Medical Guardian Cost and Pricing

Packages & Pricing

Medical Guardian is pretty transparent with their pricing. It’s easy to see exactly what you’re purchasing, how much the equipment costs, and how much the monthly subscription will be. The website is easy to navigate, and you’re not going to be surprised with hidden fees at checkout like other providers spring on you — things like activation and installation fees or processing costs and yearly memberships. Bonus points for being up front, Medical Guardian.

You should know that Medical Guardian offers a whole range of add-ons, from a lockbox or equipment warranties to special 911 alerts. All of these cost extra, and if you get a little over-enthusiastic they can inflate your monthly bill pretty quickly.  Most of these, though, aren’t strictly necessary to keep your loved ones safe. If there’s a particular service you think would help, by all means add it. No need to go overboard, though.

Something else to keep in mind — Medical Guardian’s monthly fees are about on par with other in-class systems on the market today. The one exception is the price of the Mobile Guardian, which, at $44.95 per month, is a little above average. That said, an equipment fee isn’t required with this system. At the end of the day, we think Medical Guardian’s prices are exactly where they should be for the quality of service they provide.

Package Pricing Snapshot for Medical Guardian

In addition to a monthly payment plan, you can also opt into paying either quarterly or annually. The annual payment option will save you money in the long run. For example, buying an annual subscription plan for the MGClassic reduces the monthly cost from $29.95 to $27.45. $329.45 is a hefty price to pay up front, especially when you consider you have to purchase equipment as well.

Equipment Upgrade Costs

We’ll touch on the alert systems and packages soon. For now, let’s go back to those add-ons we mentioned earlier. Medical Guardian offers add-ons and upgrades so that you can customize your system to meet your exact needs.

Some of these add-ons deliver clear medical benefits for seniors with specific needs, like fall detection. Other add-ons can provide some extra safety, like the wall-mounted emergency button. Others might not be necessary for every family, so it’s best to evaluate your own needs to keep your monthly costs low.

Mobile Guardian Wrist Pendant

Medical Guardian is one of our favorite alert systems, but if you’re looking for a budget-friendly solution, then we’d also recommend looking into Bay Alarm Medical packages. And one other low-priced option to check out — while testing and reviewing MobileHelp, we found that their systems also have reliable coverage at a competitive price.

Alert Systems & Packages

There are five Medical Guardian alert systems to choose from, each of which includes different equipment and services. We’re going to break down each of them below, starting with the at-home units. These tend to be a little cheaper because they don’t require GPS monitoring or the other features more mobile people might need. After that, we’ll unpack the mobile units for seniors on the go.

Medical Guardian

All systems, though, home and mobile, come with 24/7 professional monitoring from a TMA Five Diamond Award Monitoring Center. Only companies that meet the highest standards for professionalism, training, and expertise wind up with the Five Diamond.2 Those kinds of credentials guarantee that not only will your loved one receive immediate help from highly trained personnel any time they need it, at the push of a button, but that they can count on friendly, caring, helpful responses even when it’s not an emergency.

At-Home Alert Systems

MGClassic

MGClassic from Medical Guardian

This system includes a base station and either a bracelet or necklace help button. It’s fairly bare-bones, in our opinion, and it requires a landline hookup. However, it’s simple and affordable at $29.95 per month. One feature that really stands out is the range from the base station, which at 1,300 feet, is definitely one of the best out there. An older adult who uses a landline and has a large home or yard could definitely benefit from this system.

Who It’s Best For: MGClassic is best for home-bound seniors who have a landline in their home.

MGHome Cellular

MGHome Cellular from Medical Guardian

For just a few dollars more per month, at $37.95 per month, MGHome Cellular comes with a high-quality base station and the option of a black or white watch band or a lanyard to use with the help button. But the main difference between this and MGClassic is that MGHome Cellular uses cellular monitoring via AT&T. So MGHome Cellular is a great option for those families and individuals who have eliminated their landline. And, as noted in our guide to the best cellular medical alert systems, the range has recently been updated from 600 to 1,400 feet, which is an industry high.

Who It’s Best For: MGHome Cellular is best for home-bound seniors who want ultra-fast response times and don’t mind losing some range for it.

