Be Closer vs CircleUs

Be Closer is a family locator app for Android and iOS that places invited circle members on a private live map. Members must accept an invitation before appearing, and they can pause sharing or leave the circle at any time. Places lets users set geofences and receive alerts when members arrive or leave. A one-tap SOS sends a member’s live location to the whole circle, while location history can show where members have been today, this week, or last month. The maker says the app can show a family phone’s last known location even after its battery dies, and that typical daily battery use is under 3%. It describes the app for kids and teens, aging parents, partners, siblings, and roommates. The app is available in 13 languages. The Free plan costs nothing and includes real-time location. Premium costs $3.99 a month; Family costs $6.99 a month. Both paid plans include unlimited location history and Places, and Family covers the whole circle. Final pricing is shown in-app.

CircleUs is a location-sharing app for families and other invited circles, available on Android and iOS. Its live map refreshes every eight seconds. A privacy bubble lets members share a general neighborhood rather than an exact address, with visibility set per circle; people must accept an invitation before joining. Place alerts report arrivals and departures at selected locations, and one-tap SOS can notify circle members and contact emergency services with live GPS coordinates. Drive reports cover speed, phone use, hard braking, and a score after each trip. Elder care mode can learn routines, flag unusual inactivity, monitor battery, and send check-in pings. CircleUs says location data is end-to-end encrypted, is not sold or used for advertising, and can be exported or deleted in settings. The Free Forever plan costs nothing and supports up to five members, two circles, and three place alerts. Gold costs $9 a month billed annually; its listed features include unlimited members and alerts, 30-day location history, crash detection with 911 dispatch, driving reports, elder care monitoring, and AI smart alerts and routines. Gold's location history is deleted after 30 days.