You can take two routes with medical alert necklaces: stylish designs with limited tech or clunky designs with excellent tech. These devices have yet to see a marriage between style and function.
Best Medical Alert Necklaces
Medical alert necklaces can be more stylish than you’d think. We found fashionable and functional necklaces you can use to call for help.
Info current as of post date. Read full disclaimer.
*The Icons Collections necklace is a $2.99 add-on feature. This price represents the monthly costs for the Home Guardian system with this add-on fee applied.
9 min readSafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review.
Is a life alert and a medical alert the same thing?
Some folks mistakenly use "life alert" as a generic name for medical alerts—much like Kleenex for tissue. Life Alert is one of many medical alert systems on the market—and also the most expensive. Medical Guardian is more affordable and among the top medical alert companies we recommend.
We think the Medical Guardian Mini Guardian does the best job of combining powerful GPS, fall detection, and two-way talk technology with a discreet pendant. It comes in three colors.
The more stylish options (including our fave charms from Bay Alarm Medical) just house a help button and must be worn within range of the base station. We'll show you all the options on the market so you can pick the best medical alert necklace to suit your style.
Best medical alert necklaces
- : Best overall
- : Classic fashion pick
- : Budget pick
- : Also classy
- : Most options
What is Medical ID jewelry?
Medical alert necklaces are often confused with medical ID jewelry. Medical ID jewelry is more like traditional jewelry or dog tags.
They can be as fashionable or practical as you want and are usually engraved with personal information. If you have a medical emergency, these pieces make it easier for first responders to start treatment.
Emergency contact info, allergies, medications, and other data are common on a medical ID necklace or bracelets. People with diabetes or other conditions often wear medical ID jewelry. We’ve seen medical ID necklaces for both kids and adults.
While these necklaces are different from the medical alert devices on our list, we do have medical ID bracelet recommendations, most of which have options for medical ID necklaces as well.
Compare medical alert necklaces
Product | Best for | Monthly fee starts at | GPS built-in | Two-way talk built-in | Waterproof | Learn more |
| Best overall | $39.95 |  Yes
| Yes | Yes
| Visit Medical Guardian | |
| Classic fashion pick | $37.94* |  No
| No
| No
| Visit Medical Guardian | |
| Budget pick | $24.95 | No
| No
| Yes | Visit Bay Alarm Medical | |
| Also classy | $24.95 | No | No | No | Visit LifeFone | |
| Most options | Call for quote | No | No
| No
| Visit MobileHelp |
Info current as of post date. Read full disclaimer.
*The Icons Collections necklace is a $2.99 add-on feature. This price represents the monthly costs for the Home Guardian system with this add-on fee applied.
1. Medical Guardian Mini Guardian: Best overall
Best overall
The Medical Guardian Mini Guardian is a three-in-one help button, GPS locator, and fall detection device. It's small enough to fit comfortably in pockets, purses, and bags but can also be worn as a medical alert necklace.
It's more expensive than other options on our list but has the best features: GPS tracking, automatic fall detection, and a water-resistant design. It comes in three colors: bronze, black, or white.
Learn more about the Mini Guardian and Medical Guardian's other medical alert devices in our full review.
Pros
Portable device
Waterproof build
Multiple GPS technologies 
Cons
Not fashionable
Fall detection costs extra GPS medical alerts like the Mini Guardian replace an at-home base station with a small GPS device (about the size of a pager). When you’re in trouble, press the button on the necklace or GPS unit to call for help. You’ll speak to a Medical Guardian monitoring professional through the portable GPS unit.
The Mini Guardian is water-resistant, so you can wear the necklace while in the shower.
As for looks, it’s not exactly a head-turning accessory, but it could save your life when you need it. You could customize its appearance with some contact paper or maybe a cute crochet cover.
2. Medical Guardian Icons Collection: Classic fashion pick
Classic fashion pick
The Medical Guardian Icons Collection has four gorgeous medical alert pendants styled after Audrey Hepburn, Dolly Parton, Tippi Hedron, and Farrah Fawcett. These devices are genuinely pretty pieces of jewelry designed by Trelawear.
Learn more about Medical Guardian from our full review.
Pros
Looks like real jewelry
Built-in help button
Works with Home Guardian and Mobile Guardian systems Cons
No two-way communication
Not waterproof
No automatic fall detection The Icons Collection pendants are available only with the Home Guardian and Mobile Guardian kits. They cost an extra $2.99 per month. They work as a simple alert button but lack two-way communication and fall detection. They aren’t waterproof either, so you won’t be able to wear one in the shower.
