Best GPS Trackers of 2024

We tested and scrutinized a variety of GPS trackers to pin down our top 5 favorites
Best kids tracker
Angel Watch kids smartwatch
Angel Watch
  • pro
    Monthly subscription
  • pro
    GPS, 4G tracking
Best senior tracker
Medical Guardian: Mini Guardian
  • pro
    Monthly subscription
  • pro
    GPS, 4G, Wi-Fi tracking
Best pet tracker
Tractive
  • pro
    Monthly subscription
  • pro
    GPS, 4G tracking
Best vehicle tracker
vyncs device
Vyncs
  • pro
    Annual subscription
  • pro
    GPS, 4G tracking
Best item tracker
Apple AirTag
Apple AirTag
  • pro
    No subscription
  • con
    Bluetooth tracking only

SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review

The best GPS tracker on the market is . . . completely dependent on what you’re tracking. That’s why we’ve chosen the best-of-the-best for the most popular tracking scenarios: cars, kids, seniors, pets, and items. If our top picks don’t match your needs, we’ll guide you to some other options at the end of each section. Let’s get trackin’!  


Best GPS trackers


Compare the best gps trackers

Tracker
Best for
Upfront cost
Subscription cost
Max battery life
Standout feature
Learn more
Read review
Best for kids$10.0/mo. (average cost)48 hoursSOS button, GPS tracking, video calling
Best for seniors$39.95/mo. (professional monitoring)5 daysAutomatic fall detection**
Best for pets$9.00/mo.Up to 7 daysRobust activity tracking
Best for vehicles$6.58/mo.N/AMaintenance reminders
Best for items$0.00/mo.1 yearPrecision finding

Amazon.com price as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer.
**Costs an additional $10/mo.

Best GPS tracker reviews

1. Angel Watch: Best Kids gps tracker

Best for kids
Angel Watch kids smartwatch
Angel Watch
$179.00 (sale price) + $10/mo

Info current as of post date. 

The Angel Watch is the only kids gps tracker with both stealthy visual check-ins AND health monitoring. Plus, it has the fastest SOS button and works worldwide.

As a wearable watch with excellent tracking and check-in features, we consider the Angel Watch one of the best gps trackers for kids.

pro
Pros
pro No internet, app store, or games
pro Health monitoring
pro 3-second SOS button
pro Location history and tracking
pro Discreet audio and visual check-ins
pro Worldwide functionality
pro Battery lasted 96+ hours in tests
con
Cons
con Setup is limited for long-distance family members
con Default settings aren’t safe for kids
con Not very durable

Angel Watch features that both kids and parents alike

The Angel Watch is bursting with safety features. It’s a kids GPS tracker, smartwatch, and fitness tracker rolled into one—and still manages to be more affordable than some of its competitors. After testing the Angel Watch hands-on, we can confirm that it works smoothly and is a worthwhile purchase.

Kids like the ability to send photos to their Family Members, Angel Watch Friends, and other approved line contacts.

Learn more about our testing experience in our full Angel Watch review.

See more options: Best Kids Smart Watches

What our testers liked about the TickTalk4

2. Mini Guardian: Best tracker for seniors

Best fo seniors
Medical Guardian Mini Guardian GPS medical alert system
Mini Guardian
Starting from
$149.95 + subscription
/mo

The Mini Guardian is Medical Guardian's best medical alert system for location tracking and one of the best mobile medical alert devices we've reviewed. With built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, and 4G triangulation signals, the Mini Guardian makes it easier for help to find you from anywhere. 

Plus, it's sleek and discreet—about the size of a domino—and has a battery that lasts up to five days. All this makes the Mini Guardian a great option for someone who wants a way to call for help quickly without using a heavy lanyard or wristwatch. 

This Medical Guardian device costs $149.95 upfront. For an extra $10 per month, you can get a unit with automatic fall detection.

pro
Pros
pro GPS, Wi-Fi and 4G location tracking
pro Five Diamond Certified monitoring center
pro Free pendant battery replacement
pro Discounted spouse coverage
con
Cons
con No free warranty
con No price lock guarantee

GPS medical alerts are better for busy, more mobile users. Like their home-based medical alert counterpart, the Mini Guardian is equipped with a simple help button, two-way talk, and GPS tracking for emergency responders to find you quickly whether you're at home or not.

See more options: GPS Trackers for People With Dementia

3. Tractive: Best pet tracker

Best for pets
Tractive
$49.99

*Amazon.com price as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer.

The Tractive pet GPS tracker costs around $50 and has subscription fees that work out to $5 a month if you pick a two-year plan.

