Top 12 family tracking apps like Life360

Apps like Life360 have stormed the market after developers saw the potential value of these tracking tools. The fact that you can stay in touch with all your family members and track their location within a single app is amazing in itself. Moreover, Life360 goes beyond just tracking with its insurance and theft protection features.

So, if you live in a sketchy neighborhood, I’d suggest that you try out Life360. This app will at least give you all the peace of mind you need regarding your family’s safety. We also provide an overview of 12 other top family tracking apps available for families to stay connected and safe.

Overview Life360 Family Locator

The Life360 family locator app takes GPS data from mobile devices and then presents that on the shared map. Each family member is shown as a circle with their picture on it. The location of the family members is updated in real-time, assuming that the data connection is enabled on their devices. All the members have to willingly share their location, and you can’t secretly spy on anyone with this app.

With that said, Life360 also features additional utilities like free towing for certain distances and theft protection with the premium plans. Here are its features and a brief overview to give you a rough idea. 

Top 12 family tracking apps like Life360

Are you looking for affordable and better alternatives to Life360? We explore and review the top 12 apps like Life360 that can help families stay connected and track the whereabouts of their loved ones. From real-time location sharing to geofencing features, these apps offer a variety of options for ensuring the safety and well-being of your family members.

1. FlashGet Kids

FlashGet Kids is a parental control tool that you can use to anonymously track your kids or even spouses. It can be installed without any root or jailbreak. You’ll be able to access the live location of any target device after installing this app and connecting it with the parent application. This app also features a hidden mode, and you only need one-time access to the target device for installation. From there, just make sure that the target device has a good data connection, and you will be sorted.

• Pros
  • Advanced live monitoring features like remote camera access.
  • One-way audio access.
  • No jailbreak or root required.
  • User-friendly interface.
  • Decent location tracking accuracy.
  • Affordable and varied price plans.
• Cons
  • Installation and binding can take a while.

2. Find My Kids

The Find My Kids family locator is another decent tool to track your child when they are out for school. A few quirky features of this app are one-way audio and remote alerts. You can easily ring your child’s phone when they have silenced their devices after installing Find My Kids.

Along with location tracking, Find My Kids is a decent option for protecting your child’s privacy as well. So, if you’re looking for something to track your child, going with Find My Kids is a good enough option.

• Pros
  • Fairly easy to set up on every mobile device. 
  • Has a ton of tracking features. 
  • Gives detailed usage reports. 
  • Geofences are fairly consistent. 
• Cons
  • No uninstall protection. 

3. Glympse

Unlike your traditional family locator apps, Glympse will help you temporarily track anyone you like. It is marketed towards tracking colleagues or friends when they are out for an errand. I mean, no one wants to be tracked by their friends or colleagues all the time. You can use Glympse to create a temporary tracking profile for colleagues. When the colleague under question has completed a certain task or the defined tracking time limit has passed, their location will stop updating in the app.

• Pros
  • Requesting temporary location from anyone using Glympse. 
  • Creating a private group for arranging events. 
  • Quick messages and premium location tags. 
• Cons
  • The interface is a bit bland and somewhat hard to navigate. 

4. KidsGuard Pro

KidsGuard Pro is another location tracking tool paired with a parental control application. You can use it to manage how much time your child spends on their device. Moreover, it will also help you with live screen recording. These features can ensure that your child is not getting curious about mature content or social platforms. So, test out KidsGuard Pro for your kids if you’re suspicious about their online activities and also want to keep track of their location.

• Pros
  • It has advanced parental control features like live screen recording. 
  • It offers remote access to the device’s gallery. 
  • The real-time location features are also pretty responsive. 
• Cons
  • Media access and recording aren’t available for iOS devices.

5. Family360

You can consider Family360 to be a subpar version of Life360. The features are fairly limited when it comes to theft protection and SOS alerts, but they are cheaper. Other than that, the location tracking is pretty accurate. So, if you’re short on budget and need an app for location tracking only, Family360 is a decent enough option.

• Pros
  • Affordable pricing. 
  • Simple interface. 
  • Minimal glitches. 
• Cons
  • Doesn’t offer any additional tracking or monitoring features. 

6. mSpy

If you need something top-tier to track a cheating spouse or a family member, I’d suggest that you go with mSpy. It is an effective spying app like Life360 and offers a ton of features like keystroke tracking, app blockers, and so much more. But very expensive. So, if you’re not satisfied with any of the tracking options above, I’d suggest that you stick with mSpy.

• Pros
  • Compressive tracking and monitoring package. 
  • It can block apps and websites. 
  • It can track files and media. 
  • It can give remote access to the device’s hardware. 
• Cons
  • Physical access to the target device is required. 

