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An AirTag is not a GPS tracker. Start there.
A Bluetooth tag like an AirTag or a Tile has no GPS. It shows where a nearby phone last heard it, which works in your house and fails in a field. A GPS pet tracker has its own GPS and cell connection, needs a paid plan and a signal, and gives second by second updates only in a live mode that drains the battery. Pick the kind first, then check the weight.
GPS or tag checker
Tell us about your pet. We say whether a Bluetooth tag is enough or you need GPS, and how heavy each pick is for your pet.
Tracker weights come from the makers or the listings, tracker alone. Collars and holders add more. The 1 percent line is our estimate from the makers' own minimum pet weights, not a vet rule. Ask your vet about a small or older pet.
Check your pet See the 7 picks
Three things the listings blur
- Tag or GPS. Life360 says a Tile finds a pet by Bluetooth within your home or property and gives no real-time location. See GPS tracker vs AirTag.
- Update speed and battery come from different modes. Tractive's "every 2 to 3 seconds" is LIVE mode. Its "up to 14 days" is normal mode with a Power Saving Zone at home. See live tracking vs battery life.
- Weight. Every GPS tracker here sets or implies a minimum pet size. Tractive's cat tracker starts at 6.6 pounds. See trackers for small cats.
A tracker is not a microchip
The AVMA says a microchip gives permanent ID that cannot fall off like a collar can, and that microchipped pets should still wear a collar with current ID tags. A chip has no battery and no GPS. It only helps once someone scans your pet, and only if the registry has your current phone number. Keep all three: a registered chip, an ID tag, and the tracker. See microchip vs GPS tracker.
Guides
Start here
- The 7 pet trackers we'd shortlist, GPS and Bluetooth
Five GPS pet trackers and two Bluetooth tags, compared by what kind of tracker each is, weight, real battery range, update speed and whether it needs a plan.
- Does your pet need GPS or just a tag?
Enter your pet's weight, where it goes and your cell signal. See whether a Bluetooth tag is enough or you need GPS, and each tracker's weight as a share of your pet's.
GPS or tag
- GPS tracker vs AirTag or Tile for a pet
An AirTag or Tile only shows where a nearby phone heard it. A GPS tracker reports its own location over a cell network. When each one works, and when it fails.
- Do GPS pet trackers work without cell service?
A GPS pet tracker finds its position by satellite but reports it over a cell network. What happens with weak or no signal, and how to check coverage first.
- Microchip vs GPS tracker: you want both
A microchip cannot track a pet. It only helps once someone scans it. A GPS tracker can fall off or run flat. Why the AVMA says to use a chip and a collar ID together.
Numbers on the listing
- Live tracking and long battery life do not happen at the same time
Every 2 to 3 seconds and up to 14 days come from different modes. How often GPS pet trackers really update, and how long the battery lasts when you need it.
- GPS trackers for cats, and the weight question
Tractive's cat tracker is made for cats 6.6 pounds and up. What a tracker weighs as a share of a small cat, when a Bluetooth tag is enough, and the battery catch.
- Is your pet tracker really waterproof?
What the IP code on a pet tracker means, which picks list one, and why 'waterproof' on a listing is not the same as a rated depth and time.