Most individuals consider AirTags once they image a Bluetooth tracker. And certainly, Apple’s little white discs have been as soon as the one succesful choice, counting on an enormous discovering community of close by iPhones to pinpoint misplaced tags. However now Google has a discovering community of its personal, and third social gathering manufacturers like Chipolo, Hyper and Pebblebee have trackers that pair together with your alternative of Google or Apple’s community. Which means you’ve acquired quite a lot of choices for tagging and monitoring your keys, backpacks, baggage and extra. We examined the foremost manufacturers on the market to see how effectively they work, how loud they’re and the way they give the impression of being to place collectively a information that will help you get probably the most out of your chosen tracker. Listed below are the most effective Bluetooth trackers you should buy.
Editor’s be aware: Apple simply launched a new version of its AirTag trackers. We’re within the technique of testing the brand new mannequin and can replace this information as soon as we’re accomplished.
Finest Bluetooth trackers for 2026
Format: Disc with gap | Compatibility: Android and iPhone | Water resistance: IP55 (splash and mud resistant) | Battery life: 1 yr | Replaceable battery: Sure | Distance for left-behind alerts: 450 ft. | Telephone finder perform: Sure, through Chipolo app | Bluetooth vary: 300 ft
Chipolo’s earlier fob, the Chipolo ONE, was our prime choose for a pair years. The discharge of Samsung’s newest tag, new Tile trackers and different tags appropriate with Google’s discovering community didn’t handle to nudge it from its throne. The Chipolo Pop got here out in early 2025 and it not solely retains all of the options we liked concerning the authentic tracker, but it surely additionally solved our one grievance concerning the earlier mannequin: Chipolo’s restricted discovering community.
The Pop tracker faucets into both Google’s Discover Hub or Apple’s Discover My community, calling on each close by Android or iPhone, respectively, to anonymously ping a misplaced tracker for correct discovering. Not solely does it have some appreciable lost-in-the wild chops, it’s additionally louder than an AirTag, could make your cellphone ring, has 12 completely different ring tones, is available in cute colours and, notably, has a dang gap in contrast to Apple’s slippery, accessory-requiring pebble.
It solely works with one community at a time, but it surely’s simple to take away a tool that’s related to, say, an iPhone after which pair it up with a Galaxy handset. Setup was useless easy and quick. For each the iOS and Android exams, simply bringing the Pop near the cellphone triggered a immediate to pair it. Chipolo’s tag is not the loudest tracker we examined (Pebblebee’s Clip 5 holds that honor), however you received’t wrestle to listen to it — and it has 12 elective ringtones, together with three which might be holiday-themed.
Neither Apple AirTags nor third-party trackers working with Google’s Discover Hub will allow you to ring your cellphone by squeezing the fob, however Chipolo Pop will. You’ll have to put in the Chipolo app and provides it permission to run within the background (doing so didn’t drastically drain both my iPhone or Android cellphone battery). The characteristic labored reliably in my exams and was extremely appreciated, as my keys have a tendency to remain put once I’m dwelling, however my iPhone likes to roam round the home like a bored housecat.
iPhone customers who stroll away from an merchandise tagged with the Discover My community will get an alert earlier than they get too distant (often a pair blocks), however Google’s discovering community has no related skill. The Chipolo app allows left-behind (separation) alerts when utilizing an Android cellphone. In my exams I acquired about 400 ft away from my stuff earlier than getting a notification I’d forgotten one thing. That’s really quicker than AirTags’ notification and much faster than Tile’s. Alerts have been constant whether or not I used to be forgetting an merchandise at dwelling, at a espresso store or inside my automobile.
So far as dropping stuff out within the wild, the Pop paired with Apple’s Discover My community possesses the identical spooky accuracy as an AirTag. In my iPhone check, I had a buddy conceal the tag about 4 blocks away from me subsequent to a comparatively busy espresso store. As soon as they informed me the tag had been stashed, I went to the Discover My app to activate the misplaced merchandise characteristic — however no want, the discovering community had already situated it. I tapped to observe instructions in Apple Maps and was taken inside about two ft from the bush the place it was hidden. Like my AirTags exams, I used to be each impressed with and barely unnerved by the accuracy.
The discovering abilities that depend on the Android community have been additionally spectacular. As soon as the Pop was hidden, I marked it as misplaced and acquired a ping that it had been noticed about six minutes later. Once more, the instructions led me shut sufficient to ring the tracker that I might discover it.
