Lively Link vs How's Mom
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lively Link
Stay connected with loved ones by receiving timely updates on their health and safety. Get alerts for emergencies, track their location, and monitor their activities to ensure their well-being and independence.
- Receive Emergency Alerts
- Retrieve Location Updates
- Check Activities & Appointments
- Monitor Device Battery Status
- Access Support Articles
- Personalize Notifications
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Lively Link™, a free app for your smartphone, keeps you informed about the health and safety of loved ones who subscribe to a Lively Health and Safety plan. Link can provide peace of mind by sharing timely updates about your loved one. You can check in with them when you want, from anywhere, without disturbing them – helping them maintain the independent life they love. Exclusive features help them stay independent and you feel reassured. Once you accept the invite from your loved one and successfully set up Link, you’re able to access the following features: Receive Emergency Alerts Link will send you notifications for selected actions including when your loved one has contacted Urgent Response on their Lively device, allowing you to make decisions quickly and follow up without delay. Retrieve Location When the locator permissions are on you will see your loved one’s location on a map and receive updates if they change location. These general updates happen approximately every 20 minutes. In an emergency, First Responders get location updates every 30 seconds. Check Activities Based on information in the Lively device user’s Personal Profile, see if appointments are being kept and receive other reports about their activities. Check Device Status Get peace of mind knowing your loved one always has access to a professional in the event of an emergency. Link will let you know the Lively device Battery Status. You’ll also be notified when the battery is low so you can remind your loved one to recharge or replace the battery and stay connected. Get Articles to Help You Support Your Loved One Resource center featuring helpful articles, advice and tips for seniors and their loved ones. Personalization The Link team cares that the app is tailored to you. That’s why there are settings allowing you to choose which notifications you receive, add a picture of your loved one and even save their phone number – so you can call them directly from the app. We want you to have a great app experience. If you have any questions about the Link app or simply can’t find your favorite features, email us at customerservice@lively.com we’ll be glad to help. https://www.lively.com/link Technical Help Find answers to common questions in our FAQs. For additional assistance, tap ‘Contact Us’ from Link or call (800) 733-6632.
How's Mom
This app facilitates secure communication between senior care providers and families. It offers real-time access to health data, facility notifications, event calendars, and direct contact with caretakers, ensuring families stay informed and connected.
- Real-time patient chart access
- Medication and nutrition tracking
- Facility emergency notifications
- Event and appointment calendar
- Direct caretaker contact
- HIPAA compliant security
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How's Mom enhances communication in Senior Care by automating care updates, improving efficiency, ensuring compliance, and engaging families, ultimately boosting care quality and reducing risks. The How’s Mom app by Safekeeping is Senior Care’s first and only Family Communications Manager that gives families peace-of-mind through connections with their loved ones’ care providers. FAMILY CONNECTIONS IN How's Mom Family Access to Health Data - View your loved one's patient chart in real-time from your phone. View their medication list, nutrition, vitals - including heart rate, pain level, and more! Facility Notifications - Unpredictable weather and emergency situations can happen. With How's Mom, family members are sent notifications from the care center via the app. View Event Calendar - View your loved ones upcoming medical appointments and facility events so you can stay up-to-date on their health care. Family Five Star Feedback - rate your loved one’s care center and share your feedback directly with facility management. Contact Information - quickly access contact information for your loved one’s caretakers so you can reach out to them directly. Secure Communications - How’s Mom is secure and HIPAA compliant - keeping your loved one's health data protected and only accessible to family members who are authorized to see the information. HOW TO ACTIVATE: You can download the How’s Mom app anytime. To get access to your loved one’s resident records, you will receive an activation link from their senior care center. If you haven’t received an activation link, contact your loved one’s senior care center or send them to howsmom.net to set up their care center.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lively Link at 4.2 against How's Mom's 1.6. Lively Link also leads on ratings volume (4K vs 8) and review sentiment (24% vs 11%). How's Mom's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lively Link holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lively Link has 4K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Lively Link's written reviews are positive against 11% of How's Mom's.
Lively Link ships an update every 6 weeks, How's Mom fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lively Link | How's Mom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (4K ratings) — better | 1.6 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 24.0% of reviews — better | 10.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4K — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Best Buy Health, Inc. | SafeKeeping LLC |
Customer experience
Lively Link
How's Mom
Bugs and requests
Lively Link
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashing and freezing
- Inconsistent device status and location reporting
- Notifications not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Option to delete unused devices from the app
- Improved fall detection accuracy
- Real-time location updates
- Better integration with iOS and Android
How's Mom
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Lively Link
No in-app purchases
How's Mom
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Lively Link free?
Is How's Mom free?
Which has better reviews, Lively Link or How's Mom?
Do Lively Link or How's Mom have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lively Link or How's Mom?
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