Buyer's guide
GPS pet trackers
The purchase price of a GPS tracker is rarely the real price. Most of them need a subscription to do the one thing you bought them for, and the device is close to useless without it. Read the running cost first, then the features. We have not named specific trackers yet — when we have lived with one long enough to say something honest about it, it goes here with its downsides listed.
What actually matters
The subscription, not the sticker price
Real-time GPS tracking uses a cellular connection, and that connection is what the monthly fee pays for. Work out the total across three years before comparing devices. A cheaper tracker on a dearer plan usually loses.
GPS versus Bluetooth
Bluetooth tags have no subscription and no cellular radio. They tell you where the tag was last seen by a phone in the network, which is useful indoors and in dense cities and close to useless in open country. If you need to find an animal that has genuinely left the area, you need GPS. They are different products for different problems.
Battery life as claimed versus as lived
Quoted battery figures assume infrequent location updates. Live tracking, where the map refreshes every few seconds, drains most of these devices in hours rather than days. The number that matters is how long it lasts in the mode you would actually use during an emergency.
Whether it fits the animal
Trackers are sized for dog necks. On a cat, or on a small dog with a thick coat, a unit that is too heavy or too wide sits badly and gets rubbed off. For cats specifically, use a breakaway collar, and accept that a breakaway collar can take the tracker with it.
Waterproofing and what the rating means
Look for a stated IP rating rather than the word "waterproof". Splash resistance and full immersion are different claims, and a dog that swims needs the second one.
Coverage where you actually live
A cellular tracker only works where its carrier has signal. If you live or walk somewhere with patchy coverage, check the network before buying, because no feature compensates for a device that cannot report in.
Get the microchip details right first
A tracker is a convenience. A registered microchip with your current phone number on it is what actually gets an animal home, it costs nothing to keep up to date, and its battery never runs out. If the number on your chip registration is an old one, fix that before you spend anything here.