Most individuals received’t must depend on the discovering community regularly, which is why it’s essential that Chipolo’s on a regular basis finding skills work effectively, too. Tapping the Play Sound perform on both an Android or iPhone made the tag chirp virtually immediately, and it was ready to hook up with close by tags from additional away than fashions from different manufacturers.
- Louder than an AirTag
- Makes use of both or Apple or Google’s discovering networks
- Chipolo app provides helpful options
- Colourful disc with a gap
- Allows left-behind alerts for Android telephones
Picture by Valentina Palladino / Engadget
Format: Easy disc | Compatibility: iPhone | Water resistance: IP67 (water and dust-resistant) | Battery life: 1 yr | Replaceable battery: Sure | Distance for left-behind alerts: 1,200 ft | Telephone finder perform: No | Bluetooth vary: ~100ft
Editor’s be aware: Apple simply launched a new version of its AirTag trackers. We’re within the technique of testing the brand new mannequin and can replace this entry as soon as we’re accomplished. Chances are high, this can nonetheless be the most effective choose for iPhone customers, however we’ll have our full evaluation quickly.
AirTags work with iOS’ Discover My app and are registered to your Apple ID, so that they don’t require any extra downloads. In the event you’ve used the Find My app earlier than, you’ll seemingly perceive how this works. These are the quietest of the trackers we examined and every time you press the Play Sound button, the tags solely ring for seven seconds. You’ll must preserve urgent if you happen to don’t discover your merchandise instantly and AirTags can’t be used to ring your cellphone.
As for separation alerts, AirTags have been constant, at all times delivering a “left behind” alert once I traveled about 1,200 ft away, or about three sq. blocks, with out an merchandise. You possibly can flip off separation alerts for any given tracker, in addition to designate sure areas, resembling your private home or office, as exceptions for the notifications.
AirTags can faucet into the ultra-wideband (UWB) wi-fi protocol. This lets you play a enjoyable sport of cold and warm with an merchandise when it’s inside about 25 ft of your iPhone. Directional arrows and a diminishing distance meter in your iPhone’s display level you to an merchandise with out having to ring it. This labored reliably about 75 p.c of the time in my exams; often it was simply simpler to ring the merchandise when the directional discovering couldn’t preserve a lock on the tracker.
UWB is supported by iPhone fashions 11 and later and whereas newer Galaxy and Pixel telephones additionally help UWB, however the one Android-compatible tracker to this point has been Samsung’s now-discontinued SmartTag+. In 2021, Tile announced a UWB tracker, however has lengthy since missed its promised launch window of “early 2022.”
AirTag’s skill to find a misplaced merchandise out within the metropolis is sort of eerie. I had somebody (who was not carrying an iPhone) take my bike with a tracker hidden beneath the seat to a location a bit over a half mile away. I set out a couple of minutes later and toggled on Notify When Discovered within the Discover My app. Inside three minutes, I obtained a notification that the bike had been “seen” close to an handle. Tapping on Instructions navigates to Apple Maps, which took me to a spot about 30 ft from the bike. Had it been obscured from view, I might have then used the Discover Close by button to activate the UWB finding options. Ringing the tag was too quiet to listen to on the sidewalk.
Each the Chipolo Pop and the Pebblebee Clip 5 will work with Apple’s Discover My community, giving you a similar eerily correct discovering capabilities. The Pop goes for a similar $29 because the AirTag and the Clip 5 goes for $35, however the former is rechargeable and provides lights to the combo. Each have built-in holes for simpler attachment and each ring louder than the AirTags. That stated, AirTags are nonetheless the gold customary for iPhone customers and stay our prime choose for iOS devotees.
- Huge discovering community
- Correct UWB for close by finding
- iPhone solely
- Solely rings for 7 seconds at a time
- No attachment level
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Format: Disc with gap | Compatibility: Android and iPhone | Water resistance: IP66 (water and mud resistant) | Battery life: As much as 12 mo. per cost | Replaceable battery: No (rechargeable) | Telephone finder perform: Sure, with Pebblebee app | Bluetooth vary: As much as 500 ft
Pebblebee made just a few enhancements with the . Now, the ringtone is louder than ever, you could find your cellphone utilizing the tracker and each 12 weeks the model releases two limited-edition colours. The Clip 5 faucets into both Google’s Discover Hub or Apple’s Discover My community relying on which cellphone you employ, and it could go as much as 12 months earlier than needing a recharge through USB-C. And, fortunately, the trackers not ship with a (pointless) cable.
