A straight comparison

Personal Alarm Watch vs Pendant

Both of our adult devices do the same essential job: one press summons a trained operator in our UK monitoring centre, with two-way speech and GPS location. The choice between the Go watch and the One pendant comes down to how the wearer prefers to carry it — and which one they will genuinely keep on.

View the Go watch View the One pendant

Same 24/7 UK monitoring on both

SOS, two-way speech and GPS on both

Fall detection included on both

The difference is comfort and habit

The short answer

If the person has worn a watch most of their life, the Go watch usually wins — it slots into an existing habit, stays on the wrist and is hard to leave on a side table. If they have never liked anything on their wrist, or if the priority is one large button and nothing else to think about, the One pendant is the better fit.

What does not change between them is the service. Both devices call the same UK monitoring centre, both open hands-free speech, both send GPS location with the alert and both include automatic fall detection. Neither needs a landline or home broadband.

So this is a comfort-and-habit decision rather than a protection decision — which is genuinely good news, because it means you can choose on what the wearer likes rather than on what they might be giving up.

The most common reason a personal alarm fails to help is not a technical fault — it is that the device was not being worn at the time. That is why we put format and comfort ahead of specifications on this page.

Side by side

Everything below reflects what these two devices actually do.

How it is worn

Go — adults GPS watch: On the wrist, like an everyday watch.
One — GPS pendant: On a neck cord, or kept in a pocket.

SOS button

Go — adults GPS watch: Press and hold on the watch.
One — GPS pendant: One large press-and-hold button.

24/7 UK monitoring

Go — adults GPS watch: Yes — same monitoring centre.
One — GPS pendant: Yes — same monitoring centre.

Two-way speech

Go — adults GPS watch: Yes, hands-free through the watch.
One — GPS pendant: Yes, hands-free through the pendant.

GPS location with alerts

Go — adults GPS watch: Yes.
One — GPS pendant: Yes.

Automatic fall detection

Go — adults GPS watch: Included as standard.
One — GPS pendant: Included as standard.

4G SIM included

Go — adults GPS watch: Yes — no landline or Wi-Fi needed.
One — GPS pendant: Yes — no landline or Wi-Fi needed.

Water resistance

Go — adults GPS watch: IP67 water resistant — rain, splashes and temporary exposure.
One — GPS pendant: IP67 water resistant — rain, splashes and temporary exposure.

Health and wellbeing tracking

Go — adults GPS watch: Yes, alongside the safety features.
One — GPS pendant: Not a feature of the pendant.

Shows the time

Go — adults GPS watch: Yes.
One — GPS pendant: No.

Family app access

Go — adults GPS watch: TrueKare app for nominated contacts.
One — GPS pendant: TrueKare app for nominated contacts.

Charging

Go — adults GPS watch: Regular top-up on the charger.
One — GPS pendant: Regular top-up on the charger.

Monitoring plan price

Go — adults GPS watch: Same adult plans for both devices.
One — GPS pendant: Same adult plans for both devices.

Feature	Go — adults GPS watch	One — GPS pendant
How it is worn	On the wrist, like an everyday watch.	On a neck cord, or kept in a pocket.
SOS button	Press and hold on the watch.	One large press-and-hold button.
24/7 UK monitoring	Yes — same monitoring centre.	Yes — same monitoring centre.
Two-way speech	Yes, hands-free through the watch.	Yes, hands-free through the pendant.
GPS location with alerts	Yes.	Yes.
Automatic fall detection	Included as standard.	Included as standard.
4G SIM included	Yes — no landline or Wi-Fi needed.	Yes — no landline or Wi-Fi needed.
Water resistance	IP67 water resistant — rain, splashes and temporary exposure.	IP67 water resistant — rain, splashes and temporary exposure.
Health and wellbeing tracking	Yes, alongside the safety features.	Not a feature of the pendant.
Shows the time	Yes.	No.
Family app access	TrueKare app for nominated contacts.	TrueKare app for nominated contacts.
Charging	Regular top-up on the charger.	Regular top-up on the charger.
Monitoring plan price	Same adult plans for both devices.	Same adult plans for both devices.

(Pendants may vary.) Fall detection is included on both devices, but no fall-detection system can identify every fall.

Choose the watch if…

A watch is already part of the day

Putting it on in the morning is an existing habit, so there is nothing new to remember and no new object to accept.

