Side by side
CircleUs vs Family Beacon
Both stand on family locator apps. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan AndroidiPhone
CircleUs combines consent-based location sharing with privacy controls, alerts, and tools for driving and elder care. The free tier has member, circle, and alert limits; Gold adds more tools and keeps location history for 30 days.
Visit CircleUs
Free plan AndroidWeb
Family Beacon provides family location sharing, an SOS option, and several stated privacy controls. Review its history-retention periods and Google-only sign-in before choosing it.
Visit Family BeaconThe facts
| CircleUs | Family Beacon | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, iPhone | Android, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Gold: $9 a month | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | circleus.net | familybeacon.oonak.ai |
| On family locator apps | #5 of 29 | #9 of 29 |
CircleUs: what it does well
- Map refreshes every eight seconds
- Consent is required before someone joins a circle
- Privacy bubble shares a general neighborhood area
- SOS can contact emergency services with live coordinates
- Location data can be exported or deleted
What to know first
- Free plan limits circles to two
- Free plan includes only three place alerts
- Gold history is deleted after 30 days
- Gold is $9 a month billed annually
Family Beacon: what it does well
- Free plan includes live location sharing and SOS.
- Sharing is limited to chosen Gmail addresses.
- Recipients receive separately encrypted location updates.
- Users can revoke sharing at any time.
- Map includes last-seen times and battery levels.
What to know first
- Google Sign-In is the only sign-in method.
- Shared history lasts about three months when enabled.
- Private phone history is limited to 14 days.
- Some features require Premium.
Alternatives to CircleUs Alternatives to Family Beacon The whole list