Along with being ear-shatteringly loud (my cellphone’s decibel app clocked a 97), the fob additionally has light-up LED lights — helpful if you happen to’re searching for one thing misplaced on the backside of a pack or the again of a closet. It comes with a useful keyring however the design has modified barely from the earlier iteration, the Common tag. Now it’s a bit smaller, and the metallic elements have been changed with plastic, making it really feel only a contact much less premium.
Pebblebee states the Bluetooth vary at 500 meters and, certainly, I used to be in a position to ring the tracker from my cellphone (with a transparent line of sight between the 2) at a distance of round 480 ft. As for its on a regular basis monitoring utility, it was on par with the opposite third-party models I’ve examined: A Clip 5 misplaced within the metropolis was noticed by one other cellphone inside quarter-hour and “left behind” alerts have been triggered once I acquired between 800 and 1,600 ft away from the tag. Once I pretended the tag was misplaced in the home, the connection was fairly quick.
One Pebblebee-specific perk is a private security characteristic known as . After you allow it within the Pebblebee app, you possibly can squeeze the tag 5 instances to set off a loud siren and vivid flashes from the LED gentle. It then sends a notification to your “security circle.” The free model enables you to add one individual and sends them your static location. A $3 month-to-month model will notify 5 individuals and share your dwell location.
- Lengthy vary
- Loudest ring
- Features a phone-finder perform
- Private security characteristic
- Smaller and fewer premium really feel than earlier than
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Format: Disc with silicone loop tab | Compatibility: Android and iPhone | Water resistance: IP67 (water and mud resistant) | Battery life: 6 mo. per cost | Replaceable battery: No (rechargeable) | Distance for left-behind alerts: 350 ft Android, 900 ft iPhone | Telephone finder perform: Sure, through Chipolo app | Bluetooth vary: 400 ft
The Chipolo Loop is a souped up model of our prime choose, the Chipolo Pop. As a substitute of a matte plastic disc with a gap in it, the Loop has a easy face and a silicone attachment tab. Plus, it’s USB-C rechargeable and is available in extra (and extra enjoyable) colours.
You’ll pay $10 extra for these upgrades — and it’s debatable whether or not it is simpler to recharge a tool each six months or swap in a brand new battery annually — so our prime choose continues to be the Pop. But when rechargeability is what you’re after, the Loop delivers, plus it has dependable discovering chops, a easy setup and distinctive additional options.
The Chipolo Loop will work with both Apple’s Discover My or Google’s Discover Hub (however solely one by one). Pairing was brain-dead simple, simply press the button in your new Loop and do what it says in your cellphone. Once I examined how rapidly the discovering group situated a misplaced Loop, the outcomes have been the identical as for different trackers utilizing the 2 main discovering networks: I used to be alerted to its discovery in about seven minutes when related to Apple’s system and a bit over 20 minutes on Google’s.
The fob itself additionally labored as meant when finding misplaced objects in my home. I tossed it willy-nilly into my bed room and used my cellphone to make it ring from throughout the home. Once I left it within the (unattached) storage, I might get it to play a sound from my porch, and it was audible sufficient for me to listen to. It additionally has a flashing LED gentle, but it surely’s so small as to be irrelevant.
The Loop was the one rechargeable third-party tracker working with Google and Apple networks that allowed you to ring your cellphone (utilizing the Chipolo app). However now the Pebblebee Clip 5 can do the identical. Pebblebee’s fob additionally features a private security characteristic; It is louder and cheaper than the Loop, too. Thus Chipolo’s rechargeable fob has dropped to runner-up standing.
However the Loop has just a few extra perks (in addition to a nicer construct) that make it my private favourite (and the one I carry). For one, it enables you to regulate the amount of the tracker by the Chipolo app.
Apple’s Discover My offers customers left-behind alerts however Google’s Discover Hub doesn’t. Chipolo’s app restores that characteristic to Android customers so that they get a ping when their cellphone ventures away from the tracker. The one disadvantage there may be you can’t set “protected” areas, resembling your private home. Which means an Android cellphone will ping you each time you permit your Loop behind, even if you happen to depart it at dwelling.
A cute, however not terribly obligatory characteristic is the distant shutter perform. Via Chipolo’s app, you possibly can flip the fob right into a Bluetooth digicam set off.
As a result of these additional options are dealt with by the corporate’s app, you’ll must allow notifications and permit it to run within the background. Once I did so, I didn’t discover a major battery draw from the Chipolo app on both my iPhone or Galaxy handset.
