Looking for a Life360 alternative? Here is how Orbily compares
Orbily and Life360 both show your family on a live map, send an SOS and tell you when someone gets home. Orbily is built around asking first: a safety boundary only runs once the person it covers has agreed to it, everyone can see who can see them, and an orbit can be temporary, for a trip that ends by itself.
Join the beta| Feature | Orbily | Life360 |
|---|---|---|
| Areas that alert you | Yes: Safety boundaries around a place, for the times you choose, with alerts when someone leaves and comes back. | Yes: Place Alerts tell Circle members when someone arrives at or leaves a place.2 |
| The person covered agrees first | Yes: Always. They see the exact area and times, nothing runs until they accept, and they can switch it off at any time. | Life360's Place Alerts guide describes members setting places up; it does not describe asking the person first.2 |
| Arrival alerts on the free plan | Yes: Home and work. Every saved place too, once anyone in the orbit has Plus. | Yes: Two places with alerts on Free, five on Silver, and unlimited place alerts on Gold and Platinum.1 |
| Group chat in the app | Yes: A private chat for each orbit, with direct messages between two people. | No: In-app messaging was replaced by call and text buttons that open your phone's own apps, plus emoji Quick Notes.3 |
| Shared family calendar | Yes: A shared plan for each orbit, with reminders, repeats, RSVPs, photos and documents. | Not among the plan features Life360 lists.1 |
| Groups that end by themselves | Yes: Temporary orbits end on the date you choose, then sharing stops and the orbit becomes read-only. | Not among the plan features Life360 lists.1 |
| Driving | Yes: Every drive: the route shaded by speed, braking and forces, phone pickups and an indicative score. No leaderboard. | Yes: A family driving summary on every plan; individual driver reports on Gold and Platinum.1 |
| What happens to location data | Never sold, never shared with advertisers and never used for ad targeting. | Life360 describes data partnerships with Arity and Placer.ai, limited to the US, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.4 |
What is the main difference between Orbily and Life360?
Consent. In Orbily, nobody can put an alert area on you: a safety boundary is a request, and it only runs once you have seen the exact area and times and said yes. Every alert tells you the other person was told, you can switch it off at any time, and they learn it is off, never why. Everyone in an orbit can also see who can see them.
Can Orbily replace a family group chat and calendar too?
Yes. Each orbit has its own chat and its own shared plan beside the map, so the school run, the weekend and the “are you home?” happen in one app rather than three.
Is Orbily good for trips as well as family?
Yes. A temporary orbit is a group that ends when you say it will, for a weekend away, a festival or a stag do. When it ends, sharing stops by itself and the orbit becomes read-only.
Which should I choose?
If crash detection and emergency dispatch matter most to you, Life360 offers them and Orbily does not. If you want location sharing that everyone has agreed to, with the plan and the chat in the same place, Orbily is built for that, and its safety features are free on every plan.
More questions about Orbily and Life360
No. Orbily never sells location data, never shares it with advertisers and never uses it for ad targeting.
Yes. Both work side by side on the same phone, so a family can try Orbily before deciding.
No. Orbily does not detect crashes and does not call the emergency services. If you are in an accident, call 999 in the UK, or your local emergency number, first.
Sources
What this page says about Life360 comes from Life360's own pages, checked on 4 October 2026. Plans and features change: if something here is out of date, tell us at info@joinorbily.app and we will correct it.