BuddySOS vs Familo

BuddySOS is an Android and iOS app for groups that combines real-time location sharing, boundary alerts, and one-tap SOS. An SOS alerts members of the active group with the sender's live GPS location, including when the phone is locked. It can also text emergency contacts a live-location link through Twilio, and recipients do not need the app. Safe zones alert the group when a member enters or leaves; each zone must have a radius of at least 100 meters, and a group can have up to five. The free plan costs nothing and includes one group, one safe zone, and ads. BuddySOS Pro is $1.99 a month and removes ads while allowing more groups and zones. The maker says it shares location only with group members, does not sell it, and does not keep location history. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, but not end-to-end encrypted. Sign-up uses a phone number and text-message code; listed availability currently includes US, Canada, UK, and EU numbers.

Familo is a smartphone app for family and friend groups to share live locations and stay in contact. Members can share their locations continuously, see where others in a group are, and receive alerts when someone arrives at or leaves a predefined place. Group chat works even when location sharing is switched off. A safety alert can send a user's current location to their contacts, and a group can have up to 20 members. Users choose when and with whom to share their location, including modes that limit transmission. The free Basic plan costs nothing. Premium adds unlimited places, a timeline of check-ins and check-outs beyond one day, a panic button, and unlimited live-location lookups. Its price is displayed at purchase, and subscriptions renew automatically each billing period unless canceled. Familo runs on Android and iOS, but is not currently available on computers. The privacy policy says the service complies with GDPR and uses TLS/SSL encryption for data transfers; precise real-time location data is stored for up to two weeks, with only the latest 300 activities per group retained.