- Enticing design and colours
- Rechargeable battery
- Permits you to discover your cellphone with the Chipolo app
- Good Bluetooth vary
- A number of ring tone choices and adjustable quantity
- The LED gentle is not very noticeable
- No choice to set “protected” areas for left behind alerts (Android solely)
Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Format: Rectangular fob with gap | Compatibility: Samsung telephones | Water resistance: IP67 (water and dust-resistant) | Battery life: 16 months | Replaceable battery: Sure | Distance for left-behind alerts: 1,300 ft. | Telephone finder perform: Sure | Bluetooth vary: 390 ft
Nothing can beat the vastness of Apple’s Discover My community, because it depends on each close by iPhone to assist find AirTags. The variety of Samsung telephones within the US could also be smaller than the variety of Apple handsets on the market, but it surely’s nonetheless important. The brand new SmartTag 2 depends on these telephones to supply a discovering community that will not greatest Apple’s, but it surely was the primary tag to supply something near Apple’s community.
In fact, now that Google has it is personal expanded Discover Hub community, Samsung’s community falls to 3rd place by way of dimension.
The SmartTag 2 solely works with Samsung gadgets and after testing one out with a Galaxy S23, I used to be impressed how rapidly it was capable of finding tagged objects out within the wild, although the precision didn’t fairly match that of Apple. Of all of the trackers I’ve tried, I just like the design of the SmartTag the most effective. It’s an rectangular fob with a giant gap for attaching on to your keys, or you should buy the elective silicone case and ring Samsung affords. Its quantity is louder than the AirTag and the Tile Professional, however not as loud as both the Chipolo One or the Pebblebee Clip. You too can change the tag’s ringtone or double squeeze it to ring your handset, each issues you can’t do with AirTags.
Setup is easy as effectively: when you take away the plastic pull tab, your cellphone senses the tracker and walks you thru the usual permissions (location providers, notifications) and warnings (don’t use the tracker on individuals). The companion app, SmartThings Discover, tracks your Samsung gadgets and the SmartTag with an intuitive and clear Google Maps-based interface.
As for the way the tag works in apply, I discovered the left behind alerts triggered reliably once I acquired about three blocks (1,200 ft or so) away when strolling and about eight blocks away when driving. That’s far longer than Chipolo’s alerts, a bit longer than Apple’s notifications and about on par with Tile’s left-behind characteristic.
When the tag is out of vary and also you allow Misplaced Mode, you’ll get an alert when it’s noticed by one other Samsung cellphone. The tag additionally makes use of NFC to show your contact information and a customized be aware to anybody who finds the tracker, whatever the model of smartphone they carry. In fact, whoever finds it might must know to carry it to the again of their cellphone to get the message, and it was more durable to set off with my iPhone when the tag was within the silicone holder.
To check the discovering community, I requested a buddy (with no cellphone of their pocket) to wander a half mile away with the tag. About 12 minutes after turning on Misplaced Mode, I acquired a message that the SmartTag was “noticed by a close-by system” with a dropped pin. I tapped Navigate within the app, which opened Google Maps and led me to some extent straight throughout a reasonably busy road from the place my buddy was standing. If I’d left the tag behind someplace I’d lately been, simply seeing the situation on the map would have been sufficient to jog my reminiscence as to the place I might need dropped my stuff. But when somebody had stolen the tagged merchandise and I used to be wandering the streets attempting to get it again, vigilante fashion, it might not have been exact sufficient to assist. It might not be as correct because the iPhone-and-AirTag combo, however the SmartTag 2 is a strong entry within the Bluetooth tracker market and a great choice you probably have a Samsung cellphone.
- Discovering community is giant
- Enticing and helpful design
- Solely works with Samsung telephones
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Format: Sq. with gap | Compatibility: Android and iPhone | Water resistance: None | Battery life: Months | Replaceable battery: Sure | Telephone finder perform: No | Bluetooth vary: 50 ft
My largest gripe concerning the is the opening on the fob is type of small. Aside from that, it’s a succesful finances tracker with a reasonably loud ringer (80 decibels in my exams).
There are, after all, some tradeoffs for the worth: It’s not waterproof and the Bluetooth vary is just 50 ft, which is lower than most trackers on the market. Whenever you set off a sound to play on the fob from the app, it solely lasts for 10 seconds (as an alternative of taking part in till you discover it and make it cease). It’s additionally a fairly boring black sq..
