Comparison

AARP Now vs Smart911

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

AARP Now

Access personalized news, events, and member benefits on the go. This app provides a mobile gateway to your membership, offering curated content, digital publications, and local event listings. Easily manage your account and discover exclusive savings.

Highlights
  • Personalized news and alerts
  • Digital editions of AARP publications
  • Local and virtual event listings
  • Member discounts and nearby benefits
  • Digital membership card
  • Save articles and events for later
  • Access to AARP games
Features
Read full description

Introducing the new and improved AARP Now. It’s the app that makes your AARP Membership truly mobile. AARP Now connects AARP Members to personalized news, alerts, events and savings that matter to you—whenever you want them. Download AARP Now and your membership is wherever you are. MY AARP The all-new My AARP includes top stories hand curated by our editorial team, uniquely personalized news, events, benefits, and new ways for you to customize your experience with AARP Now. Plus, videos and the latest digital editions of AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. Easily access your digital membership card, Inbox and My account with one tap from My AARP. MORE PERSONALIZED THAN EVER The new AARP Now personalizes recommendations based on your previous activity. Get more of the content you love on My AARP, News, Benefits and Events. ACCESS DIGITAL EDITIONS OF AMERICA’S TWO LARGEST PUBLICATIONS: AARP THE MAGAZINE AND AARP BULLETIN AARP Publications help people 50 and older live their best and most fulfilling lives. Read current and back issues in AARP Now. You’ll find these in the new AARP Publications tile. Don’t have time to read now? Save any magazine article for quick access later. And you can even listen to articles through our new audio feature. NEWS The new AARP Now includes more opportunities to catch up on the latest news in just a few minutes; read the latest Top Stories on the My AARP tab, or dig deeper on the all-new News tab, bringing you even more curated news, plus news uniquely personalized just for you. Save News stories for reading later. And join the conversation by sharing with friends and adding comments! MORE AARP The new More AARP tab lets you tailor your app experience. If you find something you’ll want to access often, use the Customize Your Navigation feature to add it to your navigation bar. SAVE FOR LATER We have expanded the save feature in AARP Now beyond just benefits and events. You can now save news stories and videos, and features in AARP Publications, as well as benefits and events. Access items Saved for Later by tapping the Saved for Later icon on News, Benefits or Events, or tap Saved for Later in My Account or My AARP. DIGITAL CARD/MEMBERSHIP Instantly access your digital membership card and add it to Apple Wallet alongside your other affinity and payment cards. Join AARP or renew your AARP Membership in seconds. Plus, manage your account on the go. EVENTS Explore hundreds of local community events and online virtual events – from farmers markets, movies, documentaries, workshops, fitness classes and more, to kid-friendly activities – and quickly register for them right from the app. MEMBER DISCOUNTS Easily find benefits and discounts in your neighborhood, now with new Nearby view, showing nearby benefits on a map. Offers are added monthly. GAMES Access AARP Games, wherever you are! From Word & Trivia Games to Arcade Games to Solitaire & Mahjongg, there's something for everyone. And if you want even easier access to Games, add Games to your navigation bar with the new Customize Your Navigation feature. NOTIFICATIONS Receive news alerts, reminders for upcoming events or when benefits you have saved are nearby. You can easily manage your notifications in My Account > Notifications. AARP REWARDS Get more from AARP Now with the AARP Rewards program! Earn Rewards points for downloading the app and visiting the app each day, plus synchronize your favorite fitness tracker or the Health app to get even more points for steps, swimming, and cycling. *AARP Membership is not required to use AARP Now, but AARP Members Edition™ exclusive content may require membership. Terms of Service: https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/privacy-policy/

About

Smart911

Enhance emergency preparedness by creating a Safety Profile to share vital household information with 9-1-1. Receive targeted emergency alerts for weather, traffic, and public safety events.

