Side by side
CircleUs vs OpenFamily
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 Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+2
OpenFamily provides household location sharing and safety tools while keeping account and location data on the operator's server. It requires self-hosting and security upkeep, and map tile providers may see which areas are viewed.
Visit OpenFamilyThe facts
| CircleUs | OpenFamily | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | Android, iPhone | Android, API, iPhone, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Gold: $9 a month | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | circleus.net | openfamily.app |
| On family locator apps | #5 of 29 | #1 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
OpenFamily: what it does well
- Live map displays battery, last-seen, and movement information.
- Saved places can trigger arrival and departure alerts.
- SOS, check-ins, and non-emergency help are available.
- Detailed location history is retained for 90 days.
What to know first
- Deployment requires operating a Docker Compose stack.
- The operator must manage the server and PostgreSQL data.
- Default map tile hosts can see the viewed area.
- The app does not encrypt database rows itself.
Alternatives to CircleUs Alternatives to OpenFamily The whole list