Medical Guardian vs. Medical Alert

With old age comes a higher tendency to manage different health conditions and other aging problems which include poor eyesight, loss of hearing, unstable balance, and many more. These can be extremely concerning for seniors who are not interested in having a caregiver close by, or in living in senior care facilities. As such, the home will not be a safe haven if not made hazard proof by a reliable medical alert system.

These systems make the seniors’ life easier and safer as it allows direct monitoring and gives immediate response in cases of emergencies. Medical alert systems, over time, have evolved in their design and tech to accompany the ever-changing demands of the market.

In this specific guide, we have compared Medical Guardian and Medical Alert side by side to give you a comprehensive assessment of each provider’s services and products to ultimately help you make a sound decision based on your needs and priorities.

	Medical Guardian	Medical Alert
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$29.95 - $39.95	$22.95 - $42.95
Device Cost	$0 - $199.95	$49
Shipping Fee	$12.5	$NaN - $NaN
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$1 - $10	$10
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$0 - $2.99	$0
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular or Landline	Cellular or Landline
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	32 hours	30 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	120 hours, 120 hours or 24 hours	120 hours
Button Range	1400 ft, 500 ft or 1300 ft	800 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	Yes, some plans	Yes
Response Time	20 seconds	30 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

Medical Guardian

Pros:

• Offers automatic fall detection feature
• Offers GPS location tracking feature
• 24/7 US-based monitoring
• Highly customizable plans
• Wide in-home range capacity
• Anytime cancellation policy
• Comprehensive systems

Cons:

• Spouse monitoring is not available on all devices
• Expensive upfront costs and fees

Medical Alert

Pros:

• Affordable monthly monitoring fees
• No long-term contracts required
• Money-back guarantee within 30-day free trial
• Systems are caregiver app-ready
• Free Lockbox on all system plans

Cons:

• Restrictive range for in-home systems
• Charges one-time equipment fees

Medical Guardian Overview

Medical Guardian has been in the market since 2006, and has provided service to thousands of seniors in the U.S with their advanced systems. Their headquarters is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with monitoring centers that have coverage in all 50 states.

Medical Guardian is considered as one of the stars in the medical alert industry particularly for their highly-trained operators, innovative technology, and sleek systems. They also boast their reliable monitoring centers that are TMA-Five Diamond certified and UL-listed, which assures their adherence to the industry’s standard of quality.

They offer diverse options with their systems: Classic Guardian (landline), Home 2.0, Mobile 2.0, Mini Guardian, and Active Guardian, which all provide reliable monitoring and premium emergency response services to its customers.

Medical Alert Systems

Classic Guardian

The Classic Guardian is among the lineup of Medical Guardian’s in-home systems, and this is the cheapest plan offered by the company starting only at $29.95 a month. With this price, you get a base unit with a two-way speaker that enables two-way communication with the monitoring center, paired with a water-resistant necklace or wristband, which can be installed with a fall detection option for an additional $10/month. It has a wide range capacity maxed up at 1300 ft from the base unit, and the key takeaway for this plan is that it has an SOS flashlight which can come in handy when an emergency occurs.

Home 2.0

Home 2.0 is a scaled up version for their in-home system as it has few additional features. This system is priced at $5 more than the Classic Guardian, with a rate of $34.95 per month and a one-time device cost of $124.95. With this plan, you get a home based unit synced with a wearable help button that connects through the AT&T network. You can also opt to add a wearable fall detection device for an additional $10 per month to have added protection to its users.

It features a two-way communication which allows clear communication with the emergency operators. It also has a backup battery that can last up to 32 hours. The device range is up to 1400ft from the base unit, which is an extensive range that can provide protection anywhere in your home.

Mobile 2.0

This system provides ultimate protection for seniors who are likely to be out of the house often, as it offers two devices: the mobile base unit, and a wearable help button which has a coverage of up to 500 ft away from its base unit. The portable, lightweight base unit that can be clipped to your belt or carried in a purse. This system can be purchased for a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 with a one-time device cost of $124.95.

With this system, you will never have to worry about any incidents as you can easily carry a medical alert with you anywhere you go as long as it is connected to a stable cellular connection.

Mini Guardian

Mini Guardian disguises a medical alert system in a more fashionable way as their model comes in a sleek and lightweight design that is ideal for seniors who want a minimalist and discreet medical alert device. It comes with a lightweight, wearable help button that can be purchased for a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 and a one-time device cost of $149.95. The system has a long-lasting battery that can last up to 5 days. This device is water-resistant, so it is safe to use under any weather.

Of course, it doesn’t disregard functionality, as it also includes an HD speaker and microphone which ensures a clear communication with the responder in case of an emergency. Mini Guardian can be upgraded to include automatic fall detection for an additional $10 a month, which will automatically call for help if the user falls and is unable to press their button.

MG Move

MG Move is the company’s smartwatch-style system, which is priced at $39.95 a month, and a one-time device cost of $199.95.The good deal with this system is that it comes with a free automatic fall detection upgrade, which will automatically call for help if the user falls and is unable to press their button.

