Feeling safe while walking home at night is the kind of thing many men take for granted – it’s almost a privilege at this point. Time and time again, women have shared their fears about walking home at night – from walking quickly and being dealing with persistent and aggressive stalkers to being afraid when you spot someone new on the street and constantly looking over your shoulder while clenching your phone in your hand with 991 already dialed.

Unfortunately, things aren’t likely to change any time soon to the point where we can all walk home at night without worrying about anything. It’s not all bad news, though. Here’s the good part – there are a lot of mobile apps out there that have been developed specifically to help you feel safe while walking home at night.

In this quick guide, we’ll take a look at the best five apps of this kind:

1. Noonlight

Noonlight is a very easy-to-use app that helps you feel safe by letting you quickly contact a team of dispatchers if you’re in any danger. Noonlight also lets you instantly share your location details with the police, helping you minimize their response times.

The main feature is the big panic button on the app’s home screen. If you’re in danger, just press and hold it. After you release the button, you can enter your PIN in 10 seconds if you’re safe. If you don’t do that, a dispatcher will contact you through a text message or phone call. If needed, they’ll alert the authorities and share your location info with them.

Noonlight also lets you create a timeline of events – you create notes about certain actions (like meeting someone new from Tinder in the evening). If you hit the panic button, that information will be shared with a dispatcher. And speaking of Tinder, Noonlight is designed to work really well with it.

Noonlight has a free plan (gives you access to the panic button) and two paid plans that let you use the rest of the app’s features (which are decently-priced).

Really, the only drawback Noonlight has right now is the fact that it only works in the US. You might be able to unblock it with a VPN, but it still won’t work right because it’s not integrated with your local emergency services. Well, that and there’s the fact that iOS users get access to more features (like the Timeline feature).

By using a good safety app on your phone (like Noonlight), you’ll definitely feel more at ease when walking home at night. To read more about Noonlight and how it works, please follow that link. It’ll take you to an in-depth review written by GamerGirl, a tech-focused blog that also covers topics like how women can stay safe outside their homes and on the web.

2. WalkSafe

WalkSafe is a free, really crafty safety app – its goal is to show you which areas you need to avoid to stay safe. Basically, WalkSafe displays a map alongside crime figures taken from monthly reports. It will show you the area’s crime hotspots – where you’re more likely to experience muggings, sexual assault, assault, knife crime, pickpocketing, and more.

Even better – you don’t need to constantly look at the map. And you don’t need to memorize it before heading home either! Once you approach an unsafe area, WalkSafe will send you an alert so you can avoid the area.

WalkSafe also has a feature called HomeSafe. It lets you set a specific place and time and share that information with people you trust. If you don’t arrive on time, your loved ones will be alerted.

3. One Scream

One Scream is a unique app that’s actually able to detect a person’s scream – yes, even when your phone is at the bottom of your bag! It’s very useful in situations where you are in danger but can’t reach your phone.

Essentially, you nominate a contact (someone you trust). When the app detects your scream, it automatically sends a text message and places a call to that contact. It also shares your location with them.

The app is especially designed to detect panic screams. So, no need to worry about it accidentally triggering just because it heard you scream while having fun with your friends. And even if the app actives, you have 20 seconds to cancel the alarm if you’re not in danger.

4. Kitestring

Okay, we’re cheating a little because Kitestring isn’t actually an app. Even so, it’s an invaluable security service that helps you stay safe while walking home at night.

Basically, you sign up with your full name and phone number, and start using Kitestring. The service is completely free which is nice. And since it’s not an app, you don’t even need a smartphone to use it, so it’s accessible to everyone.

To use Kitestring, you message the service. You let it know when it should check up on you (like 15 minutes). After the time is up, Kitestring sends you a text message to see if you’re okay. If you don’t check in, Kitestring sends your designated emergency contacts a personalized alert.

5. Life360

Life360 lets you stay in touch with the people you care about. You can create private groups with them and see the real-time location of those people.

The app will also send you alerts when a contact arrives to or leaves a destination, which offers peace of mind.

While Life360 is more aimed at families, everyone can use it to stay safe while walking home at night.

Which App Is Your Favorite?

Have you ever used one of the apps mentioned in this article? If yes, which one is your favorite? If you have a real-life story where the app helped you, we’d really appreciate it if you could share it with us.

Also, if you know about other apps that are designed to help people feel safe while walking home at night, please tell us about them in the comments.