Mailicity / Compare / Mailicity vs Lumin

For Australian families comparingAU · NZ

Mailicity vs Lumin: two Australian products, different problems.

Lumin is brilliant at calls, photos, radio, and reminders for an older parent or partner. Mailicity is the email layer. They don't really compete — most families end up using both.

Pick if

Lumin

Your parent's biggest problems are video calls, photo sharing, missing the radio, or appointment reminders.

NDIS / Home Care Package eligible · often $0 to family

Pick if

Mailicity

Your parent's biggest day-to-day problem is the email inbox itself — scams, marketing, missed messages.

Free during early access · on the iPad they have

Or both

Both

They've got an iPad already and a Lumin can sit on a stand in the lounge for calls and photos. Common AU configuration.

Lumin in the lounge · Mailicity in the kitchen

· · ·

§Section 1 · Lumin, briefly and accurately

An Australian product, well regarded.

2024
Australian Good Design Award
~40
home care providers
Summerset · Calvary · Bolton Clarke · VMCH
in aged care, today

Lumin is an Australian product, designed in Australia for Australian (and New Zealand) families. They make a large-screen freestanding tablet — typically 15.6″ or 17″ — that runs a custom simplified interface for older adults and people living with cognitive impairment.

It does one-touch video calls, photo sharing through a Supporters app, radio and entertainment, calendar reminders, optional emergency-button alerts, and integrates with wearables and home sensors.

Pricing is typically ~$80/month (including device rental and support), or about $950 outright + $40/month, often covered by Home Care Packages or NDIS funding so the family pays nothing.

It's a serious, well-built product. If your parent's needs are primarily calling and connection, Lumin is one of the best answers in Australia.

Section 2 · Where they don't overlap

The simplest way to think about it.

Lumin and Mailicity do different things. Here are the lists, side-by-side.

Lumin handles

Lumin

— calls, photos, reminders, and connection

  • Voice and video calls (one-touch)
  • Photo sharing via Supporters app
  • Calendar / reminders
  • Radio and entertainment
  • Emergency alerts (optional 24/7)
  • Wearables & home sensor integration
  • Smart-home features

Mailicity handles

Mailicity

— email. The inbox itself.

  • Calm, allowlisted email inbox
  • Wraps existing Gmail / iCloud / Outlook
  • Strangers held in a family-admin queue
  • Multi-admin web app, audit log
  • Three accessibility tiers per family member

That's pretty much the whole comparison. Each of us has picked a piece of the older-parent-connection problem and gone deep on it.

⌗Section 3 · Side-by-side

The full line-by-line.

 
Software · email only
Mailicity
Designed in Australia · iPad-native.
Hardware + service
Lumin
Australian-designed freestanding tablet.
Origin Australian-designed Australian-designed
Hardware None — works on any iPad Custom large-screen tablet (15.6″ or 17″)
Cost Free during early access ~$80/month or $950 + $40/month
Subsidy Not currently Home Care Package / NDIS eligible
Video calls FaceTime or Zoom on the iPad Built-in, one-touch
Email Calm allowlisted inbox, wraps existing account Basic messaging, not the focus
Photo sharing Through email Supporters app, dedicated
Radio / entertainment Use the iPad's normal apps Built-in
Emergency button No Yes, with optional 24/7 call centre
Home sensors / wearables No Yes
Calendar / reminders No Yes
Aged care channel Direct consumer Strong B2B presence (Summerset, Calvary, etc.)
Family admin Web app, multi-admin, audit log Supporters app

✶The decision · sections 4 + 5

Which one is right for you?

The centres are different. Here's how to tell which one's closer to your situation.

Pick Lumin if…

for the calls-and-photos family
  • Your parent's biggest challenges are video calling, missing photos from grandkids, or calendar reminders for appointments and medication.
  • They don't have an iPad already, or aren't comfortable with one.
  • The freestanding always-on form factor (sits on a side table, screen always visible) suits how they actually live.
  • They're in an aged care facility, retirement village, or receiving home care that already partners with Lumin.
  • You're eligible for NDIS or a Home Care Package and want the funded option.
  • Emergency alerts and home sensor integration matter to your situation.

