MobileHelp vs Medical Guardian

For aging seniors who aren’t ready or interested in living with a caregiver or in an assisted living facility, a medical alert system may be the low-cost solution that lets them remain independent within their own homes. With these systems, seniors are equipped with personal or wall-mounted help buttons that, when pressed, quickly connect them with highly trained call center operators. These operators are then able to assess the situation, whether the senior is ill, feels unsafe or has experienced a fall or other type of emergency, and contact the best emergency service providers or personal contacts to assist with the event.

Thanks to cellular, GPS and motion sensor technologies, medical alert system companies often provide mobile options where seniors can still receive monitoring center protection while traveling outside the home. Some also include advanced fall detection technology that automatically alerts the call center and personal contacts when the user experiences a fall. For monthly rates sometimes starting at less than $30 per month, these services and features provide seniors and their loved ones with invaluable peace of mind.

Easy-to-Read Comparisons

With dozens of companies providing a range of service plans and a variety of valuable add-on features such as extra help buttons, lockboxes so emergency personnel can easily access the person’s home and GPS location tracking, we realize it can be difficult for seniors and their loved ones to find the best plan for the right price. To help you choose the system most suited to your needs, we’ve created side-by-side comparisons of some of the most well-respected and experienced medical alert companies.

Below, we look at MobileHelp and Medical Guardian, two innovative companies in business since 2006. Each offers monthly plans with a variety of in-home and mobile options including a smartwatch-style device that connects users directly with certified, U.S.-based monitoring centers from anywhere in the world.

Side By Side Comparison	MobileHelp	Medical Guardian
COSTS
Up-Front Equipment	$0 Shipping Included with Annual Plans (Monthly and quarterly plans have shipping costs of $12.50)	$0 - $39.95 per device
Monthly Monitoring	$0 Shipping Included with Annual Plans (Monthly and quarterly plans have shipping costs of $12.50)	$29.95 - $79.95 +$10/Month for Optional Fall Detection Monitoring with All But Mobile and Freedom Guardian Plans
Activation Fee	$0 +$11/Month for Optional Fall Detection Monitoring with Classic Cellular, Solo and Duo Plans	$0
Contract	$24.95 for Those Enrolling in Month-to-Month Payments for the Classic Cellular Plan $0 with Free Shipping and Discount on First Bill for Annual Payments	Month-to-Month with Prorated Refunds for Prepaid Fees
Optional Monthly Add-On Services	Medication Reminders: $5 with Classic and Duo Plans	Wall-Mountable Help Buttons: $2 Voice-Activated Help Buttons: $5 Lockbox: $2 (Included with Annual Plan) Fall Detection: $10
FEATURES
Water-Resistant Wearable Devices	Pendant and Wristband	Pendant and Wristband
Connection	Cellular (AT&T Network)	Landline or Cellular (AT&T Network)
2-Way Voice Communication	Through In-Home Base Station, Wearable Personal Help Button Devices	Through In-Home Base or Wearable Mobile Device
Range (From In-Home base unit for landline service)	Up to 600'	Up to 600' for Home Guardian Plan--Up to 1300' for Classic and Family Guardian Plans
Battery life	30-Hour Backup for In-Home System 24 Hours for Solo Mobile Device	32-Hour Backup for Classic and Family Guardian Plans 30-Hour Backup for Home Guardian Plan 24 Hours for Mobile Guardian Plan 5 Days for Active Guardian Plan 2 Days for Freedom Guardian Plan
FALL DETECTION, LOCATION and RESPONSE SERVICE
Fall Detection	Optional $11 Monthly Add-on with Classic, Solo and Duo Plans	Optional Monthly Add-on with All, but Mobile and Freedom Guardian Plans
GPS Locator	Included in Solo Portable Device	Included with Mobile, Active and Freedom Guardian Devices
Coverage Away From Home	Included with GoSafe Devices	Included with Mobile, Active and Freedom Guardian Devices
24/7 USA Call Center	Yes	Yes
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
	Lockbox: $2.99 (free with annual plans) Wall-Mounted Help Button: $2.99/Month	Lockbox: $2/Month Wall-Mounted Help Button: $2/Month Voice Activated Wall Buttons: $5/Month Lockboxes: $2/Month (Free with Annual Plan)

MobileHelp Overview

Founded in 2006, MobileHelp is one of the few medical alert companies that only uses cellular service and provides competitive, low in-home rates for seniors without landlines. The company works with U.S.-based Rapid Response monitoring centers with over 25 years of experience. Monitoring center employees are pre-screened and receive six-week trainings and certification from the Security Industry Association. MobileHelp reports that operators answer emergency calls within a quick 17 seconds.

Pros of MobileHelp:

Base in-home plan uses cellular service so seniors don’t need a landline
Low in-home monthly rate
Option to add fall detection
Discounts for annual plans
Caregiver Connect app included with all plans provides activity and location monitoring

Cons of MobileHelp:

Shipping fees with monthly and quarterly plans

Medical Guardian Overview

Medical Guardian offers seniors an array of premium features and in-home and mobile plan options. Also founded in 2006, it uses innovative technologies such as motion sensors to offer added levels of protection and activity monitoring within a user’s home. Monitoring center employees undergo a rigorous screening and training program and learn to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls. The center is Five-Diamond Certified, is Factory Mutual Approved and has a triple-redundant backup system to sustain power during area-wide emergencies.

Pros of Medical Guardian:

Caregiver app included with Family and Freedom Guardian plans
Option to add on
Smartwatch has voice-to-text SMS messaging
Discounts with annual plans
Voice-activated wall buttons available for in the home
Motion sensors included with Family Guardian plan provide extra activity tracking in the home

Cons of Medical Guardian:

Shipping fees with some plans
Higher monthly rates than some competitors
Caregiver app not available with in-home, Mobile or Active plans

Pricing Comparison

For seniors willing to pay for more than one month at a time, MobileHelp’s pricing beats Medical Guardian’s for all plans. MobileHelp’s base in-home Classic Cellular plan has a starting cost of $24.95 which is well below Medical Guardian’s. Additionally, MobileHelp provides discounts with all of its annual plans. Each company offers fall detection as an optional $11 add-on with most plans.

Our Pick

While MobileHelp beats Medical Guardian in most areas in terms of pricing, a clear victor between the two companies is difficult to call and significantly depends on a senior’s unique needs and preferences. For those without a landline, MobileHelp’s Classic Cellular in-home option is $5 cheaper per month than Medical Guardian’s comparable in-home cellular plan. For some, those savings may be a deciding factor along with the availability of a caregiver app with all of MobileHelp’s plans. Medical Guardian, however, offers unique add-on features such as in-home motion sensors and voice-activated help buttons that can be life-saving in the event of a true medical or home emergency. Additionally, unlike Medical Guardian, its smartwatch-style device includes convenient voice-to-text messaging.

Compare More Medical Alert Systems

Click on the links below to read about Medical Alert system comparisons.

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