This GPS dog tracker has live tracking, as well as a hunting dog version with more durable, waterproof construction. That kind of durability lets your buddy run free through the bush, water, and other rugged terrain—without causing you worry.

In addition to its dog GPS tracker, the company also makes cat-specific trackers.

pro
Pros
pro 24-hour location history
pro Rugged design
pro Real-time tracking
pro 100% waterproof rating
pro Robust activity tracking
con
Cons
con Cell coverage required

Tractive battery life

Battery life is one of the most important features of a pet GPS tracker because you never know how long it will take to find a lost pet. Dogs, for example, can travel for miles and be difficult to approach when they’re scared. If you find yourself in this position, you’ll be glad the tracker’s battery won’t conk out after the first day.

That said, if you frequently ping the Tractive for location updates, the battery drains faster. We do recommend charging it on a regular basis to make sure it has plenty of juice just in case your pet does get lost.

Activity monitoring

When your pet is exactly where they’re supposed to be, the Tractive gps collar still pulls its weight by tracking your pet’s activity.

Tractive shows your pet’s GPS history as lines on a map or as a heat map. You can toggle the lines or hotspots on and off by tapping the tri-fold icon. The trace lines are perfect for learning where your outdoor cats and dogs go, while the heat maps help you understand where your pet spends the most time.

You’ll see how many minutes your pet is active, how many calories they burn, and how their data compares to their breed’s average. Tractive can also tell the difference between a dog that’s asleep versus a dog that’s calm—you’ll see their “calm minutes” too.

See more options: Best GPS Dog Collars and Pet Trackers

4. Vyncs: Best vehicle tracker

Best for vehicles
vyncs device
Vyncs
$89.99 + activation, subscription

*Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Vyncs is our favorite GPS tracker for vehicles because it tracks everything. But for now, let’s talk about GPS: Vyncs includes location updates every three minutes when the ignition is on and every hour when it’s off. With an upgraded subscription, you can get 15-, 30-, and 60-second updates instead. You’ll see the exact address where the car was turned off and, as with other GPS trackers, can set up geofencing alerts.

pro
Pros
pro Custom-shaped geofencing zones
pro On-Board Diagnostics
pro No charging required
pro App- or web-based dashboard
con
Cons
con Some features cost extra
con Activation fee

How Vyncs works

The Vyncs vehicle tracker plugs directly into the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port on your car and shares the car’s battery power, so you never have to worry about recharging it. It transmits data via the AT&T / T-Mobile 4G network, which covers the vast majority of the US. We recommend checking an AT&T coverage map before buying to ensure you don’t live near one of AT&T’s coverage gaps.

You can access Vyncs data from a web browser or Android/iOS app.

Vyncs cost

Vyncs’ marketing is a little misleading in one aspect: their website and Amazon listing claim there’s no monthly fee, but that doesn’t mean you don’t pay for a subscription—it’s just billed annually. You get the first year free with your purchase, but some features—like 24/7 roadside assistance—still cost extra.

Vyncs plans range from about $100 to $120 a year. There’s also a $40 activation fee. 

Other Vyncs features

Vyncs’s features go above and beyond GPS tracking and geofencing:

  • Tamper alerts
  • Curfew alerts
  • Fuel report
  • Fault codes
  • Recall alerts
  • Battery health and tire pressure reports
  • Speeding, rapid acceleration, harsh braking, rough cornering, and idling alerts

The driving performance, curfew, tamper, and geofencing alerts make Vyncs an excellent tool for monitoring new teen drivers and older adults alike.

See more options: 5 Best GPS Vehicle Trackers

5. Apple AirTag: Best luggage and item tracker

Best for items
Apple AirTag
Apple AirTag
$29.00

 *Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

Technically, the Apple AirTag is a Bluetooth tracker and not a GPS device. Despite this nuance, AirTags perform the same function as the other trackers on this list—locating whatever they’re attached to. In fact, AirTags outperform GPS trackers when it comes to finding things that are lost right under your nose.

pro
Pros
pro No subscription fee
pro Battery lasts about 1 year
pro Works worldwide
pro iOS and Android devices can track
con
Cons
con Must be within 33 ft. of Bluetooth device
con Best features require iPhone 11 and up
con iPhone required for setup
con Doesn’t track things in motion

Apple AirTags are precise (if you have the right phone)

The coolest feature of Apple AirTags is called Precision Finding, which turns your phone screen into a compass that points only to your AirTag. Unfortunately, Precision Finding requires an iPhone 11 or better.

