2020’s Top Medical Alert Necklaces

Overview
When we ranked the best medical alert systems, we realized that there was a lot of nuance between plans. Traditional medical alert systems tend to revolve around a base station. But some brands also offer plans focused on wearable alert devices, like necklaces and bracelets or wristbands, with no base station involved.

Dig in to learn what you should look for in a medical alert necklace and what really stands out on the market. Whether you need a medical alert necklace for yourself or for a loved one, we’ll help you pick one out.

We looked at pricing, equipment, features, and the overall brand experience to rate these medical alert necklaces. This meant analyzing ten different criteria for each brand.

While we started our research with brands we knew were tried and true, we also included other brands with necklaces people have been buzzing about. One of the featured brands, BlueStar SeniorTech, is a new one for us.

All of our top medical alert necklaces have the following features:

• No contract
• Available fall detection
• GPS capabilities
• Some kind of waterproofing
• Two-way communication
• 24/7 response availability
• Highly rated customer service

So what makes the Bay Alarm Medical necklace from the 24/7 On-the-Go Protection plan the top-ranked device? We think the price is excellent for what you get—and it includes a few benefits you won’t find with other necklaces.

Bay Alarm Medical offers one of the lowest initial prices and one of the lowest costs to add fall detection devices for its medical alert necklace. At $24.95 without fall detection and $39.95 with, this plan is practically a steal.

This medical alert necklace is a bit bulky, and it definitely looks like a medical alert device. On the other hand, it can be carried in a clip instead of being worn, making it less visible.

The plan also includes a free Vial of Life, which is a container to store your health information for emergency responders and medical professionals.

The necklace has a battery that lasts for three days. That’s on the high side for standard, hub-based medical alert systems—but it’s on the low side compared to some other leading brands’ necklaces.

Bay Alarm Medical’s customer service department speaks 170 languages. If you or your loved one feels most comfortable speaking in a non-English language, Bay Alarm Medical can probably help. Most of the other brands we reviewed focused on Spanish and didn’t talk much about other languages, so Bay Alarm Medical really hits it out of the park here.

If you ever have an issue with your Bay Alarm Medical alert device, you can call the brand’s tech support. Customer service representatives are available at any time.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: If you’re looking for a great medical alert necklace at a good price, this is a solid choice, especially with a language barrier.

>>Shop Bay Alarm Medical now.

>>Learn more: Read our full Bay Alarm Medical review.

GreatCall Lively Mobile Plus ties with Bay Medical Alarm the lowest month-to-month payment. The brand also specializes in mobile devices, giving it a distinct expertise in this area.

The Lively Mobile Plus has to be purchased up front before you can buy a plan. It’s $49.99 for the device, but the baseline cost is $13 less than the closest competing price and the fall detection cost is $8 less than the closest competing price. That means you’ll make up for what you spent initially within four to five months.

This necklace is big and boxy-looking. It can be carried or clipped to a belt if it doesn’t go with your outfit or if you simply don’t want to draw attention to it.

This device can go for just over three days without being charged. To put that into perspective: it only has to be charged twice a week. Not bad!

The only language besides English we know that GreatCall offers is Spanish. So this one is good for English and Spanish speakers, but not for those whose first language is something else.

To reach GreatCall customer service, call or fill out the contact form on their website. They’re reachable 24/7.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: For the price-conscious individual, GreatCall Lively Mobile Plus just makes sense.

>>Get GreatCall Now

Aesthetics aren’t the most important piece of a medical alert system, but they’re something more brands should pay attention to. After all, users have to wear medical alert devices wherever they go—on vacation, at church, to the opera. It’s nice to have something that’s not a complete eyesore. MobileHelp does a nice job here of balancing form with functionality and features.

MobileHelp’s price for the MobileHelp Solo is a little on the high side, especially since it has a lower battery life than some less-expensive competitors. With fall detection, it’s almost $50 a month.

The MobileHelp Solo medical alert necklace has a futuristic design that reminds us of EVE from WALL-E. In a world of ugly medical devices, it really stands out—in a good way!

The single day of battery life is low for a standard medical alert system as well as compared to other medical alert necklaces. Users will have to carefully plan how they’ll charge their necklace once every day or night.

MobileHelp has Spanish speakers on staff and offers more potential languages through third-party translation services. While we see pitfalls in using contractors for translation, we applaud MobileHelp for its efforts.

While MobileHelp’s customer service itself has great reviews, the website leaves something to be desired. It’s not intuitive to navigate, and information is scattered throughout the site instead of being grouped conveniently.

MobileHelp customer service can be reached through phone, by message, or through the mail at any time of day or night.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: If you like the design of the pendant and don’t mind spending a little more money, MobileHelp is right for you.

>>Learn more: Read our full MobileHelp review.

>>Shop MobileHelp Now

LifeFone stands out because of its long battery life. Of the 14 brands we looked at for this review, only a handful offered a similarly long-lasting battery: Medical Guardian Active Guardian, Response Now Belle, QMedic Neck Pendant, and Life Alert Mobile with GPS.

A basic LifeFone At-Home & On-the-Go GPS, Voice-In-Necklace plan costs $15 more than a basic Bay Alarm 24/7 On-the-Go Protection plan, putting it at a premium price. LifeFone’s long battery life makes the higher cost a little less outrageous though, especially considering that it charges only $5 to add fall detection.

