The private alternative
The private Life360 alternative.
Everything you use Life360 for — the live family map, place alerts, check-ins, driving — rebuilt so nobody can read your family's locations. Not advertisers, not data brokers, not even BanditKin. End-to-end encrypted, by architecture.
Thanks — if that's the email you use on Google Play, we'll add you to the Android test within a day. Otherwise we'll email you when the public release lands.
No ads. No analytics. No data sales. No account required.
Side by side
Life360 vs BanditKin
The features look similar. The architecture is the difference — one design can read your family's data, the other can't.
Who can read your location
Life360-style apps decrypt your location on their servers, so the company can read it. BanditKin's relay only ever stores ciphertext — nobody outside your circle can read it, including us.
Ads & data monetization
Life360's free tier is ad-supported, and the company has monetized location data. BanditKin has no ads, no analytics SDKs, and nothing readable to sell.
Accounts & identity
Life360 requires an account. BanditKin pairs devices with an in-person QR scan — no account, no email, no phone number, just random device IDs.
Offline maps
Life360 needs a data connection. BanditKin's map, search, and routing download to your phone and keep working with no signal — and where you look is never transmitted.
Navigation & camera intelligence
BanditKin includes a private turn-by-turn navigator with optional ALPR camera awareness — capabilities no mainstream location-sharing app offers.
Price
Life360's advanced features sit behind paid tiers. BanditKin is free during early access, self-hosting is always free, and one cloud plan includes everything — $4.99/month, $39.99/year, or $99.99 lifetime, after a 30-day free trial. Early users keep everything free.
Feature parity
Everything you actually use Life360 for.
The staying-connected features are all here — rebuilt so none of it is readable by anyone outside your circle.
Live circle map
Everyone in your circle on one live, private map with smooth real-time updates.
Place alerts
Automatic arrive and leave alerts for Home, School, Work, and your own places.
SOS & check-in
One-tap SOS and check-ins so your people know you're safe.
Driving & navigation
A full turn-by-turn navigator built in — routes computed on your phone, not a server.
Messages, voice & Push-to-Talk
Text, voice notes, and Push-to-Talk with your circle — end-to-end encrypted like everything else.
Battery & status
See who's online and their battery level, so you know who can respond.
Pricing
Simple, honest pricing.
Free during early access. Self-hosting is always free. For those who don't want to deal with self-hosting, cloud circles start with a 30-day full free trial — no card, no account — then one plan covers your whole circle: $4.99/month, $39.99/year, or a one-time $99.99 for lifetime access. Early-access users keep everything free.
$4.99/month · $39.99/year · $99.99 lifetime — one plan for your whole circle, after a 30-day free trial.
FAQ
Switching from Life360, answered.
Is BanditKin a good alternative to Life360?
If you use Life360 for the live family map, place alerts, and check-ins, BanditKin covers those — and adds encrypted messaging, offline maps, and private turn-by-turn navigation. The difference is architecture: BanditKin is end-to-end encrypted, so the company can't read or sell your location.
Why does end-to-end encryption matter for a family tracker?
A conventional tracker decrypts your location on its servers, so the company can read it — and several have monetized it. With end-to-end encryption, the server only relays sealed ciphertext; only your circle's paired devices hold the key. Privacy comes from the architecture, not a policy promise.
Does BanditKin have place alerts and check-ins like Life360?
Yes. You get automatic arrive and leave alerts for places like Home, School, and Work, plus one-tap SOS and check-ins — all end-to-end encrypted.
What does BanditKin cost compared to Life360?
Life360's advanced features sit behind paid membership tiers. BanditKin is free during early access, and self-hosting is always free. Cloud circles get a 30-day full free trial — no card, no account — then one plan includes everything: $4.99/month, $39.99/year, or a one-time $99.99 for lifetime access. Early-access users keep everything free. That fee is the entire business model — no ads, no data sales, no “you are the product.”
Does it work on iPhone?
BanditKin runs on Android today, plus a web app you can use in a browser. Android early access is now open to everyone on Google Play — no invite needed — and an iOS app is coming soon to the App Store. iPhone users: sign up and we'll email you the moment it launches.
How do I switch from Life360?
Install BanditKin, create your circle, and pair each member by scanning a QR code in person — there are no accounts to create. Set up your places, confirm everyone appears on the map, then remove Life360 whenever you're ready.