Apps that call you, compared.
Some ring you about your own day. Some ring a parent every morning. Oarly does both in one app, rings again when a call is missed, and tells the family. Here is how it sits next to the others, from their own pages.
14 days free on Android and iPhone
Oarly14:40
Missed call
Oarly rings again at 14:43.
Oarly09:25
Margaret did not answer
Oarly rang 5 times between 09:00 and 09:25. Nobody picked up.
How we compared.
From their own pages
Every fact about another service comes from that service's own listing or help center, and each source is linked under the table.
Checked on 22 October 2026
Prices and features change. Where a page does not say something, the table says Not stated rather than guessing.
Made by Oarly
This is our page about our app, so read it that way. Below it, we name the cases where another option is the better fit.
Side by side.
Six ways to make sure something is not missed, from a free phone reminder to a daily call for a parent.
| Oarly | Your phone's reminders | DoNotify | Kin-nect | Snug | Local Are You OK programs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | An app that rings like a call, for your reminders and a parent's check-ins | Reminders, Calendar and Clock on iPhone or Android | A Google Calendar add-on that phones you before events | An AI that phones a parent daily and sends you a summary | A daily check-in app that tells contacts about a missed check-in | A free automated daily call run by some US sheriff and police offices |
| Rings like a phone call | Yes, a full call screen, over the internet | Alarms ring; reminders are notifications | Yes, to your phone number | Yes, to the parent's regular phone | Notifications and SMS; on the paid plan a dispatcher phones after a miss | Yes, at the same time each day |
| Rings again if not answered | Reminders: 4 calls, 3 minutes apart. Check-ins: 5 calls over 25 minutes | No | Not stated | Not stated in detail | Reminders before and after the deadline | Varies by program |
| Family told about a miss | Yes, a push to everyone in the circle with alerts on, at once | No | Not stated | Yes, missed-call alerts | Yes, SMS to emergency contacts | Yes, the office contacts family or sends an officer |
| For your own reminders | Yes | Yes | Yes, from Google Calendar events | No, built for a parent | No, built for check-ins | No |
| For a parent's check-ins | Yes, and a spoken reply can be written out for you | No | Not what it is built for | Yes, with a summary of each call | Yes | Yes |
| Works without a smartphone | No, each person needs the app on an iPhone or Android | Built into the phone | Yes, any phone | Yes, the parent's regular phone | Not stated | Yes, an automated call to their phone, no app |
| Reads your calendar | Never. You add your Oarly address to an invite | Your own calendar | Asks to see and download your Google calendars | Does not apply | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Price | $7.99 a month, $10.99 with one parent (€6.99 / €9.99 in euro). 14 days free, no card | Free | 14 free calls, no card. Paid prices not on its listing | From $29.99 a month. 7 days free | Free plan. Dispatch plan $19.99 a month | Free, for eligible residents |
| Where | Android and iPhone, in closed beta | Every phone | Google Calendar | iPhone app for the family | Not stated | Participating US counties and towns |
Sources, checked 22 October 2026
- DoNotify: Google Workspace Marketplace listing
- Kin-nect: App Store listing
- Snug: Help center, pricing and plans
- Are You OK: Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, one example of many local programs
We make Oarly. Everything about the other services comes from their own public pages, linked here, and “Not stated” means that page does not say. Prices and features change, so check the source before you decide, and write to hello@oarly.app if a row is out of date and we will fix it. Product names belong to their owners, and none of them is connected with Oarly.
14 days free with every feature, no card.
Which one fits.
Best for the reminders you cannot miss: Oarly
Not a notification that slides past, a real call screen. Miss it and it rings again, 4 times, 3 minutes apart. Your phone's own reminders ring once, if at all.
Best for calendar reminders: Oarly
Add your Oarly address to any invite, from any calendar app, and Oarly calls before it starts. It never asks to read your calendar.
Best for privacy: Oarly
An Oarly call only ever shows the name Oarly. What it is about is spoken after you answer, so a lock screen gives nothing away.
Best value if you look after a parent too: Oarly Together
$10.99 a month for your own reminders plus a parent's daily check-in, rung 5 times over 25 minutes before the family gets a push. Kin-nect starts at $29.99 a month and Snug's Dispatch plan is $19.99, as of 22 October 2026.
Better elsewhere if your parent has no smartphone
Kin-nect calls a regular phone, and local Are You OK programs call with no app at all. Oarly needs its app on each phone.
Better elsewhere if you need someone to act on a miss, or only Google Calendar calls
Snug's Dispatch plan has dispatchers who can request a wellness check. DoNotify phones any number from Google Calendar, with no app to install.
Questions
What is the best app that calls you with reminders?
For reminders you cannot afford to miss, Oarly: a real call that rings again until you answer, says what it is for, and never reads your calendar. It also covers a parent's daily check-ins in the same app. For calls from Google Calendar to any phone number, DoNotify. For a daily call to a parent's regular phone, Kin-nect.
Is there a free daily check-in call for an elderly parent?
In parts of the US, yes: many sheriff and police offices run a free Are You OK call for eligible residents. Snug's free plan is an app check-in rather than a call. Oarly starts with 14 days free, then it is a subscription.
Does Oarly work on a landline?
No. Oarly calls go over the internet to its app, so each person needs an iPhone or Android phone with Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Is Oarly an emergency or health service?
No. Oarly is a reminder app, not an emergency, medical or health service. Nobody watches the alerts and Oarly never phones emergency services. In an emergency, always call your local emergency number.
More of what Oarly does
- Check in calls for an elderly parentA call at the times you choose, and you are told if nobody answers.
- Reminders for ADHDA reminder that rings like a call, and rings again if you miss it.
- Calls from your calendarAdd one email address to an invite and Oarly calls you before it.
- Medication reminder callsAn extra reminder for daily tablets, spoken out loud on their phone.
Try it on your own phone.
14 days free with every feature, and no card. Set one reminder and see what a call feels like.
Oarly is not an emergency, medical or health service.