The quiz
Which family locator app is right for you?
Seven questions, two minutes, and an honest recommendation. If what you need is parental control, we'll tell you; if Find My or WhatsApp is enough, we'll tell you that too. Thirteen apps are in the mix, not just ours.
Your best match
Based on your answers, these are the three that fit you best, with the good stuff and what you should know about each one. Every link leads to its full comparison with sources and date.
In a hurry? Here's the summary
If you're looking for this, check this out
| If you're looking for… | …check out |
|---|---|
| Arrival alerts, SOS, and chat for a family with iPhone and Android, no ads | Mi Estela |
| You all have iPhones and just want to see where everyone is | Find My (Apple) |
| Controlling a young child's phone (screen time, apps) | Google Family Link · Qustodio · FamiSafe |
| Sharing where you are for a while, to meet up | WhatsApp (live location) · Glympse · Google Maps (location sharing) |
| Driving reports and crash detection | Life360 · GeoZilla |
| Elderly parents: inactivity alert and big buttons | Mi Estela · iSharing |
| Alerting the Police and citizen SOS (free, from Spain's Ministry of the Interior) | AlertCops |
All thirteen, in one sentence
The apps in the test
Mi Estela
Family presence with consent: a shared map with your people, arrival alerts, SOS, chat and video calls, iPhone and Android mixed together, no ads and no selling data. The essentials are free forever; optional Premium per circle (€9.99/month).
Heads up: It's not a parental control app: it doesn't block apps, measure screen time, or generate driving reports. Available from age 14 in Spain.
See the comparison →Find My (Apple)
Free and already on your iPhone: share your location with family, arrival and departure alerts, up to six people through Family Sharing.
Heads up: Only works between Apple accounts: if someone has Android, they're left out. No SOS to the circle, no chat, and no history.
See the comparison →Google Maps (location sharing)
Free on iPhone and Android: share your location for an hour or until you turn it off, with arrival and departure alerts and a link for anyone without an account.
Heads up: It's a feature inside Maps, not a family app: no SOS, no chat, no circle, and with Google's privacy practices.
See the comparison →WhatsApp (live location)
What you already have: share where you are for 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours in any chat, end-to-end encrypted.
Heads up: No arrival alerts, no saved places, no history, and it turns itself off: perfect for "I'm on my way," not for everyday life.
See the comparison →Life360
The most widely used in the world: circles, history, driving reports, crash detection, and Tile. iPhone and Android.
Heads up: The free plan has ads and only 2 places and 2 days of history; its policy allows licensing precise geolocation to partners. Gold, €9.99/month in the EU.
See the comparison →Google Family Link
Free: Google's parental control for young kids, with screen time, apps, and arrival and departure alerts at family places.
Heads up: The supervised phone has to be Android. It's an adult supervising a child, not a two-way family app.
See the comparison →Qustodio
Full parental control made in Barcelona (European company): screen time, filters, apps, family locator, and arrival alerts.
Heads up: Designed to supervise minors; the free plan covers one device. Basic €59.99/year, Complete €99.99/year.
See the comparison →Find My Kids
Parental control with family locator, history, zones, SOS, app usage stats, and chat, designed for children.
Heads up: Includes "Ambient Sound" (listening through the child's phone microphone): that's explicit surveillance, and it requires microphone permissions. From €39.99/year.
See the comparison →FamiSafe
Full parental control by Wondershare: screen time, app blocking, web filters, and location.
Heads up: No permanent free plan (around €59.99/year). Company based in Shenzhen, China.
See the comparison →GeoZilla
Circles, alerts, history, driving reports, and crash detection. iPhone and Android.
Heads up: Expensive subscriptions (weekly from €11.99, yearly €76.99 on Spain's App Store).
See the comparison →Glympse
Share where you are for a while (from 5 minutes to 12 hours) via a link: the recipient doesn't need an app or an account. Free.
Heads up: Temporary by design: no circle, no arrival alerts, no SOS. Its listing declares data for third-party advertising.
See the comparison →iSharing
Family locator with long history, walkie-talkie, SOS with audio, and an inactivity alert designed for seniors. Free with ads.
Heads up: Ads on the free plan; Silver €4.99/month. History up to 365 days: way more than a family needs to know.
See the comparison →AlertCops
The free app from Spain's Ministry of the Interior: alerts to the Police and Guardia Civil, SOS, Accompany Me, and location sharing with up to 5 contacts for a while.
Heads up: It's public safety, not family presence: it doesn't replace a circle app (or 112), but it complements any of them.
See the comparison →Why we recommend it this way
The quiz doesn't just look at "which app has the most features": it looks at who it's for, what phones you have, whether you want to supervise a child or be on equal terms, how much you care about ads and data, and whether you're willing to pay. The data for each app was verified as of October 14, 2026 on their official websites and on Spain's App Store listings; if anything has changed, write to us at hola@miestela.app.
We answer your questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the quiz unbiased?
We try: the answers score thirteen apps, not just Mi Estela, and for several profiles (young kids, iPhone-only families, short-term sharing) others come out ahead. The data is verified with date and source in the comparisons.
Do you save my answers?
No. The quiz runs in your browser and doesn't send anything to any server: not your answers, not your result.
Which family locator app is free?
Find My, Google Maps, WhatsApp, Family Link, and AlertCops are completely free. Life360 and iSharing have a free plan with ads. Mi Estela gives you the essentials forever (map, alerts for 3 places, SOS, chat, calls, and video calls) with no ads, and has an optional Premium per circle.
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