The Smartwatch offers a full suite of advanced monitoring tools to include a touch screen display, a built-in speaker and microphone, and an SOS button. It also features a step tracker and a weather app. It connects to a cellular connection, so it works anywhere with a strong cellular signal.

Medical Alert Overview

Medical Alert is known in the industry for providing good solutions for helping older adults access immediate help when a medical emergency happens. Their company is under Connect America, which has 15 field service and support locations in the US and all of them are members of the Medical Alert Monitoring Association (MAMA).

If you’re in the market for a reliable medical alerts system, take time to examine Medical Alert’s plans as it offers top-rated monitoring with their simplistic functionality. The systems of Medical Alert are all comprehensive and straightforward, offering only the most basic and urgent features needed by seniors.. They offer three system plans, all of which come with no activation fee and low-cost monthly monitoring fees that can be canceled anytime.

On top of these perks, they also offer a very affordable protection plan that costs only &1 per month, which covers system replacement in case of theft, loss or damage.

Medical Alert Systems

Home-System Landline

Medical Alert’s landline in-home system provides ultimate protection for an affordable cost of only $22.95 per month. The system includes a base unit and a water-resistant wearable help button that can be worn even in the shower where most falls happen. The range is up to 800 feet as measured from the base console. It also has a 30-hour backup in case of power outage, which keeps you protected even when certain unexpected situations happen. Fall detection is priced at $10 per month.

Home-System Cellular

Medical Alert offers an option for cellular connectivity through AT&T network for a monthly fee of $32.95. This is a perfect option for seniors who do not have a landline connection available at home. Priced for $10 more, it offers basically the same features and range as the Home System Landline model except for the connection. An optional upgrade for an automatic fall detection is charged at a standard rate of $10 every month, which is the standard price in the industry.

Mobile System

Medical Alert’s Mobile System provides protection for outgoing seniors who like to be out in the neighborhood to stroll, run errands, or even travel. The system costs $42.95 per month. It comes with a compact, water-resistant mobile device synced with a help button that can be worn either as a wristband or as a pendant. A two-way speaker is installed, which allows a clear communication with the emergency response operators. It is also equipped with a GPS location tracker that can readily locate the user in case of an emergency. The battery can last up to 5 days on a full charge. This system can also be upgraded to have fall detection monitoring for $10 a month.

While Medical Guardian and Medical Alert are two outstanding medical alert providers in their own unique ways of providing protection to their customers, it is important to look at their pricing plans before jumping into a purchase.

It is incontestable that Medical Guardian prices their packages fairly for the tech that it offers. The price ranges from $29.95-$39.95. However, Medical Guardian, being known to offer modern systems, charges $124.95-$199.95 for its devices, but as these are one-time fees paid upfront, it can’t hurt your pockets in the long run because of their monthly monitoring fees that are also competitive.

Medical Alert has a price range that is somehow on the same tier as Medical Guardian’s rates, but customers may think twice for their price offers considering the features that their systems have. However, if you opt for an affordable plan with no nonessential features and add-ons, Medical Alert presents itself as a fair choice. It has a lower entry-level system costs that start at $22.95 per month and their top-tier system costs around $42. They have the best protection plan as well, which only costs $1 every month.

One thing that sets apart Medical Guardian from Medical Alert is their wide variety of options and technology-integrated systems. Medical Alert, on the other hand, likes to stick with the urgent and basic functions of a medical alert system. The disparity in their features make their contrast clearer in the sense that Medical Guardian considers the overall look and function of their medical alert devices to dance along with modern technology.

Both Medical Guardian and Medical Alert have systems connected with round the clock monitoring that gives seniors peace of mind anytime and anywhere. Their systems have two-way communication, can connect to either landline or cellular connection, have GPS location tracking, and are compatible with fall detection features. Both mobile systems also offer compact, lightweight, water-resistant devices equipped with GPS location tracking which allows real-time location tracking.

While Medical Guardian and Medical Alert works as a reliable emergency response system which gives a good protection plan for your home and away, Medical Guardian is a great option if you’re looking for a medical alert system with advanced technology and a wide array of options.

Monitoring Center

Both Medical Guardian and Medical Alert provide round the clock monitoring with their professional monitoring centers that are on stand-by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Both are 100% US-based and have nationwide coverage across all 50 states in the country.

Medical Guardian boasts their state-of-the-art facility that is equipped with the latest in technology, as they are TMA Five-Diamond certified, FMA certified, and UL-approved. With just one press on the help button, they can respond in as fast as 20 seconds.

Medical Alert, on the other hand, has their UL-listed monitoring center, where highly trained responders dispatch immediate help as soon as they receive an alert, having an average response time capped at 30 seconds.

OUR PICK

Medical Guardian and Medical Alert stand out in their own way of providing protection to the seniors. However, with this comparison, we put a good word for Medical Guardian because it has a lot to say when it comes to features, and their high pricing is relatively compensated with their modern systems. This is a great option for seniors whose priority is high-tech protection and services. They offer systems that overall, improves the life quality of seniors and at the same time, gives them the safety of a medical alert system.