This LifeFone medical alert necklace is advertised as lightweight, but it also looks bulky, with blocky sides and a rectangular shape.

The long battery life is a huge plus. Basically, for just $2 more, this device can last from five to 30 times as long as a MobileHelp necklace. In that comparison, there’s no contest. Compared to some of the other less expensive brands, you’re paying a lot for extra time.

LifeFone’s website doesn’t clearly state which or how many languages are offered, though other reviews of its products suggest anywhere from 150 to 200.

The LifeFone customer care team is reachable by both phone and email.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: If you’re busy and don’t have time to frequently charge a device, LifeFone just might be your top choice.

>>Learn more: Read the full LifeFone review.

>>Get LifeFone Today

The Medical Guardian Active Guardian is a solid product that covers just about every user need. That said, it costs a lot without providing extra value.

Medical Guardian Active Guardian’s baseline price costs more than or almost as much as all our other top brands’ prices with fall detection added. But you don’t get much for the extra cost. If you’re looking to scrimp and save, this isn’t for you.

While the necklace is advertised as small and lightweight, multiple reviews complain that it’s cumbersome. Our opinion? While it may not be small and lightweight compared to a regular necklace, it’s a competitive size for a wearable medical device.

A nicer and lighter alternative may be Medical Guardian's new alert pendants. With these necklaces, you have a choice between black onyx and gold, white mother of pearl and gold, black onyx and silver, and turquoise and silver. With these designs, users won't be hampered or embarrassed by wearing a clear medical implement around their necks.

The battery on this necklace lasts for five days. That’s an excellent length. A user can get away with charging the device only once or twice a week.

Medical Guardian’s website has a lot of popups, quizzes, available downloads, and other sorts of background noise. The site tries to get your contact information from you so customer service representatives can contact you directly before you buy, which is inconvenient for quick shoppers.

You can call or email Medical Guardian customer service representatives if you need help with the Active Guardian. Representatives work round the clock to provide service at all hours.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Medical Guardian is a competitive choice if you’re looking for a well-designed necklace with a good battery life.

>>Learn more: Read our full Medical Guardian review.

>>Shop Medical Guardian Today

The BlueStar SeniorTech Ranger 4G is sold by a veteran-owned company that focuses on the needs of older adults. By offering discounts to veterans and their family members, it’s built a customer base with a bonded community.

BlueStar SeniorTech’s price is essentially the same as Bay Alarm Medical’s: $39.95 for a necklace with fall detection. While the BlueStar SeniorTech Ranger 4G doesn’t have as many features as the Bay Alarm Medical 24/7 On-the-Go Protection plan device, it’s not a bad deal.

The necklace is a bit bulky. Luckily, it can also be clipped to a waistband or belt if the user prefers not to keep it around their neck.

With a two-day battery life, the BlueStar SeniorTech Ranger 4G doesn’t live up to some of its competitors’ longevity.

BlueStar SeniorTech doesn’t say whether it offers customer service in languages besides English.

All of our top medical alert necklace brands have five-star customer service. However, the BlueStar SeniorTech reviews are unique in reflecting the sense of community the customers feel. Those from veteran families often state that they like buying their devices from other veterans.

We considered 14 different brands with plans focused on medical alert necklaces. Necklaces from some of the best-known brands (like Alert1, Life Alert, and Philips Lifeline) just didn’t measure up compared to other necklaces.

We didn’t look at medical alert necklaces that can be used with home security systems, which is why you didn’t see brands like Vivint, Frontpoint, Link Interactive, or Cove on the list. If you could use a home security system and a medical alert necklace, you may want to look at these brands. They bundle the cost of home security with medical alert devices.

If you have a question, we’d love to help you out.

Medical alert wearables are great because they’re always on you. Whether you have diabetes, osteoporosis, or any other condition that puts you at risk for falling, you don’t have to worry about falling and not being able to get help.

The only big drawback to medical alert necklaces is that the swinging of the pendant can result in more false alarms in sensitive devices. In that case, an alert bracelet might be a better route. Some plans do come with both necklaces and alert bracelets in case you’re undecided.

Definitely. A medical alert system isn’t as useful without fall detection.

If you fall and your system doesn’t have fall detection, you’ll have to manually press the button on your device to get help. That’s not feasible with some medical conditions or if you’re injured in the fall.

The MobileHelp Solo has a great design for a medical alert necklace, but it’s never going to come off as a stylish piece of jewelry. But Medical Guardian recently came out with a line of nice-looking medical pendants, and Alert1 also sells fancy medical alert necklaces.

Any of these medical alert necklaces would bring a user peace of mind. Which one you choose depends on your or your loved one’s needs.

To recap, here’s what stands out to us in each medical alert necklace:

• Bay Alarm Medical 24/7 On-The-Go Protection: Best overall
• GreatCall Lively Mobile Plus: Best price
• MobileHelp Solo: Best-looking
• LifeFone At-Home & On-the-Go GPS, Voice-In-Necklace: Best battery life
• Medical Guardian Active Guardian: Best small, lightweight device
• BlueStar SeniorTech Ranger 4G: Best for veterans

If you’re not sold on any of these necklaces yet, read our individual reviews for Bay Alarm Medical, MobileHelp, LifeFone, and Medical Guardian.