Compare: check-in apps
Check-in apps compared: which one fits you?
A check-in app, or “are you OK” app, notices when someone has not checked in and tells the right people. We compare Ondira with three others, including where they offer more.
Free version · Plus CHF 3 a month or CHF 30 a year
What a good check-in app should do
The idea is always the same: you send a regular sign. If it does not come, people you chose are told. Whether an app for people living alone works day to day depends on the details.
We checked on official websites and app store pages:
- Alert channels: email, text message, WhatsApp or a call?
- Advance warning to you.
- Check-in rhythm and number of contacts.
- Price.
- Languages, provider and where the data is stored.
- Setup steps.
Four check-in apps at a glance
What the providers state. Where we found nothing, the table says so.
| Criterion | Ondira | Still OK | Lebenszeichen | LEB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | diehm it-services, Brig-Glis, Switzerland | Independent developer, Germany | Stiftung Solidarität (a foundation), Bielefeld, Germany | deinePflege GmbH, Berlin, Germany |
| Platforms | Android, iPhone and iPad | iOS, iPadOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS, Android. Not found in the Swiss App Store |
| Alerts to contacts | Email only. No text message, no WhatsApp, no call | Email; with Premium also WhatsApp and text message (texts use credits) | Text message and email. A “request contact” button calls the main contact | Email, text message or WhatsApp, chosen per contact |
| Warning to you first | Push and email 60 and 15 minutes before the deadline and shortly after | Two-step push reminder before the deadline | Push or email one hour before the deadline | not stated |
| After the deadline | Grace period (default 120 min), then group 1; group 2 after 24 h, group 3 after 72 h (Plus) | Contacts are notified straight away. Grace period: not stated | All contacts get a text message and an email | Alert after more than 24 h without a sign; reminders to contacts up to 72 h |
| Rhythm | Free: every 1 to 7 days; Plus also every 8 or 12 hours and a weekly plan | Free: 24 hours; Premium: 12 hours to 1 month, fixed or rolling deadline | Daily, by a time you choose | 24 hours |
| Contacts | Free: 1; Plus: up to 20 in three groups | Free: 1; Premium: up to 10 | Up to 3 | Up to 5, who must accept an email invitation |
| Languages | German, French, English, Italian | 45 languages, also per contact | Website and guide in German; the App Store lists English | German, English, Turkish, Romanian |
| Price | Free version; Plus CHF 3 a month or CHF 30 a year | Free version; Premium CHF 3 a month or CHF 25 a year, text credits extra | Free, funded by donations; EUR 3 a month requested (EUR 1 on a low income) | Free |
| Data location | Account, check-in and contact data in Switzerland; some services outside | Database in the EU; some services in the USA | not stated | Systems in the EU; delivery services may process outside the EEA |
| Emergency function | None | SOS alert to all contacts (Premium) | Button for emergency number 112 (App Store: SIM card required) | None; the provider says it is not an emergency system |
| Setup | Choose a rhythm, add contacts by email, tap “I’m here” | Choose an interval, add contacts, tap the check-in button. No account needed | Account with phone number, email and password; choose a time; add contacts | No account: install, add a contact, the contact confirms by email |
Sources (checked 6 October 2026): still-ok.com (home page, terms, privacy policy) and Swiss App Store; lebenszeichen-app.de (home page, step-by-step guide, imprint) and Swiss App Store; leb-app.de (home page, imprint, privacy policy) and German App Store. Prices as of October 2026, without guarantee. The providers’ current information is what counts. A selection, not a full market overview. Services differ.
Our honest verdict
No app is best for everyone. It depends on how your contacts can be reached.
When Ondira fits
- When a Swiss provider matters: operated from Brig-Glis, data in Switzerland, prices in CHF, in German, French, English and Italian.
- When it should stay simple: one tap in the rhythm you choose. Your contacts only need an email address.
- When you want to avoid false alarms: Ondira reminds you first, several times, then waits for an adjustable grace period.
- When several people should be told in turn: Plus staggers three groups.
When another app is the better choice
- When your contacts rarely read email: Ondira alerts by email only. Still OK (Premium) also sends WhatsApp and text messages, LEB text or WhatsApp, Lebenszeichen text and email. That is a real advantage of the others.
- When you want to pay nothing and still add several contacts: LEB is free with up to five, Lebenszeichen is donation-funded with up to three. Ondira’s free version has one.
- When you need another language: Still OK comes in 45 languages, LEB also in Turkish and Romanian.
- When you want an emergency button in the app: Lebenszeichen has a button for 112, Still OK an SOS alert to your contacts. Ondira has neither.
- When you want intervals of up to a month, or to check in with an NFC tag or a widget: Still OK offers that.
- When a longer track record matters: Lebenszeichen has been in the App Store since February 2022.
What to check with any app
- Run a test: does the message reach your contacts, not their spam?
- Agree with your contacts what to do when a message arrives.
- Clarify holidays and flat batteries.
- Read where your data is stored.
- None of these apps replaces a personal alarm for someone with a high risk of falling.
What Ondira is not
Not an emergency call
Ondira calls no monitoring centre and no ambulance. Its message asks your contacts to check on you.
No live tracking
No background tracking, no movement history. Location only at check-in, if you want.
Not a medical device
Ondira measures nothing, does not detect falls and does not replace care or medical support.
Read on
For families
Setting it up with a parent, without control.
For families →Living alone
Independent, and someone notices.
More on living alone →Solo hiking
Planning rhythm and deadline for a tour.
More on hiking →Personal alarm or app
When an alarm button is the better choice.
Personal alarm comparison →Guide: elderly parents living alone
What families should talk about first.
Read the guide →
Frequently asked questions about check-in apps
What is the best check-in app for someone living alone?
If your contacts reliably read email, Ondira fits. If they should get a text or WhatsApp, Still OK, LEB or Lebenszeichen fit better.
Is there a free “are you OK” app?
Yes. LEB says it is free, and Lebenszeichen from the Stiftung Solidarität is free and asks for donations. Ondira and Still OK have a free version with one contact.
Is there a check-in app that sends text messages?
Yes: Lebenszeichen, LEB and Still OK (with Premium). Ondira alerts your contacts by email only. It reminds you yourself by push notification and email.
Is there a check-in app from Switzerland?
Ondira is operated by diehm it-services in Brig-Glis, with account, check-in and contact data in Switzerland. The other apps here come from Germany.
What happens if I forget to check in?
Ondira reminds you first, 60 and 15 minutes before the deadline and shortly after. Then a grace period runs, 120 minutes by default. Only then does your contact get a calm email.
Do my contacts need to install the app?
Not with Ondira. They only need an email address. With LEB, contacts first accept an email invitation.
Does a check-in app replace an emergency call?
No. A check-in app reports that a sign did not come, often hours later. In an emergency, always call 144 for an ambulance or 112.
The app that fits you
If your contacts should be reached by text message, choose an app that can do that. If an email is enough and simplicity and Swiss data storage matter to you, try Ondira at your own pace.
Setting Ondira up for someone else? Install it together on the phone of the person who checks in.
Free version, no credit card. Plus can be cancelled for the end of the term.
Feedback & news
Want to hear what changes in Ondira? Leave your email address. Feedback and wishes are welcome at support@ondira.app.