GetSafe vs. Aloe Care Health

As we age, many of us start to experience some health issues. These health conditions can be a result of our lifestyle choices, genetics, or just the aging process itself. No matter what the cause, they can all take a toll on our quality of life. These medical issues could make it impossible to live by yourself and might even be life-threatening, which is why having a medical alert system set up is crucial so that you can easily get help when you need it the most.

Medical alert systems have been around for decades and they’ve helped countless people live independently, despite their age and health conditions. We'll compare two of the most popular medical alert systems in the market - Aloe Care and GetSafe. Both of these systems offer a variety of features and benefits that are designed to keep you and your loved ones safe.

	GetSafe	Aloe Care Health
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$24.95	$24.99 - $49.99
Device Cost	$79 - $279	$99.99 - $349.99
Shipping Fee	$12	n/a
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$10	n/a
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$25	$29.99
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular	Cellular
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	32 hours	4-6 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	No	120 hours
Button Range	No	200 ft or 200 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	No	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	No	Yes
Response Time	20 seconds	30 seconds or 30 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

GetSafe

Pros:

• Offers non-wearable devices
• Fixed low-cost monthly subscription fees
• Offers a 30-day free trial period for new customers
• Does not require long-term contracts
• Extra buttons can be purchased for an additional cost

Cons:

• Does not offer on-the-go system plan; mobile device can only be purchased as an add-on
• Charges expensive upfront fees
• Does not offer devices such as a touchscreen tablet and smartwatch
• Devices do not have activity tracking capability

Aloe Care Health

Pros:

• Offers voice-activated systems for hands-free use
• Free caregiver app
• Offers both home-based and on-the-go systems
• Availability of automatic fall detection as part of their plans
• Offers features like built-in temperature and air-quality sensors
• Does not require long-term contracts
• Pleasant-looking devices that fit any home decor

Cons:

• Device costs are high upfront but monthly fees are low
• Does not offer a system that connects to a landline

GetSafe Overview

In 2015, GetSafe was launched as part of the Bay Alarm Family of Companies, which owns Bay Alarm Medical.

GetSafe offers a fixed monthly subscription fee of $24.95, which is different from the traditional way most medical alert companies price their services in which the monthly payment will increase as you add more buttons and devices. They do charge an upfront fee for their devices, but the amount is basically based on how much coverage your property needs. In addition, GetSafe only provides home-based medical alert systems and their mobile device may only be purchased as an add-on.

GetSafe's systems come with a base unit, voice-activated wall button, and standard wall button wherein users have three options to get help: call, press, and pull.

The 4G-LTE base unit is a 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. The base unit also comes with a 32-hour backup battery so it can operate even if the electricity goes out, and an emergency button that, when pressed, will immediately send a signal to the monitoring center and start the help process. Plus, 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. It 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

The Starter plan is the most basic in the list of GetSafe's offerings. For $24.95 a month plus an upfront device cost of $79, users get one 4G-LTE base unit, one voice-activated wall button, and one personal help button. This plan is intended for small apartments or homes with only one bedroom.

Standard

This plan costs $24.95 a month plus a one-time equipment fee of $179. The Standard plan includes one 4G-LTE base unit, two voice-activated wall buttons, one standard wall button, and one personal help button. This is intended for most single-family houses with two to three bedrooms.

Select

This plan comes with a monthly monitoring fee of $24.95 plus a one-time device fee of $279. This plan includes one 4G-LTE base unit, three voice-activated wall buttons, two standard wall buttons, and one personal help button. GetSafe's Select plan is designed to provide protection for larger, multi-level homes with many bedrooms and bathrooms.

Aloe Care Overview

Aloe Care is one of the few medical alert providers to offer a voice-activated device. If you are in an emergency situation and can't speak or reach your phone, simply say "emergency" a few times on the device. You will then be connected to an emergency response agent who will dispatch assistance to your location.

Aloe Care does not require a long-term contract, so you may cancel their services at any time. They do, however, charge a one-time device fee that must be paid upfront when you sign up for a plan. One thing that sets this company apart is that they include automatic fall detection as part of their monthly subscription fee. Most medical alert providers charge an additional monthly fee for this feature so it's a huge plus that Aloe Care is already including it in their base price.

Medical Alert Systems

Mobile Companion

Mobile Companion is a small, pocket-sized device that has a fall sensor, two-way voice communication, and connects to the LTE cellular network. It also has real-time GPS tracking and can last up to 5 days on a single charge. This plan comes with a monthly monitoring fee of $24.99 plus a one-time device cost of $99.99.

