Best Bluetooth trackers 2025: AirTag, Tile, SmartTag and more

Bluetooth trackers such as the Apple AirTag promise to help you find your lost keys, luggage or wallet, whether you've misplaced them in your own home or beyond your front door.

Luggage trackers, key trackers, or something to keep tabs on your backpack, their popularity is growing.

But not all Bluetooth trackers are made equal. Nor, despite popular perception, are they GPS trackers, so they won't be much use in truly rural environments – their technology is different to GPS trackers, and so is their performance. 

We’ve put six of the most popular models to the test, assessing how well they work in the real world – from tracking a parcel across the country to finding a lost item under some furniture.

The best Bluetooth trackers

Only logged-in Which? members can view the Bluetooth tracker test results below. 

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The Bluetooth trackers we tested

All of the Bluetooth trackers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best Bluetooth trackers from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

Apple AirTag 

Need to know 31.9 × 31.9 × 8.0mm, 11g; replaceable CR2032 battery, 1-year claimed battery life; compatible with Apple iOS devices, uses Apple Find My network; geofencing and precision finding features, can mark as lost; ~30-metre claimed Bluetooth connectivity range

Chipolo ONE

Need to know 37.9 × 37.9 × 6.4mm, 7.7g; replaceable CR2032 battery, up to 2 years claimed battery life; compatible with iOS and Android devices, uses Chipolo network; geofencing feature; 60-metre claimed Bluetooth connectivity range

Eufy SmartTrack Link 

Need to know 37 × 37 × 6.5mm, 10g; replaceable CR2032 battery, 1-year claimed battery life; compatible with Apple iOS devices, uses Apple Find My network; geofencing feature, can mark as lost; 80-metre claimed Bluetooth connectivity range

Tired of your parcels disappearing? See our reviews of the best video doorbells

Motorola Moto Tag

Need to know 31.9 × 31.9 × 8.0mm, 7.5g; replaceable CR2032 battery, 1-year claimed battery life; compatible with Android devices, uses Google Find My Device network; geofencing and precision finding features, can mark as lost; 100-metre claimed Bluetooth connectivity range

Samsung SmartTag2 

Need to know 52.4 × 28.8 × 8.0mm, 13.8g; replaceable CR2032 battery, up to 500 days' claimed battery life; compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices, uses SmartThings Find network; geofencing and precision finding features, can mark as lost; 120-metre claimed Bluetooth connectivity range

Tile Mate 

Need to know 37.8 × 37.8 × 7.1mm, 8g; non-replaceable battery, up to 3 years' claimed battery life; compatible with iOS and Android devices, uses Tile network; geofencing and location history features with subscription only, can mark as lost; 106-metre claimed Bluetooth connectivity range

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How we test Bluetooth trackers

We buy the best-selling and most searched-for Bluetooth trackers from UK retailers. We buy every tracker we test – no freebies from manufacturers – meaning our reviews are honest and unbiased.

We regularly revisit the Bluetooth trackers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing, and when we find them, we do.

We test Bluetooth trackers the way you actually use them – whether that’s finding keys down the back of the sofa, checking if your suitcase has made it off the plane, or trying to catch up with a wandering backpack. Each model is put through a mix of real-world scenarios and controlled tests to see how well it performs when it counts. We score every tracker across these categories:

Location accuracy

Can the tracker tell us exactly where it is – or is it sending us on a wild-goose chase?

• We take the trackers to two fixed locations: a clearing in Highgate Wood, London, and our busy office in central London.
• At each location, we compare the tracker’s reported position with its real one and measure the distance between them.
• We average out the results to score each device.
• We did try to test them in a rural field too, but performance was too patchy to get reliable results. So we left that off the scorecard, and wouldn't strongly recommend any of these trackers if you're looking to use them mainly in the depths of the British countryside.

Movement tracking

How well does the tracker follow an item on the move? Think of a backpack left on a train.

• We send the trackers (plus a GPS tracker for reference) through the post using a premium tracked courier service.
• Every two hours, we check: 
  • When the tracker last updated its location.
  • How closely it matches the actual route of the parcel.
• When it’s out for delivery, we check it more often, trying to follow it moving down the road in a delivery van.

Close-range finding and noise

You know it’s somewhere in the house – but where exactly?

