Best Medical Alert Watches

For active seniors who want a discreet medical alert device, a smartwatch is a great solution. Our favorite is the Apple Watch with professional monitoring from Lively. It has automatic fall detection and is more affordable than you might think.

If you're not an Apple fan or you’re looking for extra features, we’ve curated a list of other medical alert watches worth considering.

The only thing lacking in the Apple Watch is caregiver access, so your loved ones won't be able to see your GPS location or get alerts when you enter or leave specific areas. For the privacy-minded among us, that's actually a good thing.

But if it's safer for your loved ones to know where you are and whether you actually went to your doctor appointment, then another watch might work better.

There is one workaround: you can set up the Apple Watch to share its location with emergency contacts when the SOS button is used. 

Check out our full Apple Watch review for more information about the settings you need to turn on for the best performance. We also explain how you can use the Apple Watch as a medical alert device with no monthly fees.

The MGMove has way more going on than a clasp that didn't make me get into an awkward arm-wrestling match with myself.

There's a caregiver portal that lets loved ones see where you are and whether you've been active yet that day—which is actually an excellent layer of protection, since something's definitely wrong if you've taken 0 steps. 

There are medication and appointment reminders and text messaging options. Since the watch face is too small for a keyboard, you just talk to the watch and it turns your words into texts—a nice touch for people with arthritic fingers. 

Plus, Medical Guardian's monitoring center is Five Diamond certified, and their products are consistently some of the best we've ever reviewed. 

Their experience and track record makes them trustworthy but also means you'll feel the difference in your wallet. The MGMove is expensive right off the bat, and some of the perks we mentioned—like reminders—cost extra each month. Expect a bill close to $50 a month on top of the nearly $200 required to get the watch.

And there's no fall detection in the MGMove. That definitely knocked it out of the running for the best medical alert watch.

Nonetheless, we like this one. Learn more in our full Medical Guardian review.

The watch itself is available with a free lease, and the BellPal’s monthly subscriptions cost less than most competitors'. For around $20 per month, the SOS button will phone friends and family. Professional monitoring costs about $25 per month.

The BellPal has a couple flaws. It has no integrated two-way talk, so pressing the SOS button starts a call on your smartphone. Carrying around a smartphone and wearing this watch isn’t practical for people with memory loss. 

Second, the manufacturers recommend getting the battery replaced by a jeweler every four to six months. You’ll need to really stay on top of your to-do list for this to be a practical solution.

Finally, you have to commit to a 1-year contract.

Here's a quick run-down of features in the Angel Watch Series R - Assist:

Although it's packed with features, this isn't a professionally monitored watch. Instead, it pairs with a caregiver app for family-assisted monitoring. We recommend professional monitoring but admit that it's difficult to find the Angel Watch Series R - Assist's features in a professionally-monitored medical alert watch. 

Wearers can press the SOS button for three seconds if they need help. The watch will try to reach all designated emergency contacts until someone picks up. You can add 911 as an emergency contact. 

Learn more in our full Angel Watch review.

The Verizon Care Smartwatch watch is like the Verizon GizmoWatch 2 but for older adults. It lets you add 10 trusted contacts who you can call or text anytime, making it easier to check on the grandkids. But since the screen is too small for a keyboard, you can send only preloaded text messages from the Care Smartwatch.

Users can also share their location with contacts or call a caregiver for help during an emergency by pressing the SOS button. There’s no fall detection, but you can also set reminders for medications and appointments.

The Verizon Care Smartwatch also sends caregivers low battery alerts and inactivity alerts. 

The WellBe HandsFree Smartwatch monitors your heart rate, counts your steps, delivers medication reminders, and reaches a full charge in just one hour. It also pairs with a cool health-centric smart speaker—if you’re into that. Our main complaint is that it lacks automatic fall detection.

The HandsFree Smartwatch is phone-free, too, thanks to its built-in 4G LTE. You can speak to the watch like any smart assistant and learn about the weather forecast or nearby health facilities.

All of the independence-promoting smart features in the HandsFree make it perfect for the young-at-heart who like to stay on top of the latest tech. It costs around $30 per month and comes with a companion app for thorough health tracking. You can also allow a caregiver to receive alerts for missed medications or appointments.

The Kanega Watch is a unique medical alert smartwatch with voice activation. Just say, “Fred Astaire, get help,” to start a call with the monitoring center. (Fred Astaire is the Kanega Watch’s alter ego, like Alexa or Siri.) It also features GPS tracking, smart fall detection, and medication reminders.

We also like that the Kanega Watch can be worn continuously. One set of batteries stays in the watch while the other set charges. But the batteries must be swapped out daily, so it’s not ideal for folks who have trouble remembering their routine.

UnaliWear, the maker of the Kanega Watch, charges around $60 to $70 per month to monitor this device. If you choose monthly versus annual payments, you'll pay a $149 device activation fee.

And, whatever you do, don't drop or lose the Kanega Watch. UnaliWear charges up to $650 for lost or damaged equipment.

The AngelSense Watch is new to the market. We haven't had a chance to test it yet, but we have high hopes thanks to our good experiences with AngelSense's flagship GPS tracker. 

It's not a professionally-monitored watch, so caregivers are the only ones who get alerts when the SOS button is pressed. There's a fall detection option currently in beta testing, so it's too soon to tell if that'll be a permanent feature in the AngelSense Watch. 

It comes with basic caregiving features, like location tracking, route history geofencing, and low-battery alerts. There's also an auto pickup feature that lets you talk directly to your loved one even if they're not able to answer. 

We expected to like the SOS Smartwatch because Bay Alarm Medical is one of our favorite medical alert companies. But this product was a dud. Our tests didn't go well, from navigating the touchscreen with difficulty to placing test calls that never went through. We're looking forward to testing a new one to give it a second chance.

The SOS Smartwatch appears to be from the same manufacturers as the MGMove and Sidekick Smart. If you like this design, we'd go with the MGMove—it has more features than the SOS Smartwatch anyway.

The Apple Watch is a modern device with tons of other uses besides calling for help in an emergency. You're likely to wear it every day, and while we recommend the professional monitoring option through Lively, you can go the ultra-affordable route and contact 911 or loved ones instead.

We've crowned it the best medical alert watch overall, but the other options on our list are worth considering before you make that final purchase:

• MGMove: A little pricey but easy to put on and feature-rich with a nice caregiver app
• BellPal: No upfront cost but requires a contract and depends on a smartphone for emergency calling
• Angel Watch Series R - Assist: Not professionally monitored but bursting with features and caregiver controls
• Verizon Care Smartwatch: Requires a 2-year Verizon contract but good for caregiver monitoring and connections

• Best Medical Alert Necklaces
• Best Wearable Senior Monitors
• Best Safety Devices for Seniors
• How to Choose a Medical Alert System
• Ultimate Guide to Aging in Place