Compare software

Keep Alive vs SOS Alerter: catalog facts
Keep Alive	SOS Alerter
Best for: People living alone who want someone alerted if they stop using their phone	Best for: People who want a private, offline emergency alert app on Android
Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.
Android	Android
Works without any ongoing interaction after setup Uses plain SMS, so contacts need no special app All 4 strengths for Keep Alive Works without any ongoing interaction after setup Uses plain SMS, so contacts need no special app Can alert several people with a custom message Actively maintained	Sends emergency SMS and call alerts to chosen contacts Shares real-time location with trusted contacts All 3 strengths for SOS Alerter Sends emergency SMS and call alerts to chosen contacts Shares real-time location with trusted contacts Stores contacts and captured media locally on the device
Android only Depends on cellular SMS service being available All 3 limitations for Keep Alive Android only Depends on cellular SMS service being available Not a replacement for a dedicated medical alert service	Android only Alerts depend on SMS and phone service being available All 3 limitations for SOS Alerter Android only Alerts depend on SMS and phone service being available Small project with a short track record
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: GPL-3.0-or-later
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Keep Alive github.com/keepalivedev/KeepAlive f-droid.org/packages/io.keepalive.android Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for SOS Alerter github.com/dhilipmpms/SOS-alerter f-droid.org/packages/org.sosalerter.app Catalog checked October 2, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.