But it surely’s simple to arrange and, for simply $20, you possibly can faucet into the 2 largest discovering networks on the market, both Apple or Google’s. So, regardless of the place it wanders, if there’s a appropriate smartphone close by, you need to get an alert telling you the situation of your misplaced objects. In a single such check, it was even situated quicker than one other, higher-priced fob. Discovering misplaced stuff in my home was rather less snappy than it was with different fobs, however it will definitely discovered a connection so I might monitor it down. If you need a dependable however low cost tracker, that is price a glance.
- Underneath $25 tracker
- Makes use of each Apple and Google’s discovering networks
- Simple arrange
- Small attachment gap
- Solely rings for 10 seconds
- Quick Bluetooth vary
What to search for in a Bluetooth monitoring system
Bluetooth trackers are small discs or playing cards that depend on short-range, low-energy wi-fi indicators to speak together with your smartphone. Connect one in all these devices your stuff and, if it’s in vary, your cellphone can “ring” the chip so you could find it. These monitoring gadgets provide different options like separation alerts to inform you if you’ve left a tagged merchandise behind, or the place a misplaced merchandise was final detected. Some may even faucet into a bigger community of smartphones to trace down your system if you’re out of vary. Relying on what you need the tracker to do, there are just a few specs to search for when deciding which to get.
Machine compatibility
Like most issues from the parents in Cupertino, AirTags solely work with merchandise within the Apple ecosystem. Each Apple and Google have opened up entry to the Discover My and Discover Hub networks to third-party producers, together with Chipolo and Pebblebee. These two firms make device-agnostic fashions that may work with the bigger monitoring community from both model, so iPhone and Android customers should buy the identical tag. Tile trackers work with both Android or Apple gadgets, however use Tile’s personal Life 360 discovering community. Samsung’s newest fob, the Galaxy SmartTag2, solely works with Samsung telephones and faucets right into a discovering system that depends on different Samsung gadgets to find misplaced tags.
Discovering community
Crowd-sourced discovering capabilities are what make headlines, with tales about recovering stolen equipment or monitoring misplaced baggage across the globe. Utilizing nameless indicators that ping different individuals’s gadgets, these Bluetooth monitoring gadgets can probably inform you the place a tagged merchandise is, even when your smartphone is out of Bluetooth vary.
Apple’s Discover My community is the biggest, with over a billion iPhones and iPads in service all working Apple’s Discover My app by default. So except an iPhone consumer opts out, their cellphone silently acts as a location detector for any close by AirTags. Apple lately elevated the AirTag’s discovering energy by enabling you to share the tracker’s location with a 3rd social gathering, social gathering, like an airline. Chipolo fobs that work on Apple’s community have the identical skill. Google launched its Discover My Machine community in 2024 and has since renamed it Discover Hub, which, like Apple’s fining app, combines gadgets and other people discovering in a single place. That community is now an in depth second for the biggest within the US
Now that Google’s Discover Hub community is up and running, it’s an in depth second for the biggest within the US. Like Apple, Android customers are mechanically a part of the community, however can opt-out by choosing the Google providers choice of their cellphone’s Settings app and toggling the choice within the Discover Hub menu. Samsung’s SmartTag 2 and associated community additionally defaults to an opt-in standing for locating tags and different gadgets.
Tile affords a big discovering grid that features Tile customers, Amazon Sidewalk clients and other people working the Life360 community. Life360 acquired Tile in 2021, and, in accordance with the corporate, the Life360 community has greater than 70 million month-to-month lively customers.
In our exams, AirTags and third-party tags utilizing its community, just like the Chipolo Loop and Pop and the Pebblebee Clip 5, have been the quickest to trace down misplaced objects. They supplied almost real-time location information in reasonably to closely trafficked spots round Albuquerque, together with a bar, bookstore and low retailers in Nob Hill, together with varied outside hangouts on UNM’s campus.
Samsung’s SmartTags have been in a position to find our misplaced objects more often than not, although not with the identical precision discovering accuracy as AirTags. Once we examined Google’s Find Hub (then called Find My Device) network proper after launch, it was noticeably slower than Apple’s community when utilizing the group discovering characteristic. Testing it once more in mid 2025, the time it took to find a misplaced merchandise was significantly improved, taking lower than 20 minutes on common for the group to trace a fob. In our exams, Tile’s discovering community wasn’t in a position to constantly find its misplaced fobs.
Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Separation alerts
A tracker’s day-to-day utility turns into actually obvious when it prevents you from dropping one thing within the first place. Separation alerts inform you if you’ve traveled too far out of your tagged objects. Helpful if you wish to make certain your laptop computer bag, jacket or umbrella at all times comes with you if you depart the home.
Apple’s Discover My app delivers these notifications, however Google’s Discover Hub doesn’t. Nonetheless, you probably have a Chipolo system and permit its companion app to run within the background in your Android cellphone, left-behind alerts are enabled. Tile trackers require a yearly subscription to allow the alerts (at the moment $7 to $25 month-to-month). Each AirTags and Tiles will let you flip off separation alerts at sure areas, that means you possibly can set your private home as a “protected” place the place objects might be left behind, however alerts will nonetheless set off elsewhere.
In our exams, AirTags and others utilizing the Discover My community alerted us between the 600- and 1,400-foot mark. Tiles despatched a notification after about a mean of 1,500 ft and have been extra constant when utilizing an Android cellphone than an iPhone. Chipolo Pop tags paired with an Android cellphone and utilizing its personal app despatched an alert once we acquired round 450 ft away from our tagged merchandise.
Connectivity and quantity
The characteristic you might use most frequently is the important thing finder perform, which makes the tracker ring if you hit a button within the app. With Apple’s AirTags, you possibly can say “Hey Siri, the place are my keys?” and the assistant will ring the tag (assuming it would not mistakenly suppose you are asking for instructions to the Floridian archipelago). You too can use the Discover Merchandise app in your Apple Watch to ring your fob. Asking sensible dwelling/private assistants like Alexa or the Google Assistant to search out your keys will work with Chipolo, Tile and Pebblebee trackers linked to your Android system.
When you’ve got your tag however can’t discover your cellphone, some trackers will allow you to ring them to search out your handset. SmartTag2 fobs reliably rang our Galaxy cellphone once we double-pressed it. Tile trackers have the identical characteristic. Chipolo Pop and Loop trackers can ring your cellphone, however makes use of the Chipolo app to take action, which may run concurrently with the Discover My or Discover Hub connection. AirTags and third-party tags utilizing Google’s community don’t provide this characteristic.
The quantity of the Bluetooth monitoring system could decide whether or not you could find an merchandise buried in your sofa cushions or in a loud room. AirTags have a repute for being on the quiet facet, and that aligned with what we noticed (measuring roughly 65 decibels). Chipolo’s Pop tags and Tile’s Professional mannequin measure between 83 and 86 decibels on common. Pebblebee’s new Clip 5 was the loudest of any tag we’ve examined, clocking in at 97 ear-splitting decibels.
Design and different codecs
Design will decide what you possibly can connect the tracker to. AirTags are small, easy discs that may’t be secured to something with out accessories, that are quite a few, however that’s an extra value to think about. Chipolo, Pebblebee and Tile provide trackers with holes that simply connect to your key ring, and all three firms additionally provide card-shaped variations designed to slot in your pockets. Pebblebee Clip 5 tags include a useful carabiner-style key ring.
You possibly can even get trackers embedded into helpful objects like baggage locks. The SmartLock from KeySmart is a TSA-approved baggage lock, however along with the three digit code, it’s additionally a Bluetooth tracker that’s appropriate with Apple Discover My. It wasn’t fairly as loud as different trackers in my exams, and the vary wasn’t as lengthy, but it surely paired simply and labored with Apple’s discovering community identical to an AirTag.
Battery life
AirTag, Tile Professional, SmartTag2, HyperShield and Chipolo Pop fobs use replaceable batteries and every ought to go for not less than a yr earlier than needing to be swapped. Pebblebee Clip 5 and Chipolo Loop trackers are rechargeable through a typical USB-C port. The Clip 5 has a protracted battery life declare at 12 months. The Loop ought to go for six months on a cost.
Trackers formed like bank cards, aka pockets trackers, haven’t got replaceable batteries, however some, just like the Chipolo Card and the Pebblebee Card 5 are USB-C rechargeable.
Stalking, theft and information privateness
AirTags have gotten quite a lot of consideration and even prompted some lawsuits for Apple on account of unhealthy actors planting them on individuals so as to stalk them. Whereas this truth could not affect your shopping for determination, any dialogue of Bluetooth trackers ought to be aware what steps Apple, Google and Tile have taken to deal with the difficulty. Final yr, all the foremost gamers within the Bluetooth tracker enterprise teamed up to fight misuse and standardize how unauthorized monitoring detection and alerts work for iOS and Android.
