Comparison · verified on October 14, 2026
Mi Estela vs. Life360
Life360 is the largest family location app in the world, and it does a lot well. Mi Estela is different: symmetrical, ad-free, it never licenses your location to anyone, and it doesn't grade anyone. Here are both, with sources.
In two lines
The world's largest: 102 million monthly users. Circles, places, driving reports, and Tile. Free plan has ads, and location data is licensed to partners.
What is Life360
Life360 was founded in 2008 in San Francisco and today it's the benchmark in the sector: 102.4 million monthly active users (Q2 2026 results), listed on Nasdaq, and owner of the Tile item finders. It works through "Circles": a private group with a real-time map, place alerts, chat, low battery alerts, driving reports, crash detection, and an SOS button.
In the European Union it sells three plans: Free, Silver, and Gold. The free plan includes 2 places with alerts, 2 days of history, and ads (Life360 itself explains that advertising funds the free version). Silver extends history to 7 days and Gold to 30, and adds individual driver reports (speed, phone use, hard braking, and acceleration).
One detail that matters in Spain: crash detection and SOS are included in all plans, but Life360's automatic 24/7 emergency dispatch is not available in Spain (it is in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and others). Here, SOS alerts your Circle and your emergency contacts.
Face to face
| Criteria | Mi Estela | Life360 |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time map See where your people are right now | ✓ | ✓ |
| iPhone and Android together One family, mixing both | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arrival alerts When someone gets home, to school... | ✓ 3 free spots; more with Premium | ✓ 2 free places; more on paid plans |
| SOS Alert your people with your location | ✓ free forever; 112 one tap away | ✓ emergency dispatch not available in Spain |
| Chat and calls Inside the app | ✓ free | ~ Circle chat |
| Video calls Inside the app | ✓ free | ✕ |
| Route history Days we keep | ✓ 3 days free, 30 with Premium; each person turns it on | ✓ 2 days free, 7 Silver, 30 Gold |
| Invisible mode or zone only Hide for a while or share only your area | ✓ Ghost (adults) or zone only | ~ you can pause location |
| Symmetrical Everyone sees the same about everyone; there's no "supervisor" | ✓ | ~ the Circle has an administrator |
| No ads On the free plan | ✓ never | ✕ ads on the free plan |
| Never sells or licenses your location According to its privacy policy | ✓ no sale or licensing, ever | ✕ licenses precise geolocation to partners (2026 policy) |
| Free plan What's included | ✓ map, alerts, SOS, chat, calls, video calls | ✓ 2 places, 2 days, with ads |
| Paid price In Spain, as of Oct 14, 2026 | ✓ €9.99/month or €99.99/year for the whole circle; 14-day free trial | ✓ Silver €5.99/mo, Gold €9.99/mo |
| Driving reports Speed, hard braking, phone use while driving | ✕ on purpose: no notes | ✓ individual reports on Gold only |
| Parental controls Block apps, screen time, read messages | ✕ presence, not control | ✕ |
| Minimum age To have your own account | ✓ 14 years old in Spain (digital consent) | ✓ under 13 with parental consent |
| Company and data Where it is and where it stores data | ✓ Madrid, Spain; data in the EU | ~ USA; EU representative in Dublin |
✓ yes · ✕ no · ~ partly. Mi Estela info comes from the app's code; Life360 info comes from the sources at the bottom, as of October 14, 2026.
What Life360 does better
- Size and maturity: 102 million users, years of experience, and a huge support network.
- Automatic crash detection (in Mi Estela, you press SOS yourself).
- Integration with Tile item finders for keys, backpacks, and luggage.
- Driving reports, if that's what you're looking for (we don't make them on purpose).
- Accounts for children under 13 with parental consent (Mi Estela starts at the digital consent age: 14 in Spain).
What Mi Estela does better
- Ad-free, always. Life360 shows ads on its free plan.
- We don't sell or license your location. Life360's current privacy policy (August 26, 2026) says it licenses "certain information, including precise geolocation" to partners for advertising and monetization.
- Symmetrical: what you see of the other person, they see of you. No administrator sees more.
