LifeFone Medical Alert System Review

If you’re trying to choose a medical alert system, LifeFone is a great starting point. It’s among the most affordable medical alert systems we’ve found and has one of the best GPS units in the industry.

We like that LifeFone offers support for older adults and their caregivers with an array of medical alert systems, emergency response devices, and extra care services.

You can expect competitive pricing, friendly customer service, and a whole buffet of product options from LifeFone.

Unless you buy a few accessories, you'll pay $0 for LifeFone equipment. Monthly monitoring costs between about $25 and $50 per month, depending on which medical alert device and payment schedule you choose.

However, LifeFone offers several upgrades that can increase the monthly cost. Choosing all of them bumps LifeFone's price to between $65 and $83 per month. 

We'll break down the cost of LifeFone to help you decide what's worth paying for and what you can do without. 

LifeFone's costs can be divided into three categories:

1. Monthly monitoring fees
2. Optional monthly fees
3. Optional accessory fees

The minimum starting price for a LifeFone system is $0 up front and $24.95 per month for the At-Home Landline base unit and pendant, if you pay annually. The lowest monthly cost is $29.95 if you choose to pay monthly.

LifeFone's monthly monitoring fees depend on the equipment you want to use, and its prices run about average compared to other medical alert companies. 

LifeFone's lowest starting price is for the landline system, putting it on par with other top brands like Medical Guardian and Medical Care Alert.

If you can afford to pay for a full year in advance, you'll get a discounted rate equivalent to one free month of monitoring.

Here's where you'll need to hold onto your wallet if you're looking for an affordable system: LifeFone offers optional services and perks for additional monthly fees.

Where LifeFone beats almost every other medical alert system is fall detection. It charges half of what most companies tack on each month ($5 compared to $10). Most other add-ons are geared toward remote caregiving and require specific LifeFone products. We've described each option, its monthly cost, and required equipment in the table below.

Cost concerns aside, we love that LifeFone offers professional remote caregiving services as an extra layer of protection. Not everyone can rely on loved ones to check in with them and make sure they haven't fallen or gotten lost. This level of care sets LifeFone apart from other medical alert companies.

Buying optional equipment is the only time you'll owe LifeFone an up-front fee. Here's what you can get:

Even though LifeFone charges extra for quite a few services, you do get some valuable stuff for free.

LifeFone is one of the few top medical alert companies to offer a free lifetime warranty. If your equipment stops working due to a manufacturer defect, LifeFone replaces it for free, no matter how long you've been a customer. 

If your equipment is damaged for any other reason, you might have to pay to replace it. LifeFone's $5-a-month Protection Plan replaces equipment for a small fee, no matter how or why it was damaged.  The replacement fee is $6 for a help button and $29 for a base unit or VIP device.

The in-home pendant buttons contain batteries that last for around five years. LifeFone monitors the batteries and sends you a new one for free when needed. It's one less thing for you to think about and pay for.

LifeFone will provide an additional pendant and monitoring service for your spouse for no additional charge. Automatic fall detection for spouses is an additional $5 a month. 

Shipping is the only other thing you'll need to pay for when signing up for LifeFone. Ground shipping starts at $16.95 for monthly plans. If you opt for a yearly plan, the shipping is included.

LifeFone charges no installation or activation fees. 

LifeFone offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is the only time you can return accessories for a refund, and the 30-day period starts once the equipment ships.

After the first 30 days, you can cancel at any time and get a refund for any full months of unused, prepaid service. LifeFone does not provide prorated refunds for partial months of service.

All leased equipment must be returned before the service is officially canceled and your refund is processed. You have to pay for return shipping. There may be an extra fee if the equipment is damaged and you weren't subscribed to the monthly Protection Plan. 

LifeFone blends in when it comes to starting prices, but its price range is much tighter than the others. Companies like Bay Alarm Medical and Philips Lifeline start just under $30 but can cost up to $50 to $60 per month with higher-tiered packages.

Once you zoom out on LifeFone, its 1,300-foot base station range is in line with most other at-home systems in the industry. If your loved one prefers to stay cozy at home, they have plenty of options.

Where LifeFone really comes on top is with add-on features and fair prices. It charges half the price for fall detection per month, and it offers caregiver services and emergency packages the others don’t.

The LifeFone’s at-home Medical Alert systems use a base station that plugs into the wall. 