Essentials

This home-based system costs a monthly monitoring fee of $29.99 with a one-time device cost of $99.99.Aloe Care's Essentials plan includes a voice-activated, 4G LTE-connected base console called Smart Hub and a wearable Care Button. The Smart Hub is equipped with motion, temperature, and air quality sensors. It also has a button to trigger an alarm that will notify the monitoring center. The Care Button is a wearable device that has a range of 200ft and can also be used to trigger an alarm.

Essentials Plus

The Essentials Plus plan costs $39.99 a month plus a one-time equipment fee of $249.99. This plan includes a Smart Hub base console that is voice-activated and has built-in motion, temperature, and air quality sensors; a wearable Care Button to call for help up to 200ft range; and a Mobile Companion device with wearable fall detection and AT&T LTE coverage nationwide.

Total Care

Aloe Care's Total Care package includes their Smart Hub base station that is voice-activated and has built-in motion, temperature, and air quality sensors. You also get their wearable Care Button to call for help up to 200ft away as well as their Mobile Companion device with AT&T LTE coverage nationwide. This plan also includes two additional mobile security features: two motion sensors and automatic fall detection.

This plan is the most expensive they offer which costs $49.99 a month with a one-time device cost of $349.99. It includes everything from their Essentials Plus plan but with a few more features.

First, GetSafe's monthly monitoring fees are fixed at $24.95 while Aloe Care's monitoring fees range from $24.99 up to $49.99 a month. Right off the bat, you can see that GetSafe offers cheaper price points than Aloe Care.

Next, both companies charge their customers an upfront one-time fee for the devices they provide. GetSafe's equipment fees range from $79 up to $129 while Aloe Care's range from $99.99 up to $349.99.

When it comes to shipping fees, GetSafe charges $12 while Aloe Care ships for free. Users would only pay if they opt for expedited shipping which costs $40. Additionally, the automatic fall detection feature costs an extra $10 a month with GetSafe whereas the service is already included in Aloe Care's monthly monitoring fee.

Lastly, for users who want extra buttons for spouse monitoring, GetSafe charges an additional one-time payment of $25 for each button while Aloe Care charges $29.99 for the same service.

Overall, Aloe Care's medical alert system pricing is on the higher end when compared to other providers. However, they do include automatic fall detection in their monthly monitoring fee that other companies charge as an add-on.

These two providers have very different approaches when it comes to their medical alert systems. GetSafe's plans are all intended to use at home while Aloe Care offers both home-based and on-the-go systems. GetSafe's systems consist of a variety of devices for users who want complete coverage of their home while Aloe Care's system is centered around their Smart Hub base station.

Not being able to offer mobile devices is a major consideration for users who want a system that they can take with them when they travel. After all, accidents can happen anywhere, anytime. Additionally, in order for GetSafe's cellular-connected home-based systems to work properly, there must be a strong cell signal in the home. This could be a problem for users who live in rural areas or places with spotty cell service.

When it comes to Aloe Care's systems, the Smart Hub runs for only 4 to 6 hours on backup. This is considerably less than the average home-based backup battery life of GetSafe that lasts 30 to 32 hours during power outages. In addition, Aloe Care's devices can only cover a range of up to 200ft which may not be enough for users with large homes.

Monitoring Center

GetSafe and Aloe Care's US-based monitoring centers operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including on holidays.

GetSafe's two monitoring centers located in Utah and Idaho are both CSAA Five Diamond Certified, with both going through annual certification processes and random inspections by the UL testing facility. This means that the company's monitoring services have met or exceeded the highest standards in the industry. Aloe Care, on the other hand, is TMA Five Diamond Certified which also indicates that the company's monitoring services are within the top tier of the industry.

When it comes to attending calls and alerts, the ideal response rate for monitoring centers should be within 30 seconds and GetSafe is only 20 seconds. We are impressed that their emergency response agents work 10 seconds faster than the average response time. Aloe Care's average response time is 30 seconds, which is within the ideal range.

Furthermore, GetSafe's emergency response agents can support more than 170 languages because they utilize LanguageLine services to provide assistance for non-English speakers whereas Aloe Care's services are only available in English but they are already working on incorporating the Spanish and Mandarin languages into their system. Being able to offer multilingual services is a big advantage for GetSafe.

OUR PICK

GetSafe and Aloe Care are both excellent choices for medical alert systems. However, we have to give the edge to GetSafe because of their lower monthly fees, longer backup battery life, and multilingual support.. Despite not having mobile devices to offer their customers, GetSafe's home-based plans are very comprehensive and their monthly monitoring fees are on the lower end. Medical alert systems do not have to be expensive and with GetSafe, users can get a lot of features for a very reasonable price. Users who want a system that they can take with them when they travel will need to look elsewhere but for those who want comprehensive coverage of their home, GetSafe is an excellent choice.