Final yr, Tile launched a characteristic known as Anti-Theft Mode, which allows you to render one in all its trackers undetectable by others. Which means if somebody steals your tagged merchandise, they received’t be capable to use the anti-stalking options to search out and disable the tracker. That type of negates one of many main methods potential stalking victims can keep protected, so Tile hopes ID verification and a $1 million penalty will deter misuse.
As a theft deterrent, a Bluetooth tracker could or might not be the best choice. Anecdotal tales abound by which individuals have recovered stolen items utilizing a tracker — however different tales are more cautionary. Neither Apple nor Google promotes its trackers or discovering networks as a method to cope with theft. GPS trackers, however, are sometimes marketed for simply that objective.
How we examined Bluetooth trackers
Earlier than deciding on which trackers to check, we researched the sector, consumer opinions on Amazon, Finest Purchase and different retailers, together with discussions on websites like Reddit. We additionally checked out what different publications needed to say on the matter earlier than narrowing down our choices.
Right here’s the total listing of each tracker we examined:
After buying the trackers, I examined each over the course of some weeks utilizing each an iPhone 11 adopted by an iPhone 16 and a Samsung Galaxy S22 then an S23 Extremely. I recreated seemingly consumer experiences, resembling dropping and leaving objects behind at dwelling and out within the metropolis. I planted trackers at completely different spots close to downtown Albuquerque, largely concentrated in and across the College of New Mexico and the encompassing neighborhood of Nob Hill. Later, I performed exams within the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.
Every check was carried out a number of instances, each whereas strolling and driving and I used the measure distance characteristic on Google Maps to trace footage for alerts. I paid consideration to how simple the app was to make use of, how dependable the phone-to-tracker connection was and some other perks and disadvantages that got here up throughout common use.
As new trackers come to market, or as we study of worthy fashions to attempt, I will check them and add the outcomes to this information.
Different Bluetooth trackers we examined
Motorola Moto Tag
The Moto Tag haunts me. At this very second, my Galaxy cellphone says the fob is “Close to you proper now.” However I don’t know the place. I faucet to play a sound and the Discover Hub tries, however in the end says it could’t. I faucet the Discover Close by perform that’s purported to visually information you to the tag. I parade my cellphone round the home like a divining rod, take it down into the basement, stroll it all around the storage. Nothing. However the Hub app unendingly says the Moto Tag is “Close to you proper now” and I get flashes of each old-school horror film the place the phone operator tells the soon-to-be sufferer that the decision is coming from inside the home.
It’s partly my fault. I are inclined to preserve good tabs on the devices I check for work. However throughout my most up-to-date transfer, the tiny inexperienced disc didn’t make it into the protection of my overview unit cupboard after relocation. Maybe in retribution for my neglect, the Moto Tag retains itself simply out of attain. Taunting me. I’ll let you already know if I ever discover it, however within the meantime, it’s clear this discovering system doesn’t need to be discovered. The advisable tags on this information will serve you higher.
Tile Professional and Tile Mate (2024)
Tile lately got here out with a brand new suite of trackers, changing the Tile Mate, Tile Professional, Tile Sticker and Tile Slim with updated models. Along with enjoyable new colours for the Mate and Slim, Tile added an SOS characteristic that may ship a notification to your Life360 Circle if you triple press the button on the tracker. It’s a intelligent addition that turns your keys right into a panic button, one thing supplied by private security firms as standalone gadgets.
There are just a few caveats: You and the individuals you need to notify in an emergency will want the Life360 app put in in your telephones. If you need your Tile to additionally set off a name to emergency providers, you’ll want a $15-per-month Life360 subscription (that’s along with a Tile membership, which begins at $3/month or $30 yearly). And enabling the SOS triple-press disables the flexibility to ring your cellphone with the fob.
I examined the SOS characteristic and it did certainly ship a textual content message to my Circle, with the message that I had triggered an SOS and a hyperlink to a web site that confirmed my present location. I assumed it odd that the hyperlink didn’t open the Life360 app (which reveals the situation of customers’ telephones), however I wasn’t as a lot involved with Tile’s private security options as I used to be with the monitoring capabilities, which turned out to be lower than ideally suited.
