The catch with GPS Phone Location Tracker is that both phones have to install the app and grant location permission before anything works. There is no “type in the number and see a dot” trick, despite what the name suggests. That trips up parents who thought a phone number was enough, and it is the main reason many end up shopping for something else. If you want cleaner setup, tighter permissions, or a broader feature set, these GPS Phone Location Tracker alternatives are worth the swap.
We compared seven family GPS trackers on Android against the same checklist: real-time map, geofence alerts, phone finder, and battery status. Below is the short list for parents who want kids’ safety without ad-heavy screens, along with honest notes on where each one falls short.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Find My Kids | Younger kids with entry-level phones | Yes, ad-supported | Around $5 | Two-way audio and school schedule |
| Life360 | Older kids and teen drivers | Yes, 2-place circle | Around $8 | Crash detection and driving reports |
| Google Family Link | Screen time plus basic location | Yes, fully free | Free | App blocking and daily limits |
| Google’s Find Hub | Anyone with a Google account | Yes, fully free | Free | Works with any signed-in Android |
| Kaspersky SafeKids | Content filters plus location | Yes, limited | Around $2 | Website and YouTube filtering |
| FamiSafe | Detailed parental oversight | 3-day trial | Around $10 | App usage and alerts |
| Geozilla | Ad-free map on the free tier | Yes | Around $8 | Driving reports for teens |
Why people leave GPS Phone Location Tracker
Three complaints keep showing up in reviews.
Setup depends on both sides. The app asks the parent and the child to install it and accept the connection. There is no way to look up a phone by number alone, and users on the Play Store keep flagging this as false marketing.
Ads and paywalls stack up quickly. The free tier interrupts the map with banner and full-screen ads, and features like extended location history sit behind an in-app purchase.
Basic features rely on the child never turning off notifications, closing the app, or entering battery-saver mode. Parents report that the “last seen” timestamp goes stale for hours once any of those happen.
The alternatives
Find My Kids, best for young kids on entry-level Android phones
Find My Kids was built specifically for the parent-to-child use case, so the free tier already includes a real-time map, geofencing for home and school, and a “listen to surroundings” audio check. The app pairs with a free child companion called Pingo and also works with kids’ GPS watches from brands like Xplora.
Where it falls short: the audio surveillance feature is legally grey in some jurisdictions, and reviews from teens flag it as intrusive once the child hits about 13.
Pricing:
- Free: live location, one geofence, low-battery alerts, ads
- Paid: about $5 per month for unlimited zones, history, and no ads
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: more features on both tiers and a cleaner setup flow
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: no importer needed. Reinstall on both phones, invite through the pairing code, and you are live in under three minutes.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: the default pick if the child is under 12 and you want a family locator that is upfront about what it is for.
Life360, best for teens who drive
Life360 is the most-installed family locator in the US and the reason many American parents hear the word “circle” in a safety context. The free tier tracks two saved places for the whole circle and shows everyone on a shared map. Paid plans add driving reports, crash detection with an operator callback, and stolen-phone reimbursement.
Where it falls short: the data-sales controversy from 2021 still hurts trust, and the app pushes a lot of upsell prompts. The higher paid tiers climb fast once you want the driving perks.
Pricing:
- Free: two places, unlimited members, basic map
- Paid: about $8 per month for the Silver plan, up to $25 per month for Platinum
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: bigger feature set, more upsell in the app
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: no data transfers. Start a fresh Circle, send invite links to family members, then redraw your zones.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: pick this if your kids drive or you want the US-mainstream option most of their friends’ parents already run.
Google Family Link, best free option for parental control
Google Family Link is Google’s official parental-control app. It shows the child’s location on the parent’s Family Link map, sets daily screen-time limits, and blocks app installs without approval. No subscription, no ads, and it works automatically for any Google account created for a child under 13.
Where it falls short: the location map is basic. No geofence alerts, no location history, no SOS button. iOS support exists but is more limited than Android.
Pricing:
- Free: full feature set, no ads
- Paid: not available
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: simpler tracking, deeper controls, zero cost
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: fresh setup. Use a supervised Google account for the child and link it through the onboarding flow.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: the right choice for parents who want the basics for free and can live without geofence alerts.
Google’s Find Hub, best for finding the phone rather than the person
Google’s Find Hub, formerly Find My Device, is built into every certified Android phone and uses the Google account signed in on the device. It plays a full-volume ring, locks the screen, or erases the device from any browser. Recent updates added community-powered finding for phones that are offline.
Where it falls short: it is designed for lost devices, not people. There are no zones, no history, no per-person map. The other party also sees a persistent notification when the device is being located.
