AirTag vs GPS Dog Trackers: Which is Best?

Debating AirTag vs GPS dog trackers? City life favors AirTags; adventures and escape-artists need GPS. Here’s the quick, honest breakdown. So, you want to keep tabs on your dog and are asking, “AirTag or GPS collar. Which one should I use?” Each can help track down a lost pup, but they operate in very different ways. It’s time to pit Apple’s AirTags (Bluetooth/beacon trackers) against full GPS dog trackers, considering range, accuracy, battery and price. Trying to decide between AirTags and GPS trackers? For a complete look at AirTags on dog collars, see AirTag Dog Collar: Pros, Cons & Safety.

Tracking Technology

AirTag (Bluetooth + Crowdsourced GPS):

Apple AirTags ping nearby iPhones and iPads via Bluetooth. If your dog wanders out of range, any nearby iPhone (~30–100 feet) will automatically send the AirTag’s location to iCloud in the background. You see it on your map. In the real world, this is actually a surprisingly effective way to do it, assuming your dog lives in a city or really any place that exists where there are people around. The big downside is range: If your dog bolts into remote or unpopulated areas, the AirTag could stop transmitting. If your pup gets lost during a hike or in a remote area, you’re probably not going to be able to track an AirTag tied around their neck.

GPS Tracker (Satellite + Cellular):

A GPS dog collar (for example Tractive, Fi, Whistle, Garmin, etc) is a GPS dog collar is built with both a GPS chip and SIM card. It regularly accesses satellite data to determine your dog’s location and then sends it to your phone over cellular (the same way your phone does). Which is to say, real-time tracking wherever cells are in service. There’s no requirement for random iPhones to be in proximity. You’ll watch a dot on a map as it moves in close to real time. Many of these trackers can help establish “safe zones” (geofences) they let you know if your dog has left a particular area which AirTags do not offer.

Range & Reliability

Urban vs. Rural

In a city, an AirTag in sufficient availability can actually outperform a cheap GPS tracker – there will be hundreds of iPhones that can update its location. Basically, AirTags rely on crowds. GPS trackers need the cell towers. If you’re in the back of beyond from where you want to emerge it’s GPS in a landslide. If you are in Manhattan or a highly trafficked park, an AirTag will do the job on the cheap.

Speed of Update

Life Tracking With a GPS tracker, you can expect live tracking. For example, the Tractive unit may refresh its location every 2–3 seconds during live tracking. AirTags update only when a phone has pinged them (and then only once a minute at best if there are many phones nearby). While your dog is actively running, a GPS tracker will provide smoother and more reliable updates.

Dependence

• AirTag: depends on others.
• GPS tracker: Requires your monthly bill (and subscription to the service).

Both of these can also fail: AirTag can go from signal to grave the instant its battery dies (or sooner, if its remaining battery power gets it more than 30 away); and if the GPS collar’s battery dies or your subscription lapses, it, too, can go from signal to grave. Yes, no subscription needed for AirTags, but you do need an iPhone. GPS collars, on the other hand, charge a subscription of $60–$100/year but work on any smartphone (iPhone or Android) once installed.

Battery Life

• AirTag: Replaceable battery lasts about 1 year. That’s awesome almost forget about it.
• GPS Collars: vary widely. For example:

• Tractive GPS Collar: about 1 week per charge (in high-update mode). Read review about Tractive why it is best.
• Fi Series 3 up to three months on a charge (docking station included). In the real world, it was more like a couple of weeks, but even that was far longer than most.
• Whistle GO Explore approximately 2-3 weeks (in testing ~17 days).
• More battery life in a slim pair of headphones means less days spent charging. If battery life is an issue, consider a tracker with a longer life like AirTag (claimed one year) or those without subscriptions such as PitPat (up to three weeks). But keep in mind: AirTag’s long battery life comes with its other trade-offs.

Features & Alerts

• AirTag: location only (through the Find My app). And it has a handy feature: If your dog’s collar tag, also known as the AirTag, gets left behind, your phone can ping you with a “Left Behind” alert. But you don’t get anything dog-specific. No geofence, no activity tracking, nothing other than “here is the last known spot”.
• GPS Collars: These typically come with a few added bells and whistles:
• Geofencing: Paint a digital fence on a map. If Fido treads it, you receive an immediate notification.
• Health/Activity Tracking: Quite a few GPS collars are also activity monitors, tracking steps, sleep, and sometimes health metrics.
• Training Alerts: Certain collars, such as Halo and Dogtra, have training stimuli (shock/vibration) that gets built, as the dog crosses the boundaries.
• Precision: High-end GPS collars can be very fine-tuned. AirTag accuracy is pretty strong when you’re near a phone, that is, but without a phone nearby, well…
• Cost & Convenience: AirTag is a one-time purchase (~$29), with no ongoing service fees. Top GPS collars (device + monthly fees) can cost $200–$400 for the device, then $8–$15 per month. You’ll have to factor that into “which is better” for your budget.

If you want step-by-step instructions on using an AirTag, check How to Put an AirTag on Your Dog’s Collar.

Examples from Testing

Tests summed it up:

• If you want 100% confidence that you can track your dog anywhere and at any time, you should invest in a tracker built for dogs.
• They raved Tractive’s GPS is super reliable with quick locate and health data.
• AirTag’s overall score was lower “best for city dogs,” but with “less reliable GPS connectivity, slow to locate.”
• PitPat (subscription-free) was commended for battery and health tracking, but “location can be slow.”
• Hands-on reviews deemed Tractive the best for tracking, while the AirTag was “cheap” and “extremely precise” so long as it was near an iPhone, and useless once outside Bluetooth range. Fi was the next best, with battery life as very long but cost effectiveness higher.

So, Which Is Better

AirTag is best if:

• You live in a city/suburbs.
• Don’t need constant real-time updates.
• Hate monthly bills.
• It’s a cheap “just in case” tracker for your anxious pup. It’s great for tiny dogs (it’s so light) and dogs who spend most of their time in the populated world of their human.

GPS tracker is better if:

• You want all-day, all-location tracking, particularly outdoors or in remote places.
• Your dog is a flight risk (a “Houdini pup”).
• You crave live updates, alerts and other advanced features.
• Yes, they are more expensive (and they do require a plan) but you get more coverage.
• No-Subscription hybrid (like PitPat):
• You can get zero monthly fees (but with a restricted GPS and speed function) with PitPat Dog.

Combination

The former might also be combined with the latter: some owners tack an AirTag on the collar and use a GPS collar as well. That way you have fallback. Other collar-based trackers do offer email or SMS alerts, in case your dog isn’t where it’s supposed to be; in that scenario, an AirTag might not be your first line of defense, but could be useful as a last measure.

Overall

Evaluate your needs: Cost vs. coverage. If it’s worth the price to you to save every minute when Fluffy’s lost (and you hang out where there aren’t a lot of phones), a GPS dog tracker is a smart investment. If all you need is a little extra security on the cheap for city life, the AirTag can do wonders but be sure to remember its blind spots and keep your dog’s ID tags and microchip up to date regardless.

FAQ (Quickfire)