- No scorecards: no speed reports or "phone in hand" flags. Presence, not judgment.
- Video calls inside the app, free. And chat and calls, free.
- Premium covers the whole circle (one person pays, the whole family benefits): €9.99/month or €99.99/year, with a 14-day trial. Life360 Gold costs €9.99/month per Circle.
- Each person turns history on for themselves, if they want it, and turns it off whenever they like. 3 free days versus Life360's 2.
- Made in Madrid, with data stored on servers in the European Union.
Pricing
On Life360's European website (checked October 14, 2026): Free, Silver €5.99/month, and Gold €9.99/month, with a 7-day trial. The annual price doesn't appear in euros ("save 17%"). The US also has Platinum; the EU doesn't. Mi Estela: essentials free; Premium €9.99/month or €99.99/year per circle, 14-day trial.
Privacy and data
In December 2021, The Markup reported that Life360 was selling precise location data from its users to a dozen data brokers (about $16 million in 2020). In January 2022, Life360 announced it would stop selling precise location to those brokers, while keeping agreements such as the one with Arity (Allstate) and aggregated data. In 2023 there was a class action lawsuit. Its current privacy policy (August 26, 2026) still says it licenses information, including precise geolocation, to selected partners for its own advertising and monetization purposes, with an option to opt out. It doesn't show ads or sell data from accounts of users under 18. Mi Estela has no ads and does not sell or license location data to anyone.
Minimum age
Life360: under 13 only with parental consent (Child and Teen accounts); in Spain, the policy refers to the minimum age in each jurisdiction. Mi Estela: from the digital consent age (14 in Spain); between that age and 18, an adult in the circle authorizes social features.
How to sign up for Life360
- Download the app and tap "Get Started."
- Phone number with SMS code (or email, depending on the country), name, email, and date of birth.
- Enter a Circle invite code (expires after 72 hours) or create your own and invite people.
- Choose whether to share your location. You need at least two phones.
And in Mi Estela: how to get started, step by step.
We answer your questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Life360 free in Spain?
It has a free plan with 2 places with alerts, 2 days of history, and ads. Silver costs €5.99/month and Gold €9.99/month (European website, October 14, 2026).
Does Life360 sell my data?
After the 2021 revelations, it stopped selling precise location to data brokers, but its current policy says it licenses information, including precise geolocation, to partners for advertising and monetization, with the option to opt out. Mi Estela does not sell or license location to anyone.
Can I use Life360 and Mi Estela at the same time?
Yes. They're independent apps. Many families try both and stick with whichever suits them.
Does Mi Estela detect crashes like Life360 does?
No. In Mi Estela, you press SOS yourself (with a cancellable countdown), and it alerts your circle with your location. Spain's 112 is one tap away. It doesn't replace emergency services.
Sources
- Life360: Q2 2026 results (102.4M monthly active users)
- Life360: privacy policy (Aug 26, 2026)
- The Markup: Life360 sells precise location data (Dec 6, 2021)
- The Markup: Life360 to stop selling precise location to brokers (Jan 27, 2022)
- The Markup: class action lawsuit (Jun 1, 2023)
- Life360: responsible advertising
- Life360: creating an account and joining a Circle (help)
Brands and names mentioned belong to their respective owners. This comparison is written by the Mi Estela team; if you spot anything outdated or incorrect, write to us at hola@miestela.app and we'll fix it.
Other comparisons
Comparison
Mi Estela vs. Find My (Apple)
Free and already on the iPhone. Ideal if everyone in the family has an iPhone; anyone with Android is left out. No history or chat.
See the comparison →Comparison
Mi Estela vs. Google Family Link and Google Maps
Family Link is free parental control for supervised accounts (under 14 in Spain). Google Maps shares location for free between Google accounts. Neither one is a family circle with SOS.
See the comparison →Comparison
Mi Estela vs. WhatsApp (live location)
Share your location in a chat for 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours. Free and encrypted. No saved places, no alerts, no history: it's for a little while, not for the family.
See the comparison →
Try it and compare for yourself.
Download it free, invite someone, and see if it clicks. No card, no ads.
Free to start · No ads · We never sell your data