Precision Finding also shows exactly how far away the AirTag is, which is where this quarter-sized Bluetooth gadget triumphs over GPS trackers: the app leads you right to the tracker, whereas GPS devices have a margin of error of about 16 feet.

For those of us clutching our old iPhones until the bitter end, AirTags can also be found through a series of beeps. As long as your hearing is good enough to home in on the source of the beeps, you’ll be able to find the AirTag—even if it’s in a pile of laundry or at the bottom of your purse.

AirTags are affordable

We’ve glossed over the best part so far. You don’t have to pay a monthly fee to use AirTags. There’s not even an optional upgrade. It’s just free—which is fair enough since you need a pretty expensive phone to set up AirTags and make the most of them.

Plus, each AirTag is affordable at just under $30.

Disadvantages of Apple AirTags

At this point, you might be wondering why we haven’t crowned these ultra-affordable, ultra-precise trackers the top spot on our list. There are a few limitations to Bluetooth tracker technology—and to AirTags in particular.

First, the AirTag’s location won’t update unless it’s near any Bluetooth-enabled device—within 33 feet, to be exact. It’s not great for huge farmsteads or remote areas.

Second, Bluetooth technology isn’t great at calculating the location of anything in motion. Forget about using an AirTag to get a real-time location update on your car as your newly-licensed teen ventures onto the freeway for the first time. The same issue makes it tough to track runaway pets.

Finally, hiding an AirTag on a valuable item doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to track it down if it’s stolen. Apple made it possible for anyone to locate unknown AirTags nearby in order to thwart stalkers. And we’re not dinging that—it was a huge safety issue that needed to be solved. But the flip side is that smart thieves can also find trackers and toss or disable them before taking off with your stuff. In contrast, a well-hidden GPS device doesn’t give itself away.

All in all, Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags work best for items like keys, luggage, sports bags, or anything else in danger of being lost but doesn’t move very fast.

To learn more about how they work, check out our Apple AirTags FAQs or read our full Apple AirTag review.

Bell
Class action lawsuit against Apple

Two women have filed a class action lawsuit against Apple with the claim that AirTags made it easier for them to be stalked and harassed. There have been a slew of headlines since AirTags launched about bad actors using the devices for nefarious purposes. 

Earlier this year, Apple instituted new safeguards to alert people when AirTags are near them, and the company is also working with law enforcement on crime issues related to the devices.

Learn more about the risks of AirTags and how to keep them safe on our YouTube channel.

Final word

The GPS tracker market is really taking off, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one that meets your needs or budget if our list didn’t hit the mark. We recommend looking for a combination of GPS and cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth technology for the most accurate location pings. A long battery life doesn’t hurt either.

Other than that, finding the right GPS tracker for you comes down to personal preference regarding extra features, cost, and size.

GPS tracker FAQ

The up-front cost of GPS trackers ranges from about $19 for the Tracki to $200 or more for something like a kids smartwatch, where GPS tracking is just one of many features included in the device.

Most GPS trackers require a monthly subscription. A subscription rate between $20 to $30 a month is typical for any kind of GPS device. The most expensive subscription we’ve seen is around $70 a month for the Kanega Watch—a medical alert watch with GPS.

No. GPS trackers need a SIM card to share location data via a cellular network. That’s what the subscription pays for—cellular network access, just like a phone.

If you find a GPS tracker without a monthly fee, it might be a Bluetooth tracker in disguise. Scroll back up to our review of Apple AirTags to understand the pros and cons of Bluetooth trackers.

To read more GPS FAQs, check out our guide to how GPS trackers work.

How we reviewed the best GPS trackers

Image: SafeWise. 

For our review of the best GPS trackers, we considered well over 30 GPS trackers across multiple categories (i.e., vehicles, kids, pets, general use). We compared technical specifications, cost, and safety features to narrow down the best choices, then leaned in on our hands-on testing experience to pick the best-of-the-best. We also read user reviews to look for positive or negative trends. To learn more about how we review products, read the Safewise methodology page.

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Disclaimers

*Product prices and availability are accurate as of post date and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Cathy Habas
Written by
Cathy Habas
With over eight years of experience as a content writer, Cathy has a knack for untangling complex information. Her natural curiosity and ability to empathize help Cathy offer insightful, friendly advice. She believes in empowering readers who may not feel confident about a purchase, project, or topic. Cathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Southeast and began her professional writing career immediately after graduation. She is a certified Safe Sleep Ambassador and has contributed to sites like Safety.com, Reviews.com, Hunker, and Thumbtack. Cathy’s pride and joy is her Appaloosa “Chacos.” She also likes to crochet while watching stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

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