Pricing:
- Free: all features
- Paid: not applicable
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: better at finding a specific phone, weaker at family coordination
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: nothing to migrate. Sign into the same Google account on the target phone and open findmy.google.com from your account.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: use this to locate a lost or stolen handset. Pair it with Family Link if you also want ongoing location for the kids.
Kaspersky SafeKids, best for filtering what kids see
Kaspersky SafeKids is a family locator wrapped inside a parental control stack. Along with real-time location and geofencing you get website filtering, YouTube search filters, per-app time limits, and daily activity summaries. The free tier covers screen time and web filtering; location and calendar features sit in the paid plan.
Where it falls short: reviewers flag battery drain and occasionally missed geofence alerts. The onboarding leans on a Kaspersky account, which some parents avoid because of the vendor’s country of origin.
Pricing:
- Free: screen time, web filter, app blocking
- Paid: about $2 per month billed annually for location, geofencing, and real-time alerts
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: broader toolset, price is hard to beat
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: fresh install on both devices and add each child through the parent dashboard.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: the best value if you want filters and location combined and you are comfortable with a Kaspersky account.
FamiSafe, best for detailed oversight
FamiSafe from Wondershare is closer to a monitoring suite than a locator. It tracks location and history, blocks apps by category, reports screen time, flags suspicious text patterns, and shows browsing activity. Parents of older tweens who want more than a dot on a map lean toward this one.
Where it falls short: only a three-day free trial, then a hard paywall. The dashboard is dense and takes a while to learn.
Pricing:
- Free: 3-day trial
- Paid: about $10 per month, or roughly $60 per year for one parent and five kids
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: far more features, no free tier past the trial
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: full re-setup. Install FamiSafe Jr on each child’s device, connect with the parent account, redraw your zones.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: worth the price only if you want browsing, screen time, and content monitoring on top of location.
Geozilla, best when you want ads off the map
Geozilla covers the basics (live map, place alerts, driving reports, panic button) and its free tier is one of the few that shows a clean map instead of banners over the pins. The paid tier adds up to 30 days of history, unlimited zones, and roadside assistance in the US.
Where it falls short: reviews mention aggressive account-creation prompts and occasional lag in updating the map compared to Life360.
Pricing:
- Free: live location, place alerts, panic button
- Paid: about $8 per month for history, driving reports, and roadside help
- vs GPS Phone Location Tracker: cleaner interface, similar price for the paid tier
Migrating from GPS Phone Location Tracker: sign up, invite family via SMS or link, then add your saved places in bulk from a template.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: pick Geozilla if the ads in GPS Phone Location Tracker were the last straw and you want something quieter without paying immediately.
How to choose
Pick Find My Kids if the child is under 12 and you want the most family-focused free tier on the list.
Pick Life360 if you have teen drivers or you want the US-standard app most of their friends’ parents already run.
Pick Google Family Link if screen time and app blocking matter more than pinpoint location and you want to spend nothing.
Pick Google’s Find Hub if the phone is what you care about, not the person carrying it. Theft, loss, and remote wipe are its job.
Pick Kaspersky SafeKids or FamiSafe if you need real parental controls (web filter, app limits, activity reports) alongside location, and you accept a subscription.
Pick Geozilla if you liked the GPS Phone Location Tracker concept but hated the ads.
Stay on GPS Phone Location Tracker if your family is already set up, you do not want to reinstall on every device, and the current tier is doing enough. Nothing is broken about it. It just is not the best option for most parents shopping today.
FAQ
Can GPS Phone Location Tracker really find a phone by number?
No. The app still needs both phones to install the tracker and grant permission, even though the “by number” branding suggests otherwise. Google Play does not allow an app to look up an arbitrary phone’s location from just a number, so no consumer app on Android can offer that.
What is the cheapest GPS Phone Location Tracker alternative?
Google Family Link and Google’s Find Hub are free with no paid tier. If you want location plus parental controls, Kaspersky SafeKids’ paid plan is the cheapest at around $2 per month billed annually.
Which alternative has the best free tier?
Find My Kids and Geozilla both include real-time location, alerts, and a phone finder on their free plans. Life360 is free too but only tracks two saved places on the free tier.
Is there a family locator that works without installing on the child’s phone?
No, and be wary of any app that claims otherwise. Android blocks background location for apps not running on the target device. What you install on the tracked phone is what feeds the map.
Can I use these apps on iPhone as well?
Life360, Find My Kids, Google Family Link, Kaspersky SafeKids, FamiSafe, and Geozilla all ship iOS versions. Google’s Find Hub is Android-only for now. iPhone owners have Apple’s Find My as the native equivalent.
