Bay Alarm Medical vs. GetSafe

As we age, it's only natural that we start to think about our safety and the safety of our loved ones. Whether it's a parent worrying about their child being home alone, or an elderly person concerned about a fall, there are a number of things that can happen to anyone at any time.

That's why it's important to have a reliable medical alert system in place, one that can help you or your loved ones in the event of an emergency. Medical alert systems are designed to provide peace of mind and protection not just for seniors, but for anyone who lives alone or has a medical condition that should require assistance.

There are several medical alert systems on the market and two popular ones are Bay Alarm Medical and GetSafe. Both of these systems offer a variety of features and benefits, but which one is the best for you or your loved one?

	Bay Alarm Medical	GetSafe
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$19.95 - $49.95	$24.95
Device Cost	$0 - $159	$79 - $279
Shipping Fee	$12	$12
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$0 - $10	$10
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$39	$25
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular or Landline	Cellular or Landline
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	32 hours	32 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	6-18 hours or 72 hours	No
Button Range	1000 ft	No
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	No
Caregiver App	Yes, some plans	No
Response Time	20 seconds	20 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

Bay Alarm Medical

Pros:

• Offers flexible payment terms
• Offers a risk-free 30-day trial period
• No hidden charges
• Plans can be customized according to needs and budget
• Dedicated to providing excellent service to customers
• Caregiver app with geofencing capability
• 24/7 US-based monitoring

Cons:

• Required upfront one-time device fee of $99 and $179 for the Mobile GPS Help Button and Smartwatch, respectively
• Fall detection costs $10 a month

GetSafe

Pros:

• Offers non-wearable medical alert devices
• Low-cost monthly monitoring fees
• Offers a 30-day free trial period
• Does not require long-term contracts
• Extra buttons may be added to their plans

Cons:

• Does not offer on-the-go system
• High upfront one-time device cost
• Lacks touchscreen and smartwatch devices
• Does not offer features like activity tracking, medication reminders, etc.

Bay Alarm Medical Overview

Bay Alarm is a trusted medical alert provider with over 70 years of experience in the industry. The company offers a wide range of medical alert systems to meet the needs of any user, whether they are at home or on the go.

Monthly monitoring fees from Bay Alarm start at $19.95 up to $49.95 a month. The company offers both home-based and on-the-go systems, as well as a variety of equipment options to choose from. Whether you need extra protection inside your home or outside of it, Bay Alarm has a system that's right for you.

Moreover, Bay Alarm is committed to excellence and experience, offering 24/7 monitoring service through their own CSAA Five Diamond Certified professional monitoring centers. Their monitoring centers undergo random inspections by the UL testing facility to ensure that they are providing the highest quality service possible.

Medical Alert Systems

In-Home Basic

The In-Home Basic plan is the most basic plan that Bay Alarm offers. This plan uses a landline as a connectivity option and costs $19.95 a month. The plan includes a base unit and a waterproof personal help button that can cover a range up to 1000ft. Fall detection can be added to this plan for an additional $10 a month.

In-Home Preferred

The In-Home Preferred plan from Bay Alarm is a cellular-connected home-based system that provides a variety of features for a monthly fee of $29.95. This plan also includes fall detection, which can be added for an additional $10 a month. This plan is popular because it offers free shipping when you pay quarterly, and free shipping plus a free one-month monitoring fee when you pay annually.

In-Home Premium

This plan includes a base unit, a help button, and four wall buttons that you can place around the house for added security. You can get this plan for $39.95 a month, or quarterly or annually for a discounted rate. You also have the option to add fall detection for an additional $10 a month.

SOS Mobile Lite

Bay Alarm's ultra-compact and lightweight on-the-go device is a great choice for those who are always on the go and need to have a reliable and easy-to-use mobile medical alert system. Unlike their home-based system, SOS Mobile requires a one-time device payment of $99.

The device is available on both AT&T and Verizon 4G-LTE networks and comes with a caregiver tracking app and GPS location tracking feature. Plus, the device is IPX6 water-resistant and can last up to 3 days after a full charge. Fall detection monitoring is available for an additional $10 a month.

SOS Mobile Plus

This plan is very similar to SOS Mobile Lite and their only difference is the automatic fall detection comes free with this plan. This plan has a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 and comes with a one-time equipment fee of $99.

SOS Mobile 360° Bundle

This system is a combination of home and mobile devices that provides the best of both worlds. For $49.95 per month, on top of the one-time device cost of $99, you can have the In-Home Preferred + Mobile device + Fall Detection. This package reduces the overall cost compared to purchasing each plan separately.

SOS Smartwatch

The SOS Smartwatch is another option on Bay Alarm's on-the-go systems. Just like the SOS Mobile, it is priced at $29.95 a month but with an additional $159 equipment fee for the smartwatch.

The SOS Smartwatch does not come with a fall detection monitoring feature, but it does have optimal display lighting, clear two-way communication, an SOS button, and a step tracker. The device is also powered by the 4G-LTE cellular network, which allows fast response speed and GPS location tracking. The device has a modern look, is water-resistant, and has a battery life of 6 to 18 hours.

In-home + Smartwatch

This is yet another package they offer. The plan costs $49.95 a month. You'll save money by taking advantage of this plan, which also includes access to 24/7 monitoring service, location tracking, and in-home protection.