7. Verizon Family

The Verizon Family service is also a cheaper parental control tool that will cost you just under five dollars per account. You’ll get standard features like content filtering and screen time limits with this service. However, as far as location accuracy is concerned, Verizon Family is one of the best options out there. Even if the data connection is patchy, you’ll be able to easily track your child’s location with this tool.

• Pros
  • The service package costs under five dollars. 
  • Effortless to set up Verizon-connected Androids. 
• Cons
  • The capability is pretty limited with older units. 

8. FamiSafe

FamiSafe is a great app that will help you connect up to five devices under a single subscription. You can use this app as a location tracker only, but most people know it because of its app-blocking features. If you need something to block social apps or gaming apps on your child’s device, FamiSafe is a good choice.

However, there have been a few reports of children bypassing the app restrictions placed by FamiSafe. So, consider going with a more viable option, FlashGet Kids, instead.

• Pros
  • Available and compatible with all devices (even Windows and macOS).
  • Helps your kid be more disciplined about their school work. 
  • The geofencing alerts are fairly quick. 
• Cons
  • A subscription is only suitable for five devices.
  • Expensive pricing.

9. Find My Phone

Find My Phone – Family Locator is a great tool to help you stay connected with your loved ones in crowded regions. If you’re planning on going to a concert or an event with your family, this app is a must. It will help you use your phone’s camera to find your kids and partner when they are nearby. It does take the stress away from managing everyone’s whereabouts, and you will be able to enjoy the event with your family.

• Pros
  • Quick location sharing with all family members. 
  • Tracking alerts when family members reach their destinations. 
  • Location history for all the tracked individuals. 
• Cons
  • The private chat features can often bug out. 

10. Eyezy

Eyezy is a blend of a spy tool and a parental control app that you can use to track your spouse or your kids. It is not the most affordable option in the market, but its features are beyond exceptional in terms of live monitoring. You will be able to easily access all the private stuff on the target device once this app has been installed.

• Pros
  • AI alerts when your child is searching for something inappropriate. 
  • Hidden tracking modes to stay anonymous while tracking. 
  • It offers bank-grade encryption. 
• Cons
  • Somewhat more expensive than your traditional tracking tools. 

11. iSharing

iSharing is a basic location tracker with a simple UI. There isn’t anything exceptional about this app except that it is totally free. So, if you’re not willing to spend any money on the family tracker, iSharing isn’t a bad option.

• Pros
  • Comprehensive location logging within OwnTracks. 
  • Quick log sharing with family and friends. 
• Cons
  • No real-time location-sharing option.
  • Limited functions.

12. OwnTracks

OwnTracks isn’t like your traditional location-tracking application. You can use it to log every place you visit, and it is primarily intended for personal use. However, you can still use the sharing features within OwnTracks to let your family in on your journey. It is a great utility for travelers, but it isn’t a good safety or tracking application for families.

• Pros
  • Comprehensive location logging within OwnTracks. 
  • Quick log sharing with family and friends. 
• Cons
  • No real-time location-sharing option.
  • Limited parental control features.

Must-have features to choose a location tracking app

There are many things to consider when you’re choosing an ideal family tracking application. The mistake that most people make is that they will only look at the feature list and ignore all the basics. So, before you make your decision, here are some must-have features and aspects of choosing a location-tracking app. 

• Decent location tracking accuracy. 
• Quick geofencing alerts. 
• Minimal bugs. 
• Surround monitoring with a remote camera. 
• Live audio monitoring. 
• Affordable pricing. 
• Responsive customer support. 

Keeping all of these features in mind, FlashGet Kids is the only app that fits the criteria. I’ve personally used this app for a couple of months, and it doesn’t disappoint. The best thing is that the real-time location updates don’t stop even when the data connection is a bit patchy. So, don’t worry about ever losing track of your child when using FlashGet Kids. 

Benefits of tracking apps like Life360

If you’re on the edge about using tracking apps like Life360, then consider the safety of your family. These apps can really help you establish a better connection with your family without any hassle of calling them again and again. Here are some benefits that might help you make up your mind about tracking your family.

For Parents:

1. The child’s location is always accessible. 
2. Their location history can help you better manage their routine. 
3. Knowing their location gives you a better peace of mind. 
4. You can react quickly in emergencies by accessing their location. 
5. Your kids are always connected. 

For Kids:

1. The children don’t have to constantly update their parents. 
2. It promotes independence when your child doesn’t have to give you every single update. 

Conclusion

Apps like Life360 are a must in this day and age. Even if you’re not too concerned about your neighborhood, tracking your family’s whereabouts can come in handy. You never know when an emergency can strike, and apps like Life360 can be a blessing in such situations. So, consider integrating a similar tracking system into your family.