Images: Medical Guardian
Luckily, the Icons pendants come paired with other devices. The Home Guardian home unit is made of a simple base station and a wearable (your Icons Collection necklace). At 600 feet, its range is significantly shorter than that of other in-home units. However, the base has a loud two-way speaker, power outage protection, and a strong cellular signal to stay connected to the monitoring center.
The Mobile Guardian kit is the other compatible system for the Icons Collection. It is a two-piece GPS system with a GPS unit and a wearable necklace. You’ll need to stay within 350 feet of the GPS unit, but you can call for help using the Icons necklace anywhere your GPS device is. So you can go to lunch with friends, your grandkids’ recital, and take a walk in style (and safety).
We love the way the Icons Collections medical alert jewelry looks, especially if you don’t want a clunky medical alert necklace. But you’ll have to sacrifice a few features in the name of fashion.
3. Bay Alarm Medical: Budget pick
Budget pick
Bay Alarm Medical offers some of the best medical alert systems on the market, featuring affordable monitoring with plenty of options for an in-home or GPS medical alert device.
Whether you're looking for an in-home or mobile system that will complement your style, you can customize the medical alert necklace with one of four “Bella Charm” clip-on pendants to go over your lanyard button.
Read our full review of Bay Alarm Medical to learn more about this medical alert system.
Pros
Waterproof build
Easy installation
Stylish design Cons
Available for in-home systems only
Must stay in range of base station
No fall detection The pendants cost around $25 each and make your med alert look like wearable art. These clips are waterproof, so you can wear them in the shower and bath like a standard medical alert necklace.
Note: The current styles in 2024 are leopard print (Gemma), tortoise (Marella), turquoise (Marina), and confetti (Stella).
Images: Cathy Habas, SafeWise
Like many in-home medical alert systems, you’ll need to stay within range of the base station. You get 1,000 feet of roaming space, which is plenty of room to move around your house and still call for help when you need it.
4. LifeFone's Vanity Pendant: Also classy
Another classic necklace
Compatible with LifeFone's in-home base stations, the Vanity Pendant hides a help button and nothing more. It only comes in one style and costs a hefty one-time fee of about $72.
Pros
Stylish design Cons
Available for in-home systems only
Must stay in range of base station
No fall detection This pendant doesn't support fall detection technology, but LifeFone's a great company for those looking for extra support services like daily check-in calls and medication reminders.
If you'd prefer to pay an upfront fee in order to pay less over time, LifeFone's vanity pendant is also a more affordable alternative to Medical Guardian's Icon Collection.
Read more in our full LifeFone review.
5. Trelawear + MobileHelp: Most options
Most options
Trelawear designed Medical Guardian's fashionable pendants. But they have other styles to choose from that you can pair with different monitoring services like MobileHelp (our recommendation) and LifeStation.
This lets you choose a service you can afford and trust—but you have to order these medical alert necklaces over the phone from either company. The good news is both MobileHelp and LifeStation have mobile devices that pair with Trelawear, so you can wear this medical alert necklace on the go or in your home.
Pros
Multiple colors available
Multiple monitoring services available Cons
Must stay in range of base station or iPhone 
LifeStation's Trelawear design
Image: Trelawear
MobileHelp sells two designs: black onyx resin stones surrounded by a circular faux-gold or platinum-colored braid. LifeStation sells a lapis blue resin stone surrounded by a square platinum-colored braid.
You also have the option of purchasing a Trelawear pendant directly from Trelawear.com, in which case you've got plenty of other colors and designs to choose from. Each one retails for about $175. You then pair it with an iPhone app called FallCall for fall detection and help monitoring, which costs around $20 per month.
Medical alert companies do not offer fall detection services with their Trelawear devices, which makes us a little skeptical about whether this device offers accurate fall detection when paired with FallCall. If you're at high risk of passing out or becoming dizzy, we recommend a proven fall detection device like the Mini Guardian.
Read our full MobileHelp review or LifeStation review to narrow down your choices.
Lifeline On the Go
Like our top pick, the Lifeline On the Go is another all-in-one medical alert necklace. It has two-way communication and GPS location technology. It’s completely waterproof, which makes it a great choice for all-day wear. Its rechargeable battery will last up to four days.
There is optional fall detection for an additional $15 per month, but with a setup fee of $99.95 and a monthly fee of $39.95, this necklace is a higher investment.
Pros
Five types of GPS technology
Small and comfortable to wear Cons
Expensive monthly fee
Self-installation fee Save money and stay connected with an AARP membership
With an AARP membership, you can get a 15% discount on a Lifeline medical alert system, in addition to discounts on hotels, restaurants, prescriptions, and more. You also get the AARP magazine, access to virtual learning programs, and can connect with other AARP members in your community.
It’s not what we’d call fashionable, but it’s small enough to wear comfortably wherever you go. The device itself is only a couple inches long, so you can slip it under your shirt or jacket and keep it out of the way until you need it.