GetSafe Overview

GetSafe is a home security and medical alert provider established in 2015 as part of the Bay Alarm Family of Companies, the same company that owns Bay Alarm Medical. Unlike most companies on our list of best medical alert system providers, GetSafe does not offer a landline-connected system, choosing instead to focus on more modern, cellular-based technology.

GetSafe offers a fixed monthly subscription fee of $24.95 so users only need to pay for the device cost upfront. The amount of equipment you'll need is determined only by the amount of coverage your property requires, which we like. It's different from the traditional way medical alert companies price their services in which the monthly payment generally rises as you add more buttons and devices.

The devices included in GetSafe's systems are the base unit, voice-activated wall button, and standard wall button. Their device options are impressive as they offer three ways to get you help: call, press, and pull.

The 4G-LTE base unit is an easy-to-use, cellular-connected, in-home console that acts as the control center for the medical alert system. It has a two-way speakerphone, so you can communicate with the monitoring center directly from the unit.

There's also an emergency button attached to the unit that, when pressed, will immediately send a signal to the monitoring center and start the help process. The base unit has a 32-hour backup battery so it can operate even if the electricity goes out. It looks great too – it comes in a modern white finish that would complement any home decor.

The voice-activated wall button is a compact, wireless and water-resistant device that can be placed anywhere in your home – next to your bed, in the bathroom, on the staircase, etc. It is voice-enabled and has a button and a pull-cord that gives users various ways to get help.

The standard wall button is a simpler version of the voice-activated wall button. The button is wireless, water-resistant, and easy to install but it lacks a voice-activation feature. We recommend placing this device by the shower and other areas where falls and accidents will most likely occur.

Medical Alert Systems

Starter

GetSafe's Starter is their most basic plan, intended for small apartments or homes with only one bedroom. This includes one 4G-LTE base unit, one voice-activated wall button, and one personal help button. All of GetSafe's plans come with a monthly monitoring fee of $24.95, and this plan costs another $79 upfront.

Standard

The Standard plan includes one 4G-LTE base unit, two voice-activated wall buttons, one standard wall button, and one personal help button. Users have to pay $179 upfront for this plan's one-time equipment fee. This is designed for most single-family homes with two to three bedrooms.

Select

This plan includes one 4G-LTE base unit, three voice-activated wall buttons, two standard wall buttons, and one personal help button. The one-time device fee for this plan costs $279. GetSafe's Select plan is designed to provide protection for larger, multi-level homes with many bedrooms and bathrooms.

Let's now take a look at how Bay Alarm Medical and GetSafe compare in terms of cost. First, both of the companies monitoring fees are within the average monthly price range for medical alert systems. Bay Alarm Medical's base rate starts at $19.95 up to $49.95 a month while GetSafe charges a flat monthly rate of $24.95 regardless of the system users wish to purchase.

Both companies charge their customers upfront a one-time device fee with Bay Alarm's fee starting at $99 to $159. On the other hand, GetSafe's equipment fee starts at $79 and goes up to $279 for their most comprehensive plan.

Additionally, they charge the same shipping fee of $12 for all of their devices and $10 additional monthly cost for the optional automatic fall detection feature. When it comes to extra button/s for spouse monitoring, Bay Alarm charges an additional $39 while GetSafe charges only $25.

Next, let's compare Bay Alarm Medical and GetSafe based on the features they offer.

Starting with their base units, Bay Alarm's systems use either a landline or LTE cellular technology while GetSafe's systems are all wireless and only use an LTE cellular network. Both companies' devices offer two-way speakerphone capabilities and a backup battery that can last up to 32 hours.

One major difference between the two providers is that GetSafe does not offer an on-the-go system instead, the company offers a mobile GPS help button as an add-on to their plans. It's a major consideration since some people may also want to feel protected outside of their homes.

In terms of the buttons or devices users can wear, Bay Alarm's medical alert system comes with a wearable help button that can be worn as a pendant or wristband while GetSafe offers non-wearable devices perfect for those who are not comfortable wearing anything around their necks or wrists.

Overall, Bay Alarm offers more comprehensive plans that are better suited for people who want protection both inside and outside their homes while GetSafe only offers standard devices for home use.

Monitoring Center

Since these two providers are owned by one company, it's not surprising that they offer the same monitoring center services.

They have monitoring centers located in Utah and Idaho providing nationwide coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Both of the monitoring centers are CSAA Five Diamond Certified, with both going through annual certification processes and random inspections by the UL testing facility. This ensures that their operators are well-trained to handle any type of emergency and their services are keeping up with the highest industry standards.

Moreover, their emergency response operators can attend to an emergency call or alert as fast as 20 seconds and they can support more than 170 languages because they utilize LanguageLine services to provide assistance for non-English speakers.

OUR PICK

In conclusion, both Bay Alarm Medical and GetSafe are great choices for affordable and reliable medical alert systems. However, Bay Alarm Medical offers a more comprehensive set of features than GetSafe .

Having a medical alert system that you can take with you wherever you go is a major advantage especially if you suffer from conditions that put you at risk of falling or experiencing a medical emergency.

Moreover, Bay Alarm offers more devices and options for users to choose from so they can have a system that's customized according to their needs. For these reasons, we believe that Bay Alarm is the better pick between the two companies.