MG Mini Lite vs. SOS Micro Review: Same Hardware, Different Price

What if we could save you $255 on a medical alert system, a savings of 32%?  That sounds like a good deal, but surely there’s a catch to it, right?  

Not really. This deal does NOT involve a limited-time sale, or a special promo code or a secret affiliate link.  It’s something that’s available to anyone at any time.  

Surprisingly, you can get this deal just by doing some smart shopping and choosing where you buy your medical alert system from.  

Here’s how to do it.

Video: MG Mini Lite vs. SOS Micro

Same Hardware, Different Company

A little known fact about the medical alert industry is that the companies selling your system don’t actually make their own hardware.  They don’t actually make the medical alert device itself. 

Leading medical alert companies – like Life Alert, Medical Guardian, Bay Alarm Medical, Lifeline – all buy their hardware from third-party manufacturers.  They buy them wholesale from manufacturers throughout the world such as China, Europe, or the USA and sell them to you under their own brand.

The medical alert companies then add their services on top of the hardware. Those services include 24/7 emergency monitoring, as well as shipping, billing, returns, marketing and all the other things companies do to operate.  

This means that – every once in a while – you can find two leading medical alert companies selling the exact same hardware.

For example, consider the MG Mini Lite medical alert from Medical Guardian.  It’s a compact mobile medical alert that can be worn on your wrist. It’s a great system that we really like.

Now look at the SOS Micro from Bay Alarm Medical.  

It’s also a compact mobile medical alert that can be worn on your wrist, and it’s also a great system that we really like.

In fact, it’s the exact same medical alert system as the MG Mini Lite.  

Different Company, Different Price

So here we have two companies selling the same hardware.  But – even though they’re selling the exact same device – they charge very different prices.

Here’s what Medical Guardian charges for their system:

Compare that to what Bay Alarm Medical charges:

To own the MG Mini Lite for the first year will cost you $809.35

To own the SOS Micro for the first year will cost you $553.90. 

That’s a difference of $255.45.  The SOS Micro is 32% cheaper than the MG Mini Lite.

Breaking down the price difference, Medical Guardian charges $149.95 for the hardware. Bay Alarm Medical charges about half that for the very same hardware.  

But the biggest price difference comes from monthly monitoring fees.  Medical Guardian charges $44.95 per month for their 24/7 emergency monitoring.  Bay Alarm Medical charges just $29.95 for their 24/7 emergency monitoring.  Over 12 months, that price difference adds up. 

Why the Difference?

How can two companies offer the same product at such different prices? 

We want to stress that both Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Guardian are high-quality companies that offer great service.  

Both companies operate emergency monitoring centers that are 5-diamond certified.  That means each year an independent body puts their centers through a rigorous testing process to ensure they meet the highest quality standards.  To learn more about 5-diamond certification, visit The Monitoring Association website.

Likewise, both companies have great online reviews as determined by TrustPilot, an independent review site that surveys actual customers:

TrustPilot gives Bay Alarm Medical a 4.7-star rating from over 1,300 reviews. 

TrustPilot gives Medical Guardian a 4.0-star rating from over 1,000 reviews.  

Finally, in our independent, hands-on tests, we’ve found both companies to be among the best in the industry.  

That said, we’ve always found Medical Guardian’s prices to be very high for services that aren’t any better than their competition.  

The question isn’t why is Bay Alarm Medical so cheap, but rather why is Medical Guardian so expensive?

We Choose Bay Alarm Medical 

Bay Alarm Medical is also our #1 pick for Best Medical Alert company overall.  That’s because they offer great medical alert systems, excellent service, and are very affordable. 

Shop Bay Alarm Medical now or read our detailed review of the company.