Apps for supporting someone, or being supported by the people around you, compared
From caregiving apps and free sign-up calendars to one private Circle that the person at the centre leads.
We looked at 46 apps people use to plan life with the people around them, including the most popular caregiving apps. Here’s how they compare, what each one does well and where each one falls short.
First, Pearl is not a 'care' app
Most apps on this page are built for caregiving, where one person organizes help around someone else. Pearl is a private Circle for everyday life. The person at the centre leads, and family, friends and Trusted Providers support them in the ways they choose. No monitoring and no location tracking.
One private Circle the person at the centre leads, where family, friends and Trusted Providers each see only what they should: Hello Pearl is the only app we looked at that does all of this.
A free sign-up calendar for meals and rides during a hard stretch: Lotsa Helping Hands or CaringBridge.
A calendar and grocery list for one household: Cozi is simple and inexpensive.
A professional to handle the logistics for you: Wellthy, usually offered through an employer.
We make Hello Pearl, one of the apps on this page. Every rating below follows the same simple rule, so you can check our work against each company’s own website.
Five questions to ask before you choose
Most people pick an app in the middle of something stressful. These questions save you from switching later.
Who owns the space?
If an agency or employer owns it, it usually ends when that relationship ends. A space you own keeps its history.
Can each person see only what they should?
A neighbour, a sibling and a paid provider need different views. Look for privacy you can set item by item.
Does it handle everyday life too?
The birthday dinner and the pickleball game matter as much as the appointment and the refill. One app for both means one place to look.
Can the person at the centre take the lead?
Large text, one-tap check-ins and text message updates let anyone join in without learning a new device. The best apps let them lead, not just watch.
Does it work from anywhere?
People are spread out. 11% of Americans who help a family member live an hour or more away (AARP and NAC, 2025).
How 10 popular apps compare
Caregiving apps, family organizers and Pearl, side by side.
Yes means the app really does this.
Partly means it does some of it, or only if someone else sets it up. No means it doesn’t. Checked against each company’s own website in October 2026. Prices are in US dollars unless noted.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
What each app is best for
Every app here does something well. The right one depends on the stretch of life you’re in.
Hello Pearl
Private Circle, not a care appPeople who want one private Circle for everyday life, led by the person at the centre. Family, friends and Trusted Providers join one Circle with a shared calendar, secure chat, notes, events, requests, documents and one-tap daily check-ins. The Pearl Marketplace for local services is coming soon.
Pearl isn’t a care app and it doesn’t keep tabs on anyone. There’s no location tracking and no sensors, by design. If you need alerts or a wearable, pair it with a device made for that.
Caring Village
Family organizerA family caregiver who wants one hub for a loved one’s calendar, to-dos, medications and documents, now with an AI assistant.
Family runs things around the person, and you can’t limit what a provider sees to just one or two things. The free plan covers one village with two people.
Lotsa Helping Hands
Volunteer calendarRallying a wider community to sign up for meals, rides and visits, free, with no stated member limit.
Everyone sees everything, and there’s no real place for paid providers.
CaringBridge
Update pageSharing health updates with many people during a hard stretch, free and ad-free, with a planner for help sign-ups.
It’s built around one event, so pages are usually set aside when it passes. There’s no space for providers.
iana (ianacare)
Caregiver team organizerWorking family caregivers who want help organizing a team, plus professional navigators when an employer or health plan offers them.
It’s built for the person doing the helping. The person being helped gets planned for, but doesn’t get a say in the plan.
Tyze Personal Networks
Personal networkFamilies in BC and Yukon living with dementia, who can get it free through the Alzheimer Society. Family, friends and professionals share one private network.
Everyone sees the same things, it usually starts after a diagnosis, and you need an invitation from a local resource centre.
Cozi
Household calendarOne busy household that wants a shared calendar, shopping lists and to-dos for up to 12 people.
Everyone shares one login and can change anything, so nothing is private and there’s no way to share just part of it with a provider or neighbour.
GrandPad
Simple tabletSomeone who wants a simple, closed tablet for video calls, photos, music and games with family.
A family member sets up the contacts and content, and there’s no shared calendar or way to ask for help. It needs the device plus a monthly plan.
Home care agency portals
Agency windowSeeing visit schedules and notes from a home care agency you already use, such as AlayaCare-powered agencies or Home Instead’s Honor family app.
The agency decides what you see, it only covers that one agency, and access ends when you switch.