Health and wellbeing matters too

The Go watch offers wellbeing tracking alongside its safety features, which some people value as much as the SOS button.

Being out and about is the norm

A wrist device is unlikely to be left behind on the way out of the door, which is exactly when GPS matters most.

Reaching a wrist is easier

For some people the wrist is simply the easiest place to reach reliably, including from the floor.

Choose the pendant if…

Nothing on the wrist, thank you

Plenty of people have never worn a watch and never will. A pendant under or over clothing avoids that objection entirely.

One big button is the whole story

No screen, no time display, nothing else to interpret — just an unmistakable button that does one thing.

Dexterity makes small controls hard

A larger button worn on the chest can be easier to locate and press than anything on a wrist strap.

It can be worn or carried

On a neck cord for most of the day, or in a pocket when that is more comfortable — the speech and SOS work either way.

See both devices

Same monitoring, same core safety features, two different formats.

Go GPS personal alarm watch with SOS button and fall detection

Go — adults GPS watch

Best suited to: everyday watch wearers, and anyone who wants wellbeing tracking too.

SOS, two-way speech and GPS on the wrist
Automatic fall detection included
Health and wellbeing tracking
IP67 water resistant

View the Go watch

One GPS personal alarm pendant with a single large SOS button

(Pendants may vary)

One — GPS pendant

Best suited to: people who prefer one simple button and nothing on the wrist.

A single large SOS button
Two-way speech through the pendant
GPS and automatic fall detection included
IP67 water resistant

View the One pendant

What is identical either way

The monitoring is the same service on both devices: trained UK operators, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, answering with the wearer's file and the device's location on screen and working through the nominated contacts and instructions agreed in advance.

The connection is the same too. Each device carries its own 4G SIM, included in the plan, so protection is not limited to the inside of the house and there is nothing to plug in or top up.

Plan pricing is the same for both adult devices, and the equipment in each case is supplied for use with the monitoring service and remains the property of Medi Alarm 247 Limited, to be returned when the service ends in line with our terms and conditions.

See the plans on personal alarm costs, or read monitored vs unmonitored alarms if you are still deciding what kind of alarm you need.

Choosing for someone else

Ask, then order

A five-minute conversation about what they would actually wear prevents most returns. Include them in the decision wherever you can.

Think about charging

Whichever format you choose, the device needs a routine top-up. Nominated contacts can check the battery in the TrueKare app.

Check the coverage

Both devices need usable mobile signal. If a particular home or area concerns you, ask our team before ordering.

Frequently asked questions

Is a personal alarm watch better than a pendant?+

Neither is better in general — they differ in how they are worn rather than in the protection they provide. Both the Go watch and the One pendant have a monitored SOS button, two-way speech, GPS location and automatic fall detection. The right choice is the format the wearer will keep on every day.

Do both formats have fall detection?+

Yes, automatic fall detection is included as standard on both. No fall-detection system can identify every fall, on any device, so the SOS button remains the most reliable way to raise help when the wearer is able to press it.

Do both work outside the house?+

Yes. Each device has its own 4G SIM and GPS built in, so both work at home and away from it wherever there is usable mobile coverage. Neither depends on a base unit, a landline or home Wi-Fi.

Which is easier for someone who is not confident with technology?+

Many people find the pendant simplest, because it is one large button and nothing else. That said, someone who has worn a watch every day for decades often finds the watch easier still, because it fits a habit they already have. Existing routine usually matters more than the number of buttons.

Can either be worn in the shower?+

Both devices are IP67 water resistant, designed for everyday rain, splashes and temporary water exposure — worth knowing, as bathrooms are where people most often worry about a fall. Neither is completely waterproof, so we recommend minimising unnecessary water exposure and avoiding swimming, bathing and prolonged submersion.

Does the watch do anything the pendant does not?+

The Go watch also offers health and wellbeing tracking alongside its safety features, and it shows the time, which some people prefer. The pendant concentrates on being a single, unmistakable SOS button.

What if we choose the wrong one?+

There is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if the format turns out not to suit the wearer you are not stuck with it. Our team are also happy to talk it through beforehand — that conversation prevents most mismatches.

Helpful next steps

Still not sure which format?

Tell our UK team a little about the person who will wear it and we will give you an honest recommendation — and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee either way.

Take the device quiz 0800 688 9961

Phone lines open Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. Go and One: 24/7 monitoring, 365 days a year. Junior: family monitored via the app only.