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We bought the best 11 Bluetooth trackers for a head-to-head, hands-on test that involved hiding numerous common items and measuring how quickly and effectively we could find them.
The Apple AirTag is the best choice for iPhone users due to its massive network and incredible ease of use. The Samsung SmartTag2 performed the best for Samsung users and blew us away with its massive range. The Chipolo ONE is the best option for other Android users and anyone who wants to find items across multiple platforms.
Bluetooth trackers are largely designed to work in concert with an array of ever-evolving smart devices. Certain trackers can be located by linking them with the corresponding smartwatch, and some can even be programmed with smart plugs to be used as an on/off switch for lights.
The newly released Samsung SmartTag2 is our top choice for Samsung users. Boasting a huge network, including 300 million registered and opted-in devices, SmartThings Find recently tripled and is one of the largest. It also uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, dramatically increasing the precision of locating lost items. Combine this with over 300 million users, and the likelihood of finding your belongings is high. Another cool perk is that the device can give your item's live location, and the SmartTag2 gives a history of where it has been. This can be nice if you are curious about where your pet goes through the day or want to follow your luggage's journey. It has a large out-of-sight Bluetooth range and can stay connected to our items up to 387 feet. That's impressive, considering the Apple AirTag maxes out at about 35 feet and does not give a history of where it has been. In addition, the SmartTag2, with newer devices, has a very useful augmented reality interface to help you find things (demo below). The Airtag has a more basic arrow to guide you to your devices.
One of the main limiting factors of the SmartTag2 is that it only works with Samsung phones that are operating Android 9.0 and above. Users must download the SmartThings app, specifically installed on a Samsung phone. This excludes many Android worldwide customers from ever using the tracker, and users with devices not integrated into the SmartThings ecosystem will not benefit from its features. The SmartTag2 also has a quiet ringer, which could make finding your belongings more challenging in a noisy room or if they are stuffed in the couch cushion. You'll want to avoid this tracker if you're not a Samsung user. Instead, consider the Chipolo ONE. This requires downloading its accompanying app, but you won't be limited to just Apple or Samsung devices.
Using the SmartThings app to find the SmartTag 2 and our house keys in the couch. Note the use of augmented reality to help you zero in on your item. Most other apps only give you an arrow for guidance.
The Apple AirTag has an unbeatable network size. If it goes out of Bluetooth range, it has 1.5 billion iPhones (and any other Apple device with the Find My app, for that matter) ready to anonymously ping an updated location to your phone as soon as one comes into range of the tag. As one might expect, it is also supremely easy to pair with your iPhone — as long as Bluetooth is on, and the phone will ask if you want to connect. It also works with the Find My app, which iPhone users may already use for other devices, so it fits perfectly into the ecosystem. This device has an IP67 ingress protection rating, meaning it can withstand depths of up to a meter in water for thirty minutes.
We were shocked at just how small the Bluetooth range is for this tracker. At 35 feet, it is less than 10% of the other top contenders. Though this is generally fine for most practical uses when looking for an item in your house, it is still a startling difference. The only saving grace is that with 1.5 billion iPhones and other Apple devices, there is likely something nearby to locate it in urban settings. Lose your keys out on the trails, and the limitations of the Airtag become dramatic. The design of this coin is also quite slick, meaning it has no integrated way to attach to keys, collars, or luggage handles as so many other devices do. If you want an “adapter,” you must purchase it separately. This tag is only compatible with iPhones. However, this tracker is one of the best for its unparalleled search network and ease of use. The Nutale Nut3 is another tag-style tracker with a massive Bluetooth range that works on both Apple and Samsung devices.
The Chipolo One is a top option for anyone who likes extras. This device covers the basics well, with a decent Bluetooth range of 200 feet, a relatively loud alert sound at almost 80 dB from a couple of feet away, and a keyring hole to make it easy to attach to items. This colorful circle tracker is also one of the lightest in the category, meaning it doesn't add much heft to a set of keys. It has six different alert tones and a directions feature, which tells you how to reach your device if it's out of Bluetooth range. It also has item sharing so that your family members can track your dog on their phones. It doubles as a phone camera remote and can also trigger an alert sound from your phone if that happens to be what is lost.
