Best Personal Alarms for Personal Defense

She’s Birdie is our pick for the best personal alarm. It’s loud and it has a strobe light. Plus, we like the design.
Best overall
She's Birdie personal alarm
She’s Birdie
  • pro
    Strobe light
  • pro
    130 dB
  • pro
    5% donation for women’s safety
Budget pick
""
Kosin Safe Sound
  • pro
    Mini light
  • pro
    140 dB
  • pro
    Pack of 6
Best alarm length
""
Weten
  • pro
    Mini light
  • pro
    130 dB
  • pro
    Alam that sounds for 5 hours
Best combo
""
Kuros
  • con
    No light
  • pro
    130 dB
  • pro
    Whistle and mace
Best for travel
""
Sabre HS-DSA Wedge
  • con
    No light
  • pro
    120 dB
  • pro
    Door protection

SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review. We may earn money when you buy through our links.

The best personal alarm is loud, easy to carry, and comes with some extra safety features. It also doesn’t hurt if the device is cute too. That’s why She’s Birdie is our top pick for the best personal alarm. We’ve also rounded up some other personal defense winners that are perfect for different needs.



Compare best personal alarms

Product
Best for
Price
Decibles
Light strobe
Alarm length
Learn more
Best overall 130dB
Icon Yes  LightYes
40 min.
Budget pick 140dB
Icon No  LightNo
50 min.
Best alarm length 130dB
Icon No  LightNo
5 hrs.
Best Combo 130 dB
Icon No  LightNo
Not listed
Best for travel 120 dB
Icon No  LightNo
55 sec.

*Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

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Best personal alarms for self defense reviews

1. She’s Birdie: Best overall

Best overall
She's Birdie personal alarm

 *Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

She’s Birdie is our pick for the best personal alarm. Unlike most on the market, it offers a bright strobe LED light as well as a 130db alarm, key ring, and carabiner.

pro
Pros
pro Strobe light
pro Stylish design
pro Charitable support for women’s safety
con
Cons
con Not the loudest pick

The sleek personal alarm comes in trendy colors like coral, lemon, indigo, charcoal, and aqua, but doesn’t stand out too much. So you may be able to convince the fashionable teen in your life to carry it.
Another thing that set Birdie apart is it gives 5% of its profits to organizations that support women’s safety.

2. Kosin Safe Sound: Budget pick

Budget pick
""

 *Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Kosin Safe Sound is amazingly affordable at under $20 for six personal safety alarms. This is the perfect pick if you want to protect a lot of family and friends without breaking the bank.

pro
Pros
pro Loudest alarm
pro Range of colors
pro Mini light
con
Cons
con No strobe light

While the Safe Sound personal alarm is affordable, it doesn’t skimp on the alarm. It’s the loudest one on our list at 140dB. That’s about as loud as a gunshot and sure to get people’s attention.

While it doesn’t have a strobe light like our personal safety alarm top pick, it does have a mini light you can use to help find the keyhole to unlock your front door.

3. Weten: Best alarm length

Best alarm length
""
Weten
$15.95

 *Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Weten personal alarm has one major way it stands out. Its alarm can run for five hours. This is a good feature for when you’re lost because it gives people time to find you.

pro
Pros
pro Sounds for five hours
pro Range of colors
pro Mini light
con
Cons
con No strobe light

Beyond that, the Weten has a mini light for finding your way in dark situations. Another nice feature is that the pin stays attached to the personal alarm after it’s pulled, so it doesn’t get lost.

4. Kuros: Best combo

Best combo
""
Kuros
$24.99

 *Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Kuros is the best personal alarm choice if you’re also looking for a pepper spray. This matching duo provides a whistle, alarm, and Mace brand pepper spray.

pro
Pros
pro Pepper spray
pro Built-in whistle
con
Cons
con No light
con Button activation

There are two drawbacks. One, it doesn’t have a light. Two, you push a button to activate the personal safety alarm instead of pulling a pin. This could make it easier to accidentally activate the alarm, particularly if you’re around small children.

While you’re shopping, don’t miss our list of the top pepper sprays.

5. Sabre HS-DSA Wedge: Best for travel

Best for travel
""

 *Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

The Sabre HS-DSA Wedge is a different type of personal alarm. It wedges under doors to prevent them from opening. When someone does try to open the door, it sounds an alarm for 55 seconds.

pro
Pros
pro Keeps doors closed
pro Notifies of intruders
pro Multiple uses
con
Cons
con Alarm only sounds 55 seconds

We can think of a bunch of places the Sabre personal alarm could come in handy. You could use it when you’re staying at a hotel, or when you’re using a gas station bathroom with a door that won’t lock. It could be good for when you’re staying at a friend’s house and they have a roommate you don’t quite trust. Teachers can use it to keep dangerous individuals out of classrooms. You can also use it to boost your home security.

Things to consider before you buy

There are a few things to remember before buying a personal alarm self defense. First, look for one that is loud. 120dB to 140dB is a good range. 

Second, pin activation on a personal alarm keychain is best. To activate these types of alarms, all you have to do is pull hard on the device. This is great for when you only have one hand free, plus it’s harder to activate accidentally. 

Third, look for a personal alarm device that adds an extra layer of protection: 

  • Strobe lights help get others’ attention at night. 
  • A whistle is a backup in case the alarm doesn’t work. 
  • Pepper spray can deter those not scared off by the alarm.

Final word

She’s Birdie is our pick for the best personal alarm for self defense because it’s loud, it has a strobe light, and it has an attractive design. We also love that they donate profits to help keep other women safe.

While you’re on the hunt, check out our list of top personal safety devices.

FAQ

It depends on the situation. Personal alarm keychains are handy for bringing attention to your circumstances, which may scare away a potential attacker or thief.

They can also help someone find you when you’re lost. Children can use them when they’ve lost sight of their parents in a crowd too. Personal alarm systems will alert people to your situation if you’ve fallen or hurt yourself and need help as well.

In our research, we’ve found that most personal attack alarms are around 130 decibels. That’s painfully loud for most people and just a little quieter than a jet engine.

You sure can. The TSA currently has no restrictions on personal security alarms. If the keychain alarm sets off the scanner, it may need to be examined though.

In our research, we found personal alarms that went up to 140 decibels.

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How we reviewed personal alarms

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Image: Birdie 

To pick the best personal safety alarms we relied on our decades of safety and security experience. We also researched customer reviews to see what people are looking for in a personal alarm. We compared the most popular brands to find the best picks, while also looking for brands that offer a different twist on the typical personal alarm. 

To learn more about how we review products and services, check out our Safewise methodology page.

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Disclaimers

*Product prices and availability are accurate as of post date 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.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Alina Bradford
Written by
Alina Bradford
Alina is a safety and security expert that has contributed her insights to CNET, CBS, Digital Trends, MTV, Top Ten Reviews, and many others. Her goal is to make safety and security gadgets less mystifying one article at a time. In the early 2000s, Alina worked as a volunteer firefighter, earning her first responder certification and paving the way to her current career. Her activities aren’t nearly as dangerous today. Her hobbies include fixing up her 100-year-old house, doing artsy stuff, and going to the lake with her family.

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