Once installed and ready to go, the base station provides a direct line to the monitoring center. When you press the emergency button on your pendant, wristband, or the base station itself, you’ll get a helpful monitoring pro to assist you with your emergency.

You can choose a cellular connection or one through your home’s landline. Either way, the system has a 32-hour backup battery to get you through power outages or electrical problems.

All systems also come with your choice of a waterproof emergency button pendant or wristband that you can use up to 1,300 feet away from the base unit. If you choose a fall detection pendant, you’ll have a range of only up to 600 feet. When you press the help button on the medical alert device, it sends a signal to the base unit, and the base unit will call the LifeFone monitoring center for you. 

The Smart Watch Active, VIP Active and VIPx units from LifeFone give you the freedom to leave the house, city, and state without being far away from help. They're like a tiny wearable base station you can tuck under your shirt or into your pocket.

Just like the LifeFone base station, you can call for help directly from these devices using two-way talk. They also have vibration feedback for those with hearing or vision impairments. The smart watch also features extras like a step counter, heart rate monitor, and daily weather updates.

The LifeFone VIPx and VIP Active systems have nearly identical specs. We recommend the VIPx because it has a longer battery life. Other than that, the main difference is that it comes in two extra colors (white and bronze).

Add-on devices include fall detection, a vanity pendant, lock boxes, and a wall-mounted help button. 

Until recently, LifeFone had three mobile apps to support its medical alert services, but the company has distilled its app offerings down to one: the VIPx Caregiver app. 

The VIPx Caregiver Mobile App pairs with the VIPx device to keep caregivers in the loop. 

Here's what caregivers can see on the VIPx app:

• Device location
• Device battery level
• Button press history
• Step goals and step history
• First motion of the day

There's also a "find my device" feature that prompts the VIPx to ring until located.

The LifeFone VIPx caregiver app costs $8 per month and works with both iOS and Android devices.

Setting up your LifeFone is as simple as plugging it into a wall outlet. All units come preprogrammed and ready to go.

Once you have your unit plugged in, you press the help button and an agent will walk you through the rest of the setup and testing process. Agents will make sure your medical alert button pendant or watch works in all areas of your home.

When we started researching other LifeFone reviews, we kept expecting to dig up some dirt, but LifeFone came up surprisingly clean.

It gets rave reviews from the majority of users, and the few who give it lower reviews are usually still pretty satisfied, with no major problems.

Like any product, there are a handful of decidedly unsatisfied customers, but we didn't notice any recurring trends or major red flags with this medical alert company.¹ It gets an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

LifeFone's customer support is available 24/7, and we like that you can pay your bills and update your customer care profile online or by snail mail.

Another LifeFone feature we like is the Emergency Care Plan.

Rather than an automatic call to emergency services, or a standard list of people to call in an emergency, you can create your own customized plans of action for various potential emergency situations.

For example, if you've just gotten into a tricky spot and need a hand getting up, LifeFone can call a neighbor or nearby family member to come assist you rather than calling emergency responders.

You can make changes to your Emergency Care Plan by phone, email, web portal, or through the mail. LifeFone never charges for false alarms.

If we were to create our own medical alert system, LifeFone would be it. It's simple to install, it has quick response times, and it's easy to cancel at any time. We like the straightforward pricing and wide variety of add-on options and devices for helping seniors and their families have more peace of mind, like fall detection and the mobile app.

Like anyone, we always love a better deal, so we wouldn't mind an even lower monthly price. Still, you get a lot for your money, and LifeFone outperforms competitors on enough fronts to make the moderately higher fees worth it.

For our LifeFone review, we combed through the LifeFone website, watched every video, and read every FAQ to better understand the ins and outs. We read what LifeFone customers had to say about using the service, and we checked its Better Business Bureau profile for red flags. We also compared its prices, features, and policies to other companies on our list of best medical alert systems to determine LifeFone's relative value.

Read our full methodology to better understand how we rate and review products.

• The Best Medical Alert Systems
• Bay Alarm Medical Alert System Review
• Types of Medical Alert Systems and How They Work
• Best Safety Devices for Seniors
• Best Safety Wearables for Seniors

1. Consumer Affairs, "Top 734 Reviews and Complaints about LifeFone," August 2021. Accessed September 7, 2022. 
2. National Institute on Aging, "Prevent Falls and Fractures," March 2017. Accessed September 7, 2022.