Wellthy
Care conciergeFamilies who’d rather hand the planning to a professional, usually through a work benefit.
A professional works for the family, so there’s no shared space of your own, and access through work usually ends when the job does.
Five kinds of apps, and who’s in charge in each
The biggest difference between these apps isn’t a feature. It’s how much say the person at the centre gets. We sorted every app we looked at into five groups.
Keeping an eye on someone
Family gets alerts about the person. The person doesn’t really use the app.
Life360, medical alert devices
Planning for someone
Family plans help around the person. Most caregiving apps work this way.
Caring Village, Lotsa, CaringBridge, agency portals, Wellthy
Set up by someone else
The person uses it, but someone else sets it up and runs it.
GrandPad, ElliQ, Papa
On your own
The person makes their own plans and friends, but family isn’t part of it.
Stitch, Amintro, Meetup
Family calendars
Everyone can add plans, but no one’s at the centre and there’s no place for local help.
Cozi, FamilyWall, TimeTree
Hello Pearl is the only app we looked at that covers groups 2 to 5. The same Circle handles the pickleball game and the cardiologist appointment. The person at the centre can run it, share it or hand the planning to family, and take it back anytime. That’s the difference between being supported and being managed.
Why I built Hello Pearl
I built Hello Pearl after my mom’s medical crisis left my family organizing everything through texts, calls and memory. I wanted one place where Mom stays in charge and everyone who loves her can pitch in, from wherever they live.
The person at the centre leads the Circle. Family and friends share the load. Trusted Providers see only what you share. It isn’t a care app. It’s how your people show up for each other.
Questions people ask
What is the best caregiving app?
It depends on what you need. If you’re organizing care for someone, Caring Village and Lotsa Helping Hands are popular, and CaringBridge works well for sharing health updates. If you want one private space the person at the centre leads, where family, friends and Trusted Providers each see only what’s shared with them, Hello Pearl is the only app of the 46 we looked at that does all three. Pearl isn’t a care app. It’s built for everyday life, with support built in.
Is Hello Pearl a caregiving app?
No. Hello Pearl is a private Circle for everyday life. The person at the centre, the Core Member, leads it. Family, friends and Trusted Providers join to help with plans, rides, requests, events and the practical side, in the ways the Core Member chooses. There’s no monitoring and no location tracking.
Is there a free app to organize help for someone?
Yes. Lotsa Helping Hands and CaringBridge are free. Caring Village has a free plan for one village with two people. Hello Pearl is free to start, and the Core Member is always free.
What is a good alternative to Caring Village?
If you like Caring Village’s shared calendar and documents but want the person at the centre to lead the space, and want each provider to see only what you share with them, try Hello Pearl. If you need something free for a large group of volunteers, try Lotsa Helping Hands.
How can family help from another city or country?
Move from group texts to one shared space, so everyone sees the same calendar, requests and updates. Hello Pearl has no geographic limits: family and friends can join a Circle from anywhere, and a one-tap daily check-in lets everyone know how the day is going.
Does the person at the centre need a smartphone?
No. They can get updates by text message, and the app uses large text and one-tap check-ins for anyone who does want to use it.
Can a home care agency or provider see everything?
In Hello Pearl, no. A Trusted Provider sees only the specific items shared with them, such as one appointment or one request. When the work ends, their access ends too.
How much does Hello Pearl cost?
Hello Pearl is free to start, and the Core Member is always free. Hello Pearl Plus is $15 CAD a month per Circle, with a 14-day free trial.
How was this comparison made?
We looked at 46 Canadian and US apps in July 2026 using each company’s own website, published prices and reviews from 2025 and 2026, and rechecked every app on this page in October 2026. Every rating follows the same simple rule. Yes means the app really does this. Partly means it does some of it, or only if someone else sets it up. No means it doesn’t. We make Hello Pearl, so we kept every rating tied to that rule so anyone can check it.
How we made this comparison
This page draws on The Agency Gap, our July 2026 review of 46 Canadian and US apps, rechecked in October 2026. Ratings describe what each app does today, not features that are only announced. Spotted something out of date? Email angie@hellopearl.app and we’ll fix it.
- Caring Village pricing
- Lotsa Helping Hands: how it works
- CaringBridge
- ianacare: how much does it cost
- Alzheimer Society of BC: Tyze
- Cozi Gold
- GrandPad through Consumer Cellular (review, Dec 2025)
- AlayaCare Family Portal FAQ
- Wellthy plans
- AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, national report (2025)