AngelSense is the best known tracker built for children who wander, and for some families it is still the right answer. This page sets it beside Jiobit, Apple AirTag and our own device, using each company's published Canadian prices, and says plainly where we are the weaker choice.
Last updated 21 September 2026. Written by StepSafe, which sells a GPS tracker for children who wander, so read the product parts with that in mind.
The short version
If you want the widest range of wearing options, voice features and a long established product, AngelSense is ahead of everyone here, including us. If the recurring cost is what is stopping you, or your school restricts devices that can record audio, that is where the alternatives matter.
All prices below are Canadian prices in Canadian dollars, read from each company’s own store on 21 September 2026. Prices in the United States are different.
Published prices
Canadian prices in Canadian dollars, read on 21 September 2026. Totals are arithmetic on those rates, not quotes, and exclude tax.
Our own figures are early prices and hold until devices ship in early 2027, after which retail is $199 and $539.[6] “Due at checkout” for AngelSense is the order total their checkout showed on 21 September 2026. It includes an activation fee on every plan, $24 on the two contract plans (listed as reduced from $78 during a sale) and $78 on month to month, which also adds the $300 device and $25 standard shipping. We charge no activation fee, and shipping is free.[1] Five year totals assume their current rates continue and count the activation fee once.
What happened to Jiobit
Jiobit, now owned by Life360, was the most common lower cost alternative to AngelSense. Life360 says the current Jiobit line is out of stock and that it will have more to share about its GPS product plans in the future.[2] Until that changes, it is not something you can buy new, so it is greyed out above rather than removed. If you already own one, Life360 says existing subscriptions are still serviced.
What AngelSense does better
We would rather you heard this from us than found it out after buying.
Wearing options. AngelSense offers a wearable device and a watch, a sensory-friendly sleeve and non-removable pins opened with a magnetic key.[1] A child who pulls off anything clipped to their clothing is a real problem, and AngelSense has built for it. We ship a clip and a lanyard.
Voice. Their plans include 60 minutes a month of voice features.[1] Some parents rely on being able to speak to their child through the device, and our SS-01 cannot do that. We are planning a separate version with a working microphone for families who want one. More on why the SS-01’s microphone is switched off in why our device’s microphone is permanently disabled.
Support and track record. AngelSense’s plans include a personalised onboarding call and support from staff who are parents of children with special needs.[1] They are an established, shipping product with years of real use behind them. We launched on Kickstarter in August 2026 and have not shipped yet. That is a genuine reason to choose them over us.
Where we differ
What you pay at checkout. AngelSense’s month to month plan takes $502.99 on the first day: the first month, a $300 device, a $78 activation fee and $25 shipping.[1] Ours takes $159 for the device, with no activation fee and free shipping, or $399 once for Lifetime Pro.[6]
The recurring cost. On AngelSense’s annual plan a family pays $863.88 in the first year[1] and keeps paying for as long as the child needs it. That is the complaint we hear most, and it is why we sell a one-time option at all.
It never listens. Ours has no listen-in feature and no setting that could turn one on, for us or for anyone else. That is a deliberate trade: no listening in, in exchange for a device that does not raise a recording question at school.
Battery. Ours lasts up to 4 days on a charge, so most families charge it about twice a week.[9] AngelSense quotes up to 24 hours for its wearable tracker[7] and up to 16 hours for its watch,[8] so theirs is charged every day. A device that is flat on the one morning it is needed does nothing, which is why this matters more than it sounds.
A one-time price that is not a trick. Lifetime Pro is $399 once[6], covering service for the working life of that device. Not your lifetime, and not transferable to a replacement.
The Zones screen in the StepSafe app: a water zone around a pond and a safe zone around home, each with a switch to pause it.
A note on AirTag
AirTag is in the table because parents ask about it constantly and it costs $39.[3] It is also not a GPS tracker. It has no GPS and no cellular connection. It sends a Bluetooth signal that is picked up by other people’s nearby Apple devices,[4] which works well on a busy street and not at all on an empty road, in woodland, or beside the water that matters most.
Apple says so themselves: “AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people.”[5]
Our FCC and ISED filings are scheduled for October 2026 and are not complete. We do not hold those certifications today and will not claim them until we do. AngelSense is a shipping product and ours is not.
The device is water resistant to IP65, which covers rain, sweat and splashes. It is not waterproof and should come off for swimming and baths.
What we make
StepSafe SS-01 is a clip-on cellular GPS tracker for children who wander, with live location, safe zone alerts and a permanently disabled microphone. CA$159 with a CA$19.99 monthly plan, or CA$399 once with no monthly fee. Devices ship in early 2027 to Canada and the United States.
It depends on what you need. If voice features and non-removable attachments matter most, AngelSense is still hard to beat. If the monthly cost is the problem, look for a device with a lower plan or a one-time price, such as our StepSafe SS-01, which is on pre-order and ships in early 2027. Jiobit, once the usual cheaper option, is out of stock according to Life360, and an AirTag is not a GPS tracker.
How much is AngelSense a month?
In Canada, AngelSense's checkout showed CA$79.99 a month on a one-year contract, CA$69.99 a month on the annual plan paid upfront, and CA$99.99 month to month, each plus an activation fee (checked 21 September 2026). Its US store listed US$44.99 to US$64.99 a month depending on the plan, plus an activation fee. Prices change, so check their pricing page before you decide.
Is Jiobit still available?
Not new, for now. Life360, which owns Jiobit, says the current Jiobit line is out of stock and that it will share more about its GPS product plans in the future. Existing subscriptions are still serviced.
AngelSense vs AirTag: what is the difference?
AngelSense is a GPS tracker with its own cellular connection, safe zone alerts and a monthly plan. An AirTag has no GPS or cellular radio, no monthly fee, and is only located when another Apple device passes nearby. Apple says AirTag was designed to help people find belongings, not to track people.
Does AngelSense work in Canada?
AngelSense sells in Canada through a Canadian store priced in Canadian dollars, which is where the prices on this page come from. Its Canadian and US prices are set separately, so do not convert one into the other.