The primary downside is the comparative size of its network. Once a tracker floats out of Bluetooth range from its connected phone, it relies on other phones with the Chipolo app to ping a new location. With that in mind, the Chipolo network is just a fraction of the size of the 1.5 billion iPhone users worldwide (any one of which could ping an AirTag, for example). The alert sound is also quite shrill. This makes it easy to find but can also be somewhat annoying if the item isn't that far away. Issues aside, this one is our favorite for a device with extra features.
A few of the Chipolo lab and field tests: testing sound relative to the competition, using it as a camera remote, weighing it and tracking it down in a field.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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Some of our tracker testing from water drops, decibel readings, measurement and dog walks.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Why Trust GearLab
At GearLab, we purchase every product we test at full price from the same retailers as our readers. We never accept freebies, demo models, or prototypes from manufacturers — our goal is to determine which products are the best, regardless of the price or name brand associated with them. To test Bluetooth trackers, we measured the range of their signals, assessed their features, and how easy they are to use out of the box and in the long run. We also carefully compared their notification noise levels and each model's physical form and dimensions.
We break down our overall score into five key metrics:
Network (40% of overall scoring weight)
Features and Ease of Use (25% of overall scoring weight)
Range (20% weighting)
Noise (15% weighting)
Physical Attributes (10% weighting)
Ross Patton, Ben Applebaum-Bauch and Whitney Clark spearheaded this review. With more than a decade of product testing experience and a formal education in environmental science, Ross is no stranger to comprehensive experiments and tests. He has been an advocate and user of Bluetooth devices since the days of the old-school Motorola Razr flip phones and the original iOS — the first platform to allow for head-to-head fighter jet dogfighting simulators without an internet or cellular data connection. Ben has been with the GearLab team for six years. He reviewed over 200 home goods and electronics products at that time. Whitney has been reviewing products for the OGL team for years. During that time, she worked on various tech reviews and was always up to date on the newest gadgets.
Testing the decibels of the Airtag as well as the decibels that come from the app on our iPhone.
The Apple AirTag is able to withstand water and dirt thanks to its IP67 ingress protection rating.
Measuring the Apple Airtag.
Analysis and Test Results
To thoroughly assess these devices, we used them in our everyday lives for months, attaching them to our keys, tossing them in our bags, and sticking them to valuable objects.
What's the Best Value?
At GearLab, when we talk about value, we compare the overall score of any given Bluetooth tracker relative to its price. We aim to find top performers — those that might have a higher price tag justified by exceptional performance, as well as diamonds in the rough — those models that don't cost nearly as much as their best-in-class peers but still offer excellent performance for the price. These trackers have a relatively narrow price spread between the most and least expensive, so any high scorer is a good value. The Chipolo One, SmartTag2, and Apple AirTag have exceptional value. Each is highly functional, with large networks and user-friendly apps while remaining budget-friendly.
Keys aren't the only thing you can keep track of with these trackers. If you have a furry friend who is liable to get loose, these devices can offer peace of mind and the ability to find them quickly.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Network
When your lost items go out of normal Bluetooth range, the network component of Bluetooth tracking devices becomes extremely useful. With many Bluetooth tracking devices now utilizing UWB technology and broader crowdsourcing networks, the likelihood of finding your lost items has dramatically increased. Both the Apple AirTag and Chipolo One Spot have the largest network as they use Apple's Find My, which utilizes over a billion Apple devices as silent location detectors. What sets these two Bluetooth trackers apart is that the AirTag uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology and the Find My network. UWB facilitates precision tracking while Find My broadens the range far beyond Bluetooth's constraints. So, as long as there is an Apple product nearby (which is highly likely), the lost Bluetooth tracker can ping its location to other people's Apple devices and report its approximate location back to you. The whole process is end-to-end, encrypted, and anonymous. This is pretty incredible and has changed the game for finding lost items. It is important to note that the Chipolo One Spot is the only Chipolo product that uses Apple's Find My network. All other Chipolo Bluetooth tracking devices use the Chipolo app, which has a dramatically smaller network size.
The Chiplo One pairs with its accompanying app to keep you up to date on where your valuables are. It uses the Apple FindMy network in addition to its own.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The newly released Samsung SmartTag2 taps into the SmartThings Find network, similar to Apple's Find My network in practice. The SmartThings Find network has recently tripled in size and expanded to include 300 million registered and opted-in devices. Like the other community search platforms, the more people participate, the more likely you are to find lost items. The network uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, dramatically increasing the precision of locating lost items. The limiting factor of the Samsung SmartTag2 is that it only works with Samsung phones.
The SmartTag2 is a useful tool for keeping track of your pet, but the hole is much too small to hang directly from a standard-sized collar without using a keyring.
Credit: Ross Patton
Tile trackers, including the Tile Pro, Tile Slim Card, Tile Mate, and Tile Sticker, have the third largest network with a user base of around 100 million users. The network doubled in size a few years ago when Tile, the first location-sharing app on the market, was acquired by Life360. Tile users have to download the Tile app, which, like Apple's Find My, acts as a silent locator for people's lost items when they are out of Bluetooth range.
Although many Bluetooth trackers have a community search platform where other users automatically update your item's location if they come into range, for now, they just can't compare with the scale of Apple's Find My. There are three times as many Android phones as iPhones worldwide, but they haven't yet created a single and unified network. If they can manage that in the future, they will certainly be able to give Apple's network a run for their money.
The Tile Pro fits nicely on a keychain, appearing much like a car key fob.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Features & Ease of Use
At the very minimum, a tracker should be able to well help you keep track of your belongings. However, most have features that go beyond just that. With options from anti-stalking protection to changeable ringtones, plenty of features are available to help you stay connected to your valuables. In addition to this, it shouldn't be overly complicated to use a Bluetooth tracker. Most of the time, it is forgotten about until it is needed. This is why we dedicated a testing metric to its easy use, features, and all.
Features
These days, many trackers come with additional nifty features that enhance their overall performance. Anti-stalking protection, item-locating networks, phone camera shutter remote control, and triggering an alert to find a lost phone are some elements beyond the essential capacity to locate an item.
Among our top performers in this metric are the Chipolo One and Apple AirTag, but for very different reasons. The former has a whole host of additional features like the phone above camera shutter setting, the ability to set off a ring tone from your phone if you lose it, out-of-range notifications if you stray too far from your item, and item sharing, which allows family and friends also to keep track of chipped items. It is compatible with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
Many Bluetooth item finders also work as a camera shutter remote.
Credit: Ross Patton
The latter has an unparalleled network. Suppose you get separated from your AirTag. Your item will likely come into range of another Apple device very quickly, alerting you to its updated location — a super handy feature for a Bluetooth tracker. The AirTag also has an important anti-stalking safety feature: if your iPhone senses that an AirTag that you do not own is traveling with you, you get a notification.
Bluetooth trackers can help avoid the dreaded “couch swallow” that always seems to happen at the worst possible time. Here we hunt down a tracker in our Living Room Lab.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The AirTag is also compatible with a handful of additional accessories. We tested a holder that transforms the disc into a card. This fit in our wallet but took up about as much room as four credit cards. The AirTag is among the best for pet owners. Collar attachments can be purchased to keep up with your furry friends.
The Apple AirTag has a low profile that's great for attaching to a dog collar but you'll need to buy a special holder in addition to the tag.
Credit: Ross Patton
The Tile Pro is also nifty. It can find your phone and items shared with others, and it has a variety of ringtones. Its main drawback is its premiumization — it has even more cool features like location history, item reimbursement, smart alerts, and free battery replacement — if you're willing to pay annually. The Tile Slim Card and Cube Shadow are also decent performers in this metric.
The Tile Pro is a little large but has excellent range, solid volume, and a handful of features that make it a super useful tracker.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Ease of Use
In this section, we look at how challenging or simple it is to use each tracker. We discuss various topics related to each model's user-friendliness, such as how easy or challenging it is to set up each one, how devices interface with their apps, the functionality of the apps themselves, and how quickly you can find your item once the app is open.
We saw stark differences between the trackers' setup process right out of the box. The Apple AirTag had the most streamlined setup of the bunch. Our test phone connected automatically to the new tag, and it integrates into the pre-existing Find My app, so there is no need to download anything new. Other models like the Cube Shadow, Innway Tag, and Innway Card have a QR code on the packaging that can be scanned to link your phone directly to the corresponding app download. Other manufacturers include a link in the instruction booklet that is manually entered to direct the user to the download link. The Nutale Nut3 and Tile devices in our review use this approach.
The Innway models have QR codes on the box that link directly to the app downloads for both iOS and Android users.
Credit: Ross Patton
The quality and functionality of the apps themselves differ between manufacturers. Our favorite app is the Cube, which offers all of the features above but also allows you to ring your phone and trackers from a desktop or laptop computer. As a bonus, the Cube user interface works seamlessly with Alexa. Some apps are basic with minimal functionality. The Nutale easily connects several devices simultaneously, but it is limited to smartphones. It does not offer a platform for finding devices with a desktop or laptop computer. We found the Innway and Tile apps very similar. Each of them effortlessly connects several devices to one account, and the user can easily view their trackers from a computer.
When you are on track, the Airtag (left) guides you to your object with an arrow and a green screen. However, if you enable the camera, the SmartTag 2 (Right) gives you much more guidance and is just cooler to use. Here is what you see when our phone was three feet away from both trackers in the same spot.
Credit: Chris McNamara
The Samsung SmartTag2 was also incredibly easy to set up. We were impressed with the app's use of augmented reality: as you get closer to the object, the app uses green dots and arrows to point you to the object. This was much more impressive and useful than the arrow the Airtag app uses.
Most models can also be used as a camera shutter for your phone. Here we use the Chipolo ONE to snap some pics.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Many of these devices double as a shutter button for your smartphone camera so you can snap the perfect photo or start and stop video without being near your phone. The models in our review that include this feature are the Chipolo One, Cube Shadow, and both Innway models.
The Cube computer platform allows you to ring any of your devices as well as your phone from a laptop, desktop, or tablet.
Bluetooth trackers have a large variety of settings and capabilities. Most of the products in our review can alert the user when they have stepped out of the tracker's range — the perfect feature for those constantly walking out the front door without their keys, wallet, or other belongings. However, the Tile trackers require a subscription and a subsequent monthly fee to access the disconnect alerts. The Nutale Nut3 and Cube models have an interim silent mode that turns off all alarms and alerts during a specific period, at a particular location, or both.
Bluetooth trackers have a variety of settings, each controlled by a smartphone app. All have similar features but some are better than others.
Some models work with intelligent assistants such as Siri and Alexa. If this feature interests you, the Tile and Cube have this functionality. Ask your smart device to locate your item, and it will initiate the tracker's tone.
While technically, the SmartTag 2 (left) is bigger than the AirTag (right), most key ring holders for the AIrTag make it bulkier and heavier. And the AirTag key ring holders are sold separately at an additional expense.
Credit: Chris McNamara
Range
To measure range, we connected each tracker to a smartphone and systematically moved it farther away, alerting the device until it could no longer transmit a signal. We enabled the disconnect notice on tracker apps when applicable during this process. In every instance, the disconnect notice alerted within a foot or two of when the smartphone lost the capability to transmit to the tracker. We then measured the distance back to the tracker with a measuring wheel.
The Innway Tag, Tile Pro, and Nutale Nut3 all displayed phenomenal range with a measured distance of 395, 400, and 402 feet, respectively. Meanwhile, the Chiplo One came in at a respectable 200 feet.
We tested range using a measuring wheel in a small city environment.
Credit: Ross Patton
The card and sticker-style tracker ranges are significantly shorter than the tags. The Tile Slim showed a decent range of 92 feet, and its cousin, the Tile Sticker, disconnected a bit closer at 86 feet. During our experiment, we were unimpressed with the Cube Shadow and the Apple Air Tag, with a range of only 72 and 35 feet, respectively.
Depending on the situation, a tracker with a smaller range may be a better choice because it will pinpoint a smaller search area on the map. If you can hear the device, it may add up to less time hunting for it.
The Tile Pro offers an impressive range, great volume, and several super useful features.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Noise
Each of these gadgets chirp to let the user know where it is. Finding these trackers and the products they are related to depends on the strength and clarity of this sound. We measure each model's decibel rating using a sound pressure level meter.
The loudest model in our assessment is the Tile Pro, which produces 83.0 decibels. The Chipolo One and Cube Shadow are next, just barely quieter at just over 79 decibels each (the Chipolo's tones are also quite shrill, so they stand out in a soundscape).
The Nutale Nut3 is just a little behind the Shadow at 78.6 decibels, but it only has one device tone and ten phone tones. However, a feature we appreciated from the Nut3 is that it allows the user to select a tone duration customized between 5 and 60 seconds in increments of 5 seconds.
Sometimes tools more accurate than human judgement are required for this type of testing.
Credit: Ross Patton
The Apple AirTag, Tile Slim, and Tile Sticker each produce decibel levels in the low 70s and have limited tone options. The two Tile models include different volume options for the tracker alerts. The Innway Tag is relatively quiet with a measured sound level of 61.8 decibels, but we like that it has three device tones and the option to select between three different phone tones.
The Apple AirTag isn't the loudest model, but the alerts are loud enough in most instances.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Physical Attributes
A tracker's size, shape, and weight are critical details for many people. For this reason, we carefully weighed each tracker with a gram-sensitive scale and measured each with a digital caliper.
The Tile Sticker is highly compact compared to the others. This device is perfect for keeping track of smaller objects or concealing them within larger belongings such as a bag, golf clubs, or a power tool.
The Chipolo One is among the lightest models that we've tested.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Tile Mate is close behind with a measured weight of just 7.4 grams, followed by the Chipolo One in the eight-gram range. The Cube Shadow and Nutale Nut3 were in the nine-gram range. The heaviest model is the 17-gram Tile Pro, which doesn't sound like a lot but is noticeable compared to the other models.
Regarding form factor, the Apple AirTag is the slickest. Unfortunately, it's a smooth white and silver 39 mm coin with no way to attach it directly to an item. Regarding card-style trackers, the Innway Card is the closest to an actual credit card size. The Nutale Nut3 is an excellent option if you're looking for a compact tag-style tracker.
Although the Innway is the thinnest Bluetooth tracker that we've seen, it's still about twice as thick as a modern credit card.
Credit: Ross Patton
Many of these devices claim to have a certain degree of waterproofing. Still, the Apple AirTag, Cube Shadow, Innway Card, and Innway Tag, are all rated with an official ingress protection rating of IP67 water and dirt proof. This means they can be fully submerged in water for an hour at a depth of up to one meter before sustaining any damage. The Chipolo One and Tile Mate have ratings of IPX5 and IP55, respectively, meaning they, too, can resist water submersion. Many other models also claim to be waterproof or resistant but don't have an official rating.
The Air Tag is super easy to use and has an absolutely massive network of Apple devices to help you locate lost items through the Find My network.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
These devices have a large variety of battery types. The Tile Pro, Chipolo One, Apple Air Tag, Nutale Nut3, and Innway Tag trackers all utilize replaceable batteries. The Innway Card and the Cube Shadow both have rechargeable batteries — the Innway Card's charging cable attaches to the tracker with a spring-loaded clip, while the Shadow employs magnets to connect its cable. The Tile Slim and Tile Tag are neither rechargeable nor replaceable batteries, so when they die, you'll have to send them back to Tile to be serviced or head back to the tracker marketplace for a new device.
Conclusion
Choosing a product as seemingly simple as a Bluetooth tracker can be baffling and daunting. Whether you're looking for a sticker-style model, a tag, or a card, this assessment will lead you down the path to the ideal product for your personal needs. We hope that the footwork we've done and the research we've compiled in our hands-on review will guide you to your perfect tracker.
—Ross Patton, Ben Applebaum-Bauch, and Whitney Clark