For my exams, I planted Tile trackers in a densely populated space of Seattle (about 15,000 individuals per sq. mile). After setting the trackers to “misplaced” within the Tile app, I waited. After 4 hours, one of many trackers was not found by the discovering group, so I went and retrieved it. One other fob I planted alerted me that the tracker had been discovered by the Tile group after three hours — however the location it gave me was off by a 3rd of a mile. I then determined to plant a tracker within the busiest place I might consider — the dried fruit and nuts aisle of a Dealer Joes on a Friday night earlier than a serious vacation. It nonetheless took over a half an hour earlier than one other Tile consumer anonymously pinged my misplaced tracker.
In my exams with Samsung’s trackers and the fobs on Google’s Discover Hub community, it took round ten minutes for them to be found. AirTags took half that point and all have been examined in a far much less populated metropolis. Tile’s 4 hours with no ping and over a half hour earlier than getting a success in a crowded TJs have been fairly lengthy stretches.
Tile gadgets work with each cellular working methods and its newest fashions are certainly louder than they have been earlier than. However they aren’t as fast to attach and you could pay for a membership to activate left-behind alerts. And if you do, these notifications don’t kick in as rapidly as they do with competing trackers.
Bluetooth tracker FAQs
Which Bluetooth tracker has the longest vary?
Each the Tile Professional and the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 declare a most vary of round 400 ft, which is longer than the 300-foot declare for Chipolo’s Pop tags. The Pebblebee Clip 5 claims a 500-foot vary, although different trackers with a shorter claimed vary typically carried out higher in our exams. Apple doesn’t make vary claims for AirTags, however 30 meters (100 ft) appears to be the final consensus for these fobs.
Any Bluetooth sign, after all, relies on just a few components. Obstacles like partitions and other people can block the sign, so a transparent line of sight is the one method to obtain the utmost vary. Different indicators, like Wi-Fi, may also intervene with Bluetooth connections. Even excessive humidity can have an impact and reduce the space at which your cellphone will hook up with your tracker.
Keep in mind, when contemplating the vary of Bluetooth trackers, the dimensions of the “discovering community” additionally comes into play. That is the variety of close by telephones that can be utilized to anonymously ping your tracker when your personal cellphone is out of Bluetooth vary. As of now, Apple AirTags have the biggest community, adopted by Google’s Discover Hub, Samsung’s discovering group and eventually, Tile’s Life360 members.
What’s the greatest Bluetooth tracker for a automobile?
Bluetooth trackers are designed to trace small, private objects like keys, jackets, backpacks and the like. All trackers have safeguards to ban the tag from getting used to stalk individuals, so most will alert somebody if a tracker that doesn’t belong to them is detected following them. Which means a automobile thief could get tipped off that there’s a tracker within the automobile they’re attempting to steal.
That stated, you’ll see loads of stories about individuals discovering their automobile due to a Bluetooth tracker. Some police departments have even handed out trackers to fight excessive charges of carjacking. In most cases, the tracker of alternative has been AirTags due to their large discovering community. In the event you’re searching for a tracker in your automobile, you might need to look into GPS trackers, a few of that are designed for simply that objective.
How correct are Bluetooth trackers?
Accuracy for Bluetooth trackers might be checked out in two methods: Discovering objects close by and discovering objects misplaced outdoors your private home. For close by objects, you’ll most frequently use the ring perform on the system to hunt it down. Apple’s AirTags additionally use ultra-wideband expertise, which creates directional navigation in your cellphone to get you inside a foot of the tracker.
Precisely discovering misplaced objects outdoors your private home will depend on the dimensions of the discovering community. Since this depends on the serendipity of a random cellphone passing inside Bluetooth vary of your tracker, the extra telephones on a given community, the higher. And since Bluetooth ranges and distance estimates are solely exact inside a couple of meter or so, getting pings from multiple cellphone will assist finding objects. Right here once more, it’s price noting that Apple’s Discover My community is the biggest, adopted by Google, Samsung and Tile (each Chipolo and Pebblebee have fobs that work with the Apple and Google networks).
Current Updates
February 2026: Added Pebblebee Clip 5 as the most effective rechargeable system. Added HyperShield tag as a finances choose. Up to date FAQs for accuracy.
October 2025: Added Chipolo Loop as a brand new choose for greatest rechargeable Bluetooth tracker. Detailed our expertise with the Moto Tag and KeySmart SmartLock. Up to date particulars about separation alerts and Extremely Wideband tech.
August 2025: Up to date the title of Google’s discovering community to Discover Hub, as an alternative of Discover My Machine. Added particulars about Pebblebee’s new Alert characteristic. Added a desk of contents.
