How We Compare
Safety without surveillance. See how Active SOS compares.
One tap tells your people you are safe, or that you need help. No background tracking. We never sell your data. Here is an honest side-by-side with Life360 and the tools already on your phone, including where they do things we do not.
Competitor details last checked 16 October 2026. Sources at the bottom of this page.The short version
Three things we do differently
Privacy comes first
No background tracking. Your location goes out with the alerts you send. If you choose to share your location with someone, that is opt-in and you control it. We never sell your data.
One plan covers the family
Up to 10 people on one subscription. One tap sends your alert and location to unlimited contacts, and they do not need the app. They get a text.
Alerts that say what you mean
Build your own SOS alerts (Medical Emergency, Come Get Me, Weather Emergency) and SAFE check-ins (I'm Home, Arrived Safe). Your family does not have to guess.
Side by side
Active SOS vs. Life360
Life360 is the best-known family location app. It is built around tracking where your family is. Active SOS is built around telling your family you are safe, or that you need them. They solve different problems, so here is what each one does.
| Active SOS | Life360 | |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | One tap sends a custom alert and your location to the people you choose. | Location sharing for your family circle. Its own words: "Track your people, pets, and things." |
| Background tracking | None. Location sharing is opt-in and each member controls it. | Ongoing location sharing is the main feature of the app. |
| Your data | We never sell your data. | Its free plan is paid for in part by ads and data partnerships. Details in the privacy section below. |
| Crash detection | Not needed. Most newer iPhones and Android phones already have crash detection built in, at no cost. | Included in its plans, but it duplicates what most newer phones already do for free. |
| Driving reports, roadside help and dispatch | No. | Yes. Individual Driver Reports, 24/7 Roadside Assistance and Emergency Dispatch on Gold and above. |
| Free plan | No. Active SOS is a paid subscription. | Yes. $0, with 2 days of location history and 2 Place Alerts. It is funded in part by ads and data partnerships. |
| Price (US) | $20 a month or $180 a year for up to 10 people. With org code PROTECT45: $45 a year. | Silver $9.99, Gold $16.99, Platinum $24.99 a month. Annual billing is advertised as saving 27%. |
| Schools, healthcare and veteran groups | Yes. Org-code onboarding, school and veteran portals, and a HIPAA-aware RPM option. | No school, healthcare or veteran-organization portal on its membership plans. |
Life360 details come from life360.com, US membership page, checked 16 October 2026. Plans and prices change, so check their site before you decide. Active SOS prices are on our pricing page.
Being straight with you
Where Life360 is the better fit, and where we are
Life360 may be right if you want
- A free plan, if you are comfortable with a company that has a history of selling location data to data brokers and still shares data with partners such as Arity, Allstate's data company. See the details
- Ongoing location sharing for the whole family
- Driving reports for a teen driver, roadside help and Emergency Dispatch
Active SOS may be right if you want
- To tell your people "I'm safe" or "send help" with one tap
- No background tracking, and no sale of your data
- One subscription for up to 10 people
- Alerts you design yourself, sent as a text to anyone, with no app needed
- 17-digit GPS precision, which can show the room, not only the building
What Active SOS is not
- Not a replacement for 911. It is a safety layer alongside 911.
- Not a monitoring center. Your alert goes to the people you chose, not to a dispatcher.
- Not a driving tracker. Crash detection is already built into most newer phones, so we leave it to them.
- Alerts are delivered in 3 to 5 seconds, depending on your carrier and network.
Privacy
A free plan has to be paid for somehow
Life360 has a history of making money from its users' location data, and the free plan is how it does it. In 2021 The Markup reported that Life360 sold precise location data to data brokers, about $16 million in 2020, roughly a fifth of its revenue. In 2022 Life360 said it would stop selling precise location data. The deals with the brokers ended, but the Arity deal with Allstate, the insurance company, stayed in place, and aggregated data sales continued.
The money kept growing. Life360's own annual reports show revenue from ads and data deals rising from $25.5 million in 2023 to $36.0 million in 2024 to $68.4 million in 2025. Its 2025 report lists ads in its app and the sale of aggregated data insights, and calls its location data "central" to that growth.
Allstate was an early investor in Life360 and is still a recipient of Life360 data. Allstate announced its investment in 2018. In 2025 Arity, Allstate's data company, said its data still comes from app partners "such as Life360."
Here is why that matters. If your phone is moving at the speed of a car, location data alone cannot tell whether you are the driver, a passenger or asleep in the back seat. The data goes to the insurer either way. The Texas Attorney General has sued Allstate and Arity, alleging they used data collected from apps, including Life360, to justify raising Texans' insurance rates. Allstate and Arity say drivers opt in and that personalized rates use driving data only if customers choose to share it. Life360 is not a defendant, and the Texas claims are allegations.
If privacy is your priority, Life360 is not the right app for you. Active SOS is built the other way around. No background tracking. Location sharing is opt-in and each member controls it. We never sell your data.
Beyond the family
Built for groups that need a quiet way to ask for help
The same one-tap alert works for organizations that no family-tracking app is designed for.
Schools
Silent, anonymous ways for students to speak up, with an alert queue for staff. See Protect.
Veterans and recovery groups
Respectful, private check-ins that are about having backup, not surveillance. See VetProtect.
Healthcare programs
One-tap alerts between visits for remote patient monitoring, with a HIPAA-aware design. See Connect.
Questions
Common questions
Does Active SOS track my family all the time?
No. There is no background tracking. Your location goes out with the alerts you send. Optional location sharing is opt-in, each member controls it, and they can turn it off at any time.
Does it replace 911?
No. Active SOS is a safety layer alongside 911, not a replacement for it. In an emergency, call 911.
Who receives my alert?
The contacts and groups you choose, as a text message with your location. They do not need the app. Active SOS is not a monitoring center, so no one dispatches help for you.
How fast are alerts delivered?
Typically in 3 to 5 seconds. Delivery depends on your carrier and network. We suggest sending a practice alert to your family so everyone knows what to expect.
How many people can use one subscription?
Up to 10 people. Every user gets every feature.
What does Active SOS cost?
$20 a month or $180 a year. With org code PROTECT45 the price is $45 a year, which is 75% off the $180 App Store price. See the pricing page.
Is Life360's free plan really free?
It costs no money, but Life360's own annual report shows it earns revenue from ads and from data partnerships, and calls its first-party location data central to its advertising growth. If privacy matters to you, that is the trade-off. Active SOS never sells your data.
Does Active SOS have crash detection?
No, and you do not need it from us. Most newer iPhones and Android phones already have crash detection built in at no cost. Active SOS is for the moments your phone cannot know about, when you decide to tap and tell your people.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Life360 membership plans and features, US: life360.com, checked 16 October 2026.
- Life360 revenue, advertising and data statements: Life360 annual report, fiscal 2025.
- Life360 data broker sales and the Arity and Placer.ai deals: The Markup, 27 January 2022, which also covers its December 2021 investigation.
- Allstate investment and Arity partnership, 2018: The Drive, 30 May 2018. Arity naming Life360 as an app partner and the Texas allegations about rates: Repairer Driven News, 11 June 2025.
- Texas Attorney General suit against Allstate and Arity: BleepingComputer, 14 January 2025.
- Active SOS features and pricing: this website and the Active SOS app.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
Tell your people you are safe with one tap.
Up to 10 people on one subscription. No background tracking. Your data is never sold.
Have an Org code? Use PROTECT45 to get Active SOS for $45 a year for your whole family. That is 75% off the $180 App Store price, and one subscription can be shared with up to 10 others.