Read our review of Lifeline medical alert systems for more information.
Lively Mobile2
The Lively Mobile2 medical alert necklace can call for help anywhere it has a cellular signal; no base station required. One standout feature is its enhanced GPS location, which helps emergency responders and contacts find you quickly. It also has a built-in two-way speaker so you can talk to emergency operators anytime, day or night.
If you’re looking for a medical alert necklace for a loved one, Lively has a companion app that lets you keep an eye on them directly through your phone.
Like most medical alert devices, you can get fall detection built into Lively Mobile Plus. But you’ll need to pay a little extra per month for this feature. If you’ve been injured from a fall before, it’s worth the money.
The starting price for the Lively Mobile2 is about $80 for the device and about $25 for the Basic monthly subscription. But the Basic plan provides only emergency calling services. You’ll have to pay around $30 per month or more if you want features like the mobile app or fall detection.
Read our full review of Lively (formerly GreatCall) to learn more about this device.
Pros
Two-way communication
Optional fall detection technology for additional fee
Caregiver app Cons
Best features cost more
Larger than most necklaces If you’re looking for a medical alert necklace for a loved one, Lively has a companion app that lets you keep an eye on them directly through your phone.
Like most medical alert devices, you can get fall detection built into Lively Mobile Plus. But you’ll need to pay a little extra per month for this feature. If you’ve been injured from a fall before, it’s worth the money.
The starting price for the Lively Mobile Plus is about $50 for the device and about $25 for the Basic monthly subscription. But the Basic plan provides only emergency calling services. You’ll have to pay around $30 per month or more if you want features like the mobile app or fall detection.
Read our full review of Lively (formerly GreatCall) to learn more about this device.
Final word
Medical alert devices don’t have to be clunky and unfashionable. But when you have to call for help in an emergency, practical features win over style. Take the Medical Guardian Mini Guardian, for example, which lacks in looks but wins overall for core features. In contrast, the Medical Guardian Icons Collection looks more like jewelry but is limited in function.
Look for a medical alert necklace that connects to a monitoring center quickly, whether you’re home or on the go. Automatic fall detection, waterproofing, and two-way communication should be features you look for in any medical alert system.
Medical alert necklace FAQ
Medical alert necklaces cost anywhere from $0 to $150 upfront and between about $20 to $50 and up each month.
Bay Alarm Medical sells the cheapest medical alert necklace that still manages to be fashionable—each of its Bella Charm pendant covers cost a one-time fee of $25, with monitoring starting at around $25 a month.
It depends on what you're comfortable with and whether you want automatic fall detection. Most medical alert bracelets don't have fall detection because there's a much greater risk of false alarms. Wearing a medical alert necklace over your breastbone gives more accurate results.
Nope. Life Alert's equipment is still very basic and not exactly fashionable—at least not compared to the options sold by Medical Guardian, Bay Alarm Medical, and LifeFone.
Medical ID jewelry like bracelets and necklaces are usually standard gold or silver pieces with emergency information like allergies, contacts, and medications engraved.
Medical alert necklaces come equipped with a call button that contacts an emergency operator who will send help to your location when you need it.
Automatic fall detection is a feature built into medical alert devices that detects a change in altitude and speed. If you fall down, trip, or slip, the device will automatically call the monitoring center in case you need assistance.
Learn more on our fall detection FAQ page.
Most medical alert systems require you to order online or call in to have one shipped to your home. The only device we found available in stores is the Lively Mobile Plus, which you can find at local Walgreens or Rite Aid stores. Lively has a store locator on its website if you want to find one near you.
How we chose the best medical alert necklaces
All medical alert companies sell help buttons that are worn around the neck on a lanyard, but that doesn’t make them necklaces. Some are downright unattractive. It’s critical for people to feel confident about wearing and using their medical alerts, so we set out to find products that combine form and function.
There’s just one problem: most fashionable medical alert necklaces don’t include automatic fall detection or GPS tracking. We immediately knew we needed to prioritize stylish buttons that protected the wearer as much as possible.
That’s why you’ll see a somewhat bland-looking option (relatively speaking) at the top of our list. We found a small, subtle, and lightweight medical alert that comes in three colors and boasts all the bells and whistles we like to see.
The Mini Guardian is truly in a league of its own in terms of style and features, so we had to turn our attention to the traditional in-home medical alert necklaces next. Because they all have similar functions, we decided to list all the options and let our readers decide which medical alert necklaces best matched their style.
Brands with better policies, prices, reputations, and customer support appear higher on the page. To learn how we evaluate medical alert brands overall, visit the methodology section of the Best Medical Alerts page.
Disclaimers
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
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