For families dealing with substantial cognitive impairment or physical limitation, Lumin's complete-bundle approach often does more good than a phone or tablet your parent would have to operate themselves.

Pick Mailicity if…

for the still-emailing family
  • The single biggest day-to-day frustration is the email inbox — scams, marketing, missed messages.
  • Your parent has an iPad already (or would happily use one).
  • They're still capable of operating a tablet on their lap or at the table, and email is part of how they stay in touch.
  • Their existing email address is important — doctors, banks, friends know it.
  • You want a software layer rather than a hardware purchase.
  • The cognitive support need is around attention and overwhelm, not around the device itself.

Mailicity fits in the "they're getting overwhelmed by email but still use their iPad" zone. Lumin fits in the "they need a simpler way to stay in touch full stop" zone. There's overlap, but the centre of each is different.

⁂Section 6 · When families use both

Three configurations we hear often.

Configuration
i
Lumin as the lounge-room device for calls, photos and radio — always on, always visible. Mailicity on the iPad in the kitchen or bedside table for email.
Configuration
ii
Two parents in the household: Lumin for the one who's further along in cognitive decline; Mailicity on the iPad for the other parent who's still managing email.
Configuration
iii
Mailicity now, while they're still independently emailing. Lumin later, as needs shift, with Mailicity dropped when email itself stops being viable.

We're not competing for every Australian family. Lumin is brilliant for what it does. We do the bit it doesn't.

A note on Australian context.

Both Mailicity and Lumin are designed in Australia. That matters in a couple of ways. The voice and tone of both products reads as Australian — warm without being saccharine, practical without being clinical. Both teams have built around the Australian aged-care system rather than translating an American product.

Lumin has cracked the Home Care Package / NDIS / aged-care-provider channel; Mailicity hasn't yet. If your parent's care is funded through one of those programs, Lumin's likely the easier option to get approved. Mailicity is currently direct-to-consumer, paid by you — a different financial conversation.

If aged-care-provider partnerships matter for your situation, Lumin's worth a conversation independent of anything else.

The email-specific bit, in five minutes.

If Lumin's solving the calls-and-photos problem and you still need help with email, Mailicity slots in. Free during early access.

Start your free trial →

Designed in Australia · Works on any iPad your parent already has · Free during early access

?Questions, answered

A few that come up.

Can Mailicity work alongside a Lumin?

Yes. Lumin runs on Lumin's hardware; Mailicity runs on a separate iPad. They don't conflict, and many families with both find them complementary.

Is Mailicity available through Home Care Packages or NDIS?

Not currently. We're direct-to-consumer in early access. Subsidy arrangements through Home Care Packages and NDIS are on our roadmap but won't land in v1.

How is Mailicity different from Lumin's built-in messaging?

Lumin's messaging is a basic communication function — useful for short notes between family members. Mailicity is the actual email inbox — wrapping Gmail, iCloud or Outlook, processing messages from anyone trying to reach your parent, applying an allowlist, holding everything else for review.

My parent's in an aged care facility that uses Lumin. Can I add Mailicity?

Most aged care residents we've spoken to have their own iPad or phone as well as the Lumin in their room. Mailicity goes on the iPad. Worth checking with the facility about their device policies first.

Which one's better for someone with advanced dementia?

Lumin. By the late stages, email is usually not viable in any form, and Lumin's focus on always-on visibility, simple calls, and family photo streams is far more useful. Mailicity is for the earlier stages where email is still part of how they stay in touch but is getting too noisy.

Does Mailicity work in New Zealand?

Yes. It's an iPad app — it works anywhere your parent's iPad does. The Lumin team is also strong in NZ; the same complementary logic applies.

↗Read next

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