Highlights
  • Create Safety Profiles
  • Share household information with 9-1-1
  • Receive emergency alerts
  • Customize notification types
  • View medical and contact details
Features
Read full description

Be better prepared for any emergency with Smart911. By signing up, you can share lifesaving information about your household with 9-1-1 and receive targeted emergency alerts. When you call 9-1-1, your Smart911 Safety Profile displays on the 9-1-1 screen. The 9-1-1 call takers can view your addresses, medical information, home information, pets and vehicles, and emergency contacts. You can provide as much or as little information as you like. This additional information enables 9-1-1 and first responders to send help fast. Smart911 can also keep you informed of weather, traffic, and other emergencies by sending emergency alerts from the National Weather Service and local public safety agencies. You can select the types of notifications you want and how you want to be notified. Smart911: Information worth sharing. Sign up today.

Screenshots

AARP Now4 screens
Smart9114 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smart911 at none against AARP Now's 6. Smart911 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (37% vs 28%). AARP Now's advantage is ratings volume (183K vs 6.6K) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. AARP Now sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $20.00 per year. Smart911 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for AARP Now against 4.7 for Smart911. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AARP Now has 183K ratings behind it against 6.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 28% of AARP Now's written reviews are positive against 37% of Smart911's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AARP Now ships an update monthly, Smart911 every 4 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
AARP Now versus Smart911: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAARP NowSmart911
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (183K ratings) — better4.7 (6.6K ratings)
Positive reviews28.4% of reviews37.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings183K — better6.6K
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#116 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.016 — better
Further details — not scored
Size182 MB26 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAARPRave Mobile Safety

Customer experience

AARP Now

All ratings182,558 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews469 reviews
Positive28.4%
Neutral12.4%
Negative59.3%

Smart911

All ratings6,630 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews140 reviews
Positive37.1%
Neutral8.6%
Negative54.3%

User reviews

AARP Now

From 183K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Informative articles and content
  • 👍 Useful for seniors and retirees
  • 💡 Variety of features (games, workouts, community)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🤯 Clunky and frustrating user interface
  • 💸 Ads despite paid membership
  • 🤔 Inconsistent app behavior across devices

Smart911

From 6.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient access to critical information
  • 🔒 Secure emergency response
  • 💡 Helpful for first responders

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
  • 🔑 Difficult to log in and account management issues
  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive interface
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly

Bugs and requests

AARP Now

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and repeated sign-ins required
  • Rewards system not functioning properly
  • Video/quiz content not loading or working as expected
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to save/bookmark articles
  • Improve navigation and flow between app and browser
  • Optimize app for tablet/iPad usage
  • Enhance rewards program and make it more reliable

Smart911

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to confirm phone number and get verification code
  • Keeps signing users out and unable to log back in
  • Incorrect address formatting and inability to update location
  • Delayed or missing emergency alerts and notifications

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to adjust pin location on map
  • Option to select specific areas for alerts
  • Improved notification settings and customization
  • Support for apartment/building entry details

In-app purchases

6 purchases

AARP Now

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Membership Subscription1 Year trial$20.001 Year
One-time5
  • AARP Membership 1 Year$20.00
  • AARP Membership 3 Years$55.00
  • AARP Renew Membership 3 Years$55.00
Show 2 more
  • AARP Membership 5 Years$79.00
  • AARP Renew Membership 5 Years$79.00
None

Smart911

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AARP Now free?
AARP Now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart911 free?
Smart911 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AARP Now or Smart911?
AARP Now is rated higher. AARP Now averages 4.8 out of 5 from 183K ratings, while Smart911 averages 4.7 from 6.6K ratings.
Do AARP Now or Smart911 have ads?
AARP Now shows ads; Smart911 does not.
Which is updated more often, AARP Now or Smart911?
AARP Now ships an update monthly, and Smart911 every 4 months. Most recently, AARP Now was updated on September 24, 2026 and Smart911 on September 24, 2026.

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