• We run a ‘hide and seek’ test to see how easy each tracker is to locate using the app’s close-range features (such as directional arrows and sound alerts).
• Each of the six trackers is hidden in a different spot around a room – in cupboards, under furniture, tucked out of sight.
• Testers then try to find all six trackers, using the relevant app for each one. After each round, we rotate the trackers' hiding spots so that by the end of the test, every tracker has been hidden in every location once.
• Volunteers score each tracker on how easy it was to find, and we take an average across all hiding spots and all testers.
• We measure the peak volume of each tracker’s sound alert from 10cm away. A louder beep gives a higher score.

Range

We test Bluetooth range indoors by putting each tracker at one end of a flat, behind two closed doors and down a short flight of stairs. We then walk away and measure how close you need to be before your phone reconnects.

Some trackers claim Bluetooth ranges of 100 metres or more, but our tests found real-world performance can vary widely depending on the physical environment.

Ease of use and durability

• We set each tracker up from scratch and assess how easy the process is.
• We explore the app’s interface to see how intuitive it is to use day to day, as well as what features it has.
• If the battery’s replaceable, we test how fiddly (or not) the process is.
• We drop each tracker from a height of one metre onto a hard surface, again and again, to test their durability.
• We also give them a brief soak test: a light spray, then half an hour in a damp bag (a decent stand-in for a wet pocket or rainy day).

The tracker's network makes a difference

During testing, we realised that we weren't only testing the specific trackers themselves, but we were also getting a good insight into the tracking networks that power them. There's more on this in How do AirTags and Bluetooth trackers work? section. 

Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

What are AirTags and Bluetooth trackers?

Bluetooth trackers are small, battery-powered devices that help you keep tabs on important things – your keys, wallet, suitcase, even your pet. Some trackers focus on helping you find things around the house. Others are better suited to keeping tabs on bags and bikes out in the wild. We test how well they handle both.

They usually attach to your belongings via a keyring or an adhesive, or you can just slip the tag into a pocket. Once connected to an app on your smartphone, they can show you the tracker’s last known location, alert you if you leave something behind, or even guide you to it with features such as a built-in speaker when it’s nearby but out of sight.

How do AirTags and Bluetooth trackers work?

Unlike GPS trackers, with which they're often confused, AirTags and similar Bluetooth trackers don't have built-in GPS chips or mobile data connections. Instead, they rely on nearby smartphones – often belonging to strangers – to help locate them. This system's effectiveness depends heavily on the size and reach of the network each tracker uses. In other words, a tracker’s performance isn’t just about the tag itself but also about the network it connects to.

• Apple’s Find My network, which both the AirTag and Eufy SmartTrack Link use, is the biggest and most effective. Every iPhone is part of it by default, so coverage is huge.
• Samsung’s SmartThings Find network is also extensive, especially if you’re using a Galaxy phone.
• Google’s Find My Device network is opt-in only, and less widespread for now – although that may change in future.
• Tile and Chipolo use their own closed networks, made up only of people using those brands – so finding things in public can be more hit and miss. Although the Chipolo ONE was the flagship model at the time of testing, the Chipolo POP was released in April 2025. This lets users connect to either Apple's Find My or Google's Find My Device networks. 

In a nutshell, the broader and more active the network, the higher the chances of recovering a lost item. So trackers connected to expansive networks such as Apple's Find My generally offer more reliable location updates, especially in public spaces.

Are AirTags and Bluetooth trackers safe? 

Bluetooth trackers such as Apple AirTags are designed to help you locate lost items. However, there have been reports of these devices being misused to track people without their consent.

Fortunately, Apple, Google and other brands have built-in safeguards to reduce this risk.

If you have an iPhone, you’ll get an automatic alert if an unknown AirTag appears to be moving with you. You can then make it play a sound, see where it’s been, and disable it if needed. 

Android phones now do the same, with Google’s ‘Unknown tracker alerts’ feature warning you about rogue AirTags – and support for other brands is growing. Samsung, Tile and others also offer manual scan tools in their apps, although not all models trigger automatic alerts.

All major brands are now working towards a universal standard that lets iPhone and Android users detect any compatible tracker, regardless of brand.

For peace of mind:

• Keep your phone updated so you get the latest safety features.
• Don’t ignore any 'unknown tracker' alerts.
• Physically check your belongings if something feels wrong.
• If you find a tracker that isn’t yours, remove the battery and contact the police.

For most people, these trackers are safe and incredibly useful, especially now that the tools to detect misuse are improving across the board. But it's a good idea to stay alert, just in case.

For more, check out Apple's guide to detecting unwanted trackers.