Mobile Alert Systems

Mini Guardian

MGMini from Medical Guardian

The MGMini is a go-anywhere unit that is small and discreet. It will also cover users anywhere they happen to go in the U.S., so long as there’s a signal through Verizon’s 4G cellular network.

How small is it? Well, without getting too technical, it weighs about 1.3 oz, less than a single slice of whole-grain bread. In addition to being light, though, it’s also fairly inconspicuous. It’s flat, and it measures just 1 ½” x 1”. For reference, that’s about the size of a raffle ticket. In short, it’s easy to take anywhere, and it won’t draw attention to anyone wearing it.

MGMini Closeup

A few other unique features — it comes in three colors (black, white, and silver), has a five-day battery life, and uses both GPS and Wi-Fi for precise location detection.

Who It’s Best For: Seniors who leave home often and want an alert device that goes virtually unseen.

Mobile 2.0

This system comes with a button you wear as a wristband, similar to a watch. That button connects to an app on your mobile device, which communicates with loved ones as well as a central hub. At $44.95 per month, this reliable option also includes advanced GPS tracking and a 500-foot at-home range for the pendants.

Who It’s Best For: Mobile Guardian is best for seniors who desire reliable at-home and on-the-go coverage.

MGMove

MGMove from Medical Guardian

For seniors who care about having the latest gadgets, the MGMove is a stylish smartwatch that just happens to double as an alert device. Of course, if you need help, you can get it with a single touch of the watch’s oversized touchscreen face. In addition, though, you can check the weather, keep track of your exercise routines, and organize your day. Add the Social Circle Apps Package, and you can keep up with friends and family using MGMove’s unique voice-to-text capabilities. The watch comes in either black or white and costs $199 plus $39.95 per month for monitoring.

Who It’s Best For: The MGMove is best for fashion-forward seniors who want the most discreet and functional alert system available.

New MyGuardian App

No matter which Medical Guardian device you choose, you get access to the brand-new MyGuardian app. This app’s intuitive interface is specially designed for seniors and allows users to easily organize their monitoring plans and get help from customer service. Billing is simple. You can check all your past payments, make a one-time payment, or set up autopay using a credit card or bank account. Communication is just as simple. You can reach out to members of your Care Circle, and you can make decisions about who to add to that circle. You can also use it for location tracking, to set up reminders for medications and daily tasks, and to store emergency medical information.

Current Deal

At the time of this writing, Medical Guardian is offering 50 percent off on a mini device, plus a month of free service, free shipping, and a lockbox. Keep an eye out throughout the year, though, as deals like this come and go fairly frequently.

Overall Value of Medical Guardian

Medical Guardian offers a decent lineup of alert systems and add-ons. The prices are a touch higher than what we typically expect to see for alert systems like these. But then again, the features are more advanced than most of the services we’ve researched and tested.

We do think the at-home landline option (MGClassic) is too expensive for what you get, but we liked the higher-tier mobile plans. In fact, we can see merit in all three mobile alert systems — that is, if you’re willing to pay the price. Keep in mind that similar options are about $5 to $15 cheaper per month on average. You can compare the starting monthly prices of various alert systems in our rundown of the similar options. That said, we do recommend the MGMini and MGMini Lite if you’re always on the move.

Now, when we say the prices are “a touch higher” than other brands, it’s really not that bad. Some medical alert brands can really set you back for alert coverage. For instance, while researching and testing Life Alert, we found their systems to be priced pretty steep for what you get. You can learn more about this option in our Life Alert cost guide.

Medical Guardian is a company that truly cares about seniors, which is unique. In their case, the positive company culture permeates from the top-down. One of their company’s core values is, “customers above all else,” and it shows from their CEO down to their customer service agents.

Medical Guardian

Medical Guardian Background

Founder and CEO, Geoff Gross, launched Medical Guardian out of his apartment in Philadelphia back in 2005.4 Fast forward 15+ years, and today Geoff’s company has helped over 200,000 seniors find peace of mind and a renewed sense of confidence. Geoff was named a Glassdoor Top CEO in 2018.5

Medical Guardian FAQs