Compare Pet Trackers
Short answer: AirTag and Tile are general-purpose finders that need a separate holder; Garmin is a professional radio system that needs a handheld and costs several hundred dollars; Joylink is a collar finder built for pets, sold once, with the collar in the box. Which one is right depends on how far your pet goes and which phone you carry.
Side by side
| Joylink Pet Tracker | Joylink Ultra | Apple AirTag | Tile | Garmin dog systems | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | from $32.99 | $119.99 | around $29, holder extra | around $25–35, holder extra | several hundred, plus handheld |
| Collar included | Yes, two collars | Yes, two collars | No | No | Varies by bundle |
| Works with Android | Yes, choose Find Hub version | Yes, own app | No, Apple only | Yes | Yes |
| How it locates | Nearby phones on the finding network | Cellular plus GPS | Nearby Apple devices | Nearby Tile app users | Radio to your handheld |
| Beyond Bluetooth range | Network reports last detected spot | Yes, anywhere with coverage | Network reports last detected spot | Network reports last detected spot | Yes, up to several miles |
| Location history | No | Up to 180 days | No | No | Yes, on the handheld |
| Safe-zone alerts | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Monthly fee | None | None, three years included | None | None for basics, premium optional | None for radio, plan for cellular |
| Best for | Cats and dogs near home | Dogs that range, rural areas | iPhone households on a budget | Mixed-device households | Working and hunting dogs |
Third-party prices are approximate and were checked in November 2026. Specifications change; confirm on the manufacturer's page before buying.
What actually separates them
The collar. An AirTag or a Tile is a disc. To put it on a pet you buy a silicone holder, and that holder is the part that fails first — it stretches, it slips, it is not shaped for a neck. A Joylink set arrives with two collars and a holder designed for the shape of the animal wearing it.
Which phone you carry. AirTag is Apple-only. If anyone in the house has an Android, that person cannot see the pet at all. Joylink sells both versions, and the Find Hub version is a full citizen of the network rather than a workaround.
How far the pet goes. In a suburb, a finding network is dense and a cheap collar finder is genuinely enough. In open country it is not, and no amount of marketing changes the physics. That is the line between the $35.99 finder and the $119.99 Ultra.
What you pay later. This is where the comparison usually gets vague. A cellular tracker at roughly $5 to $10 a month is $300 to $600 across five years. Garmin avoids that by using radio instead of cellular, and charges for it up front. Joylink's standard finders have no service cost at all, and the Ultra's three years are inside the purchase price.
Which one for which pet
A cat that slips out the door. The Smart Pet Tracker with the cat-face holder, small or medium collar. Cats stay within a few houses, which is exactly the range a finding network covers well. An AirTag with a holder is the budget version of the same idea, minus Android support.
A dog with a fenced yard and a regular walk. The Pet Tracker. You are insuring against the gate left open, not tracking a working animal across a county.
A dog that hikes off-leash, works fields, or lives where phone coverage thins out. The Ultra. This is the only case in the table where a cellular plan is worth paying for, and Joylink includes three years of it.
A hunting dog worked at distance, out of signal. Garmin. A radio system that talks to a handheld you carry is the right tool, and no phone-based product replaces it. It costs several hundred dollars and weighs more, and for that job it is correct.
Common questions
Is an AirTag a good pet tracker?
An AirTag is a well-made finder and costs less than most pet trackers, but it was not designed for a collar: you need a separate holder, it only works with Apple devices, and it has no location history. For a cat that stays close to home it is a reasonable budget answer. For a dog that ranges, the missing history and the Apple-only limit are what people come to dislike.
Does Garmin need a subscription?
Garmin's radio-based dog systems do not need a monthly plan — they talk directly to a handheld unit, which is why they cost several hundred dollars and work where there is no phone signal at all. Their cellular models do need a data plan. Either way, you are carrying a second device.
Why is Joylink cheaper than a cellular tracker?
Because it does not pay for airtime. The standard finders borrow the finding network on the phone you already own, so there is no monthly cost to pass on. The Ultra has a SIM and three years of service included in the price.
Can I use more than one tracker on the same pet?
Yes, and some owners do — a collar finder plus a microchip is the most common pairing. Two Bluetooth finders on one collar mostly duplicate each other, which is worth knowing before you buy a second one.