GeoZilla GPS Tracker Review

The GeoZilla GPS Tracker looks good on paper but didn’t work well during our tests.
best/use case label
GeoZilla kids GPS tracker
GeoZilla GPS Tracker
2 out of 5 stars
2
Service starts at
$19.99
/mo
  • pro
    Lightweight
  • pro
    Decent location accuracy
  • con
    Poor SOS test performance
Plan name
Price
Feature
GeoZilla Service Plan$19.99/mo.
Icon Yes  LightRequired
Unlock All Access$9.99/mo.
Icon Yes  LightUnlocks location history, crash alerts, driver coaching
Cathy Habas
Sep 09, 2022
Icon Time To Read6 min read

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

The GeoZilla GPS Tracker gets a thumbs-down from us. It’s fine for tracking items, vehicles, and even pets, but we wouldn’t trust it with a person due to some serious performance issues. The GeoZilla’s SOS button never worked during our tests despite help from customer support—and that wasn’t the only issue.

Learn what to expect from a GeoZilla and when to consider a different GPS tracker altogether.

pro
Pros
pro Small and lightweight
pro Easy activation
pro Decent GPS accuracy
con
Cons
con Poor testing performance
con Privacy concerns
con Location history costs extra

Compare GeoZilla service plans

We found inconsistent pricing information across GeoZilla’s website, Amazon listing, and app. Typically, the GeoZilla service plan costs around $19 to $20 a month. You may be able to snag an introductory price for $4.99 a month, but it seems to expire after about 60 days.

For the best price, you need to sign up for a 3-year contract. You pay for 3 years in advance and can’t get your money back.

Plan
Price
Contract length
Learn more
1-Month Service Plan Month-to-month
1-Year Service Plan Billed annually
3-Year Service Plan Billed once every 3 years

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

What’s in the box

  • GeoZilla Tracker
  • USB charging cord
  • Lanyard
  • Caribiner clip
  • Hard case
  • Soft collar/belt case
  • Quick start guide
Geozilla box contents

Image: Cathy Habas, SafeWise

Our GeoZilla testing experience

The GeoZilla GPS Tracker looks good on paper but didn’t match our expectations when we put it to the test. The biggest problems involved the GeoZilla’s three buttons.

SOS button never worked

The center button is for SOS alerts. In theory, you just press and hold the SOS button for four seconds, or until the status lights light up. A text or push notification should go out to whomever you’ve designated as an emergency contact in the app.

Sounds very reasonable. But it never, ever worked. No texts or push notifications were received. We reached out to customer support hoping for an easy solution, but rebooting the device didn’t work.

That’s a huge problem—your child or loved one could try to contact you and you’d have no idea they needed help.

Right and left button issues

Image: Cathy Habas, SafeWise

There are two buttons on either side of the SOS button that can be pre-programmed in the app with a short message, like “Come get me” or “I’m OK.” This is appealing for younger kids because they can communicate with you without needing to read, and they also aren’t going to get distracted by a screen.

But the buttons aren’t intuitive to use. Pressing the left button resulted in a location check-in. To send the pre-programmed message, the left button had to be held down until the lights came on. Once we figured that out, we thought the right button would also need to be held down. Nope—the right button needs to be pressed once. There were no instructions explaining these differences.

If you gave this to a kid (or anyone for that matter), they might not understand the nuances or realize that their message has been sent. And with no audio capabilities, there’s no backup communication option.

On to the next issue with these buttons: push notifications didn’t come through right away. There’s about a one-minute delay. And here’s what really bothered us—if we missed the push notification, it totally disappeared. There’s no record of any of these button-presses in the app.

That’s why we don’t trust the GeoZilla as an interactive tracker. There’s just no guarantee that your child is going to push the buttons right, that the device will send the messages in a timely manner (or at all), and that you’ll see the push notifications when they come through.

So-so GPS location accuracy

For the most part, the GeoZilla gave accurate GPS readings. But it wasn’t perfect. I had it on my desk most of the time, and occasionally I’d get a notification saying the tracker was “moving near Home.”

I also set up a geofence for 500 feet around my home. (You can’t make custom geofences—only a few pre-set distances are available, of which 500 feet is the smallest.) The app informed me that the GeoZilla had left the geofence despite it still being right there on my desk. That means it was off by more than 500 feet—yikes.

Other times, I’d check the map and see that my GeoZilla was roaming around in a neighbor’s yard a full block away. I’d be worried if I still had it strapped to my dog’s collar—but sure enough, it was on my desk.

And yet GeoZilla pinpointed my precise location when I was sitting in the drive-thru line. So while it does provide some spot-on GPS readings, it’s not consistently accurate.

Spot-on accuracy in the drive thru

Off by a block. Screenshots: Cathy Habas, SafeWise

Problems with “Find My Tracker” beeps

In the GeoZilla app, you can make the tracker beep for 30 seconds to help you pinpoint its location. One problem: it either never beeped or started beeping more than a minute after we prompted it to start beeping. There seems to be a significant lag in communication between the app and the tracker (and vice versa).

What you can do in the GeoZilla app

The Geozilla App lets you control some important settings:

  • Change location update frequency (every 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes)
  • Program left and right buttons
  • Enable low-battery alerts
  • Designate SOS contacts
  • Define common places and geofences (radii of 500 feet, 0.3 miles, 0.5 miles, 1 mile, or 3 miles)
  • Cause the tracker to beep

The app isn’t always intuitive to use. There are multiple settings menus rather than a one-stop shop. And it seems impossible to go back and edit geofences.

We also wished there was a way to completely shut off location updates. You need to keep the app running in the background to get important notifications like SOS alerts (if they’d ever work!) and button messages, but that also means constantly getting pinged with location updates. That’s annoying when you know exactly where the tracker is.

Circles and privacy concerns

Circles is a GeoZilla app feature with the potential to go sour. The idea is you can add friends and family to a Circle so they can all see the tracker’s location and get notifications. But people have to sign up for the Geozilla app to be added to a Circle, and that means you’re able to see their location and phone battery too.

If that doesn’t wig you out, it’s actually a decent alternative to Apple’s Find My app. As long as your family members are aware of what they’re signing up for, you can track each other regardless of whether they’re on a separate phone plan or have an iOS or Android phone.

Otherwise, location settings can be disabled and there’s also an Invisible Mode that you can use to give yourself some privacy—go to People > [Your Name] > Invisible mode.

GeