Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

OpenFamily

openfamily.app

Free plan Open source WebiOSAndroidAPISelf-hosted
Visit openfamily.app
Spec score 8.3 #8 of 29 in Family Locator Apps

What it is

OpenFamily is a free, open-source, self-hosted GPS tracker for household location sharing. Its live map shows family members with photo avatars, battery levels, last-seen times, and movement states, with updates through WebSocket. Saved places can trigger arrival and departure alerts. Safety tools include SOS with a ten-second countdown, check-ins with notes, and non-emergency requests for family help. Location history includes map trails, place stays, stops, and in-transit segments; detailed history is retained for 90 days. People join using invite codes and can be assigned admin, member, or child roles. A web admin panel manages accounts and families, creates invites, configures optional SMS, downloads the Android APK, and displays the map. OpenFamily runs as a Docker Compose stack on a VPS, Synology NAS, home server, or LAN machine. It supports Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted use. Account and location data are stored in PostgreSQL on the operator's server; default map tile hosts can see the area being viewed.

Spec sheet

What it does
OpenFamily is a self-hosted family GPS tracker positioned as a private Life360 alternative.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Product
OpenFamily is a self-hosted family GPS location tracker for household location sharing.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Intended users
OpenFamily is designed for households with a member comfortable running a small Docker stack, rather than fleets or public tracking.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Deployment
The product runs as a Docker Compose stack on a VPS, Synology NAS, home server, or LAN machine.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
API
The public Go API documents health, configuration, authentication, family, place, device, location and alert endpoints plus a WebSocket stream.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Integrations
Android notifications use UnifiedPush through ntfy, and the app does not require Google Play Services.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Privacy
Accounts, coordinates, saved places, and history are stored in PostgreSQL on the operator's server, and the app has no analytics SDK or crash reporter.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Analytics
The software states that it contains no analytics SDK, crash reporter or advertising identifier.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Android notifications
Android push uses UnifiedPush through ntfy and does not require Google Play Services or a Google account.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
API examples
The quick start shows curl calls for health checking and account registration and login.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Data custody
Accounts, coordinates, places and history are stored in PostgreSQL on the operator's machine rather than a vendor location cloud.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Deployment stack
Docker Compose bundles Caddy, a Go REST and WebSocket API, PostgreSQL with PostGIS and TimescaleDB, and ntfy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Documentation depth
Documentation covers Docker installation, production environment variables, TLS, push setup, tile configuration, backups, encryption and custom domains.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
External services
Default map tile hosts can see the viewed area, iOS push uses APNs, and optional SMS uses Twilio.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Family access
People can join by invite code and have admin, member, or child roles.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Family roles
Invite codes support admin, member and child roles within a family.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
History
History includes trails, named-place stays, stops and transit segments, with detailed records retained for 90 days.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Independent alternatives
AlternativeTo names Life360 Family Locator and OwnTracks as listed alternatives.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Independent listing
AlternativeTo lists the product as free, open source under AGPL-3.0, and developed by Frank Johnette.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Independent platforms
AlternativeTo lists Android, iPhone, self-hosted and Docker support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Independent positioning
AlternativeTo marks the product as privacy-focused and categorizes it under Development, Home & Family, and Travel & Location.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Independent store coverage
AlternativeTo links the project to GitHub rather than Apple, Google, Chrome or Microsoft app stores.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
iOS notifications
iOS push depends on Apple APNs; payloads contain no coordinates and the app fetches alert details from the server over TLS.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Licence
OpenFamily is released under the GNU Affero General Public License 3.0.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: database encryption
The application does not encrypt database rows itself, so operators are told to use host or volume encryption.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Limit: external visibility
Default OSM and Esri tile hosts can see the viewed map area unless the operator configures another tile server.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Limit: operational burden
The product is intended for households with someone comfortable operating a small Docker stack and maintaining backups and TLS.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Limit: platform delivery
Android alerts require the ntfy app and battery-exemption configuration, while iOS delivery relies on APNs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Limit: product scope
The project explicitly excludes fleet tracking, asset registries and public location broadcasting.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Live map
The map displays family members on OpenStreetMap with avatars, battery status, last-seen time, movement state and WebSocket updates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Maker identity
The GitHub owner profile identifies the maintainer as Frank Johnette, a full-stack Rails engineer.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Map layers
Street and satellite layers, movement indicators and overlap clustering are included.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Maps
OpenStreetMap is the default map provider; operators can choose another raster provider or use their own tiles.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Maps integration
OpenStreetMap is the default map source, with Esri satellite tiles or a configurable raster tile URL available.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Mobile technology
The mobile client is built with Flutter for Android and iOS, while the backend is written in Go.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Places
Saved places can trigger server-side arrival and departure alerts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Rating on AlternativeTo
No user rating or review count is displayed on the listing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Repository activity
The public GitHub repository is shown with 7 stars, 1 fork and 107 commits.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Safety
Safety flows include SOS, a ten-second countdown, check-ins with notes, and non-emergency family help.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Safety workflows
Users can send SOS alerts, use a discreet ten-second countdown, send Help requests and submit Check In notes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Security design
The repository documents Argon2id password hashing, rotating short-lived tokens, optional TOTP, audit logs and production checks against insecure defaults.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security operations
The production guide recommends production mode, strong secrets, closed public registration, backups, and host disk encryption; the app does not encrypt database rows itself.Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Sharing controls
Each device can pause location reporting, change theme, require biometrics and tune background updates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
SMS integration
Optional SOS SMS uses Twilio and is disabled until the operator configures it.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Supported hosting
The project documents VPS, Synology NAS, home-server and LAN deployments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Synology requirement
Synology deployment guidance calls for an x86_64 device with Container Manager and at least 4 GB RAM.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
System requirements
Docker and Docker Compose are required for the standard install; Go 1.25+ and Flutter 3.x are only needed for builds outside Docker.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Web administration
The web panel manages accounts, families, invitations, optional SMS settings, APK downloads and the live map.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app

Plans and prices

Open source self-hosted Free Self-hosted deployment · AGPL-3.0 Read 9 Oct 2026 · openfamily.app
Self-hosted OpenFamily Free free Requires your own Docker server · 90-day detailed history · household use Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net

Every OpenFamily plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free and open source under AGPL-3.0
  • Detailed location history retained for 90 days
  • SOS, check-ins, and family help requests
  • Does not require Google Play Services
  • Data is stored on the operator's server

Limits

  • Requires self-hosted Docker Compose deployment
  • Database rows are not encrypted by the app
  • Default map tile hosts can see the viewed area
  • Optional SMS uses Twilio

Who it suits

OpenFamily suits households that want location sharing and can have a member run a small Docker stack. It is designed for households rather than fleets or public tracking.

Verdict

OpenFamily offers household location sharing with alerts, safety flows, and detailed history under operator-managed hosting. It is a fit for households prepared to run the stack and weigh the listed external-service and database limitations.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to OpenFamilyAll alternatives →