Stay involved, even when you can’t be there

One circle membership covers one circle: $249 for personal setup, then $9.99 per month. You can start one for yourself, or a family member or close friend can start one for someone they love, with their agreement. Invited people don’t each pay.

No. Alongside was built with families navigating a parent’s memory changes in mind, but the same need can arise at any age when illness, recovery, a move or another change interrupts familiar routines and support. You don’t need a diagnosis or a reason to start a circle.

Yes. If it’s your circle, you decide who’s invited, what each person sees and how you hear about things. If a parent or anyone else pays for the membership or gives it as a gift, that doesn’t make them an administrator or give them access to anything private. There’s no location tracking, no expectation to post, and no alerts if you’re quiet for a while.

Family, friends, neighbors and other trusted people. The person at the center chooses what each person can see.

No, it’s useful even if they rarely log in. But many do take part: sharing photos, planning a lunch, inviting people and asking for help themselves. The simpler My Day view is there for anyone who prefers it, never switched on because of age or health, and their preferences decide who sees what.

Personal setup includes establishing your circle, configuring invitations and privacy choices, practicing the core features together, and a brief follow-up afterward. Beyond setup, help with the circle membership covers technical issues with the Alongside website. It doesn’t include personal coordination, concierge assistance or clinical support.

They’re optional hourly services, not subscriptions or upgrades: Assist at $30/hour and Care at $70/hour. Anyone in the circle can send a request from Plans. Sending a request doesn’t authorize work or payment. We confirm the scope, estimated cost and appropriate approval first, and the person who manages the circle’s membership approves any charges. Outside provider costs are separate. Paid Assist and Care aren’t available yet; for now, a request tells us what you need.

No. Assist is a real person helping you coordinate; during our launch, that’s Whit. Whit researches options and arranges details with your approval, but doesn’t personally provide rides, hands-on care, emergency help or clinical services. Assist covers coordination time. Transportation, tickets, lodging, and other purchases are separate and require authorization.

Care is consultation, by request, with a licensed physician assistant, subject to clinical eligibility, the person’s own consent and provider availability. Someone else approving the cost doesn’t replace that consent. Care doesn’t include diagnosis, prescribing or emergency care, and doesn’t replace the treating medical team. Care isn’t available yet. In an emergency, call 911.

No. Paying for a membership doesn’t give access to private content or medical information. Access is based on permissions, not payment.

No. Outside provider charges such as rides, deliveries, airfare and lodging are separate from the membership and from Assist and Care.

Yes, once gift purchases open. A gift will cover the circle’s setup ($249); the membership is then $9.99 per month, paid by whoever manages it. Anyone can start a circle for someone they love, with their agreement, and invited people don’t each pay. Giving or paying doesn’t give access to private content, and it doesn’t make anyone an administrator or the person at the center.

No. A circle can support someone through a difficult season or stay useful over time. You don’t need a diagnosis, a reason for joining or an end date.

Changing notifications only changes how you hear about new things. Leaving a circle ends your own access right away; what you shared stays with the people you shared it with. Canceling the circle membership is separate: only the person who manages it can cancel, and canceling stops future charges at the end of the paid month. Circles in the private pilot aren’t charged.

Your Circle is $249 for personal setup, once, then $9.99 per month for the whole circle, including 250 shared text credits each month. The first payment is $249 setup plus the first month’s $9.99: $258.99 before applicable tax. After that it’s $9.99 each month until canceled. Assist ($30/hour) and Care ($70/hour) are optional and charged only for approved work, once those services open. During the private pilot, circles are free.

Yes. You choose who can message you directly: anyone in your circle, or only the people you pick. You can block someone, mute them, or report a message, and you can choose one trusted person to help manage your messages if you’d like. These choices are yours; someone else can help only with your permission.

Only the people each message is shared with. Written messages are checked automatically, and those checks can make mistakes. A message flagged for a possible threat or abuse is held and reviewed by someone the person it’s for chose, or by the Alongside team. The Alongside team also reads reports members send. Paying for a membership or running the circle never gives access to anyone’s messages.

Where your circle’s texting number is set up, you can still share a quick update or photo by text. Alongside brings what’s sent to that number or posted on the website into one private space, where photos and plans are easier to find, so everyone can catch up and coordinate without one person repeating everything. You choose who can see what you share and how you hear about new things. Conversations from other messaging apps aren’t imported.

No. Each circle has its own number. Alongside checks who sent the text, asks who should see it if that isn’t clear, checks the wording, and shares it only with the people chosen, the same way as the website.

Alongside is starting as a small private pilot with invited families. Join the waitlist and we’ll be in touch when we can welcome more circles.