95/mo ($299.40 a year)^src
Device fee: None
Fall detection: +$5/mo^src

Range up to 1,300 ft
32-hour backup battery
Needs a landline

Cancelling: No setup, activation or equipment charges; you can cancel at any time and get back unused prepaid charges once the equipment is returned.^src

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

LifeFone · At home

LifeFone At-Home Cellular

In-home coverage without a landline

Paid yearly: $30.95/mo ($371.40 a year)^src
Device fee: None
Fall detection: +$5/mo^src

Range up to 1,300 ft
32-hour backup battery
Cellular, no landline needed

Cancelling: No setup, activation or equipment charges; you can cancel at any time and get back unused prepaid charges once the equipment is returned.^src

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

LifeFone · Home and away

LifeFone VIP Active

An on-the-go button with optional location requests

Paid yearly: $37.95/mo ($455.40 a year)^{sources differ}
Device fee: None
Fall detection: +$5/mo^src

Battery up to 5 days
GPS location

Cancelling: No setup, activation or equipment charges; you can cancel at any time and get back unused prepaid charges once the equipment is returned.^src

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

LifeFone · Home and away

LifeFone VIP flex

An on-the-go button worn several ways

Paid yearly: $39.95/mo ($479.40 a year)^src
Device fee: None
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

Battery up to 5 days
GPS location

Cancelling: No setup, activation or equipment charges; you can cancel at any time and get back unused prepaid charges once the equipment is returned.^src

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

LifeFone · Home and away

LifeFone VIPx2

A long-battery mobile button with an optional caregiver app

Paid yearly: $39.95/mo ($479.40 a year)^src
Device fee: None
Fall detection: +$5/mo^src

Battery up to 18 days
GPS location

Cancelling: No setup, activation or equipment charges; you can cancel at any time and get back unused prepaid charges once the equipment is returned.^src

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

LifeFone · Watch

LifeFone Safe Watch Active

A smartwatch alert for a parent who would not wear a pendant

Paid yearly: $43.95/mo ($527.40 a year)^src
Device fee: None
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

Battery about 24 hours
GPS location

Cancelling: No setup, activation or equipment charges; you can cancel at any time and get back unused prepaid charges once the equipment is returned.^src

View current priceChecked Oct 25, 2026

MedicalAlert · At home

MedicalAlert Medical Alert Home System

In-home coverage without a landline

Price: Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

Range up to 800 ft
30-hour backup battery
Cellular, no landline needed

View current price

MedicalAlert · Home and away

MedicalAlert Medical Alert Mobile System

A GPS button for home and away

Price: Not published; checked Oct 25, 2026^src
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published^src

Battery up to 4 days
GPS location

View current price

Alert1 · Brand

Alert1

Bundles with accessories like lockboxes and wall buttons

Price: Not published
Device fee: Not stated
Fall detection: Extra; price not published

View current price Save

Best medical alert systems with fall detection

How to choose in three questions

What to check before you buy

The options

Medical Guardian

LifeFone

MedicalAlert

Alert1

Who should skip a medical alert

Every device, with its fees and sources

Medical Guardian MGHome Landline

Medical Guardian MGHome Cellular

Medical Guardian Guardian Flex

Medical Guardian MGMini

Medical Guardian MGMini Lite

Medical Guardian MGMove

LifeFone At-Home Landline

LifeFone At-Home Cellular

LifeFone VIP Active

LifeFone VIP flex

LifeFone VIPx2

LifeFone Safe Watch Active

MedicalAlert Medical Alert Home System

MedicalAlert Medical Alert Mobile System

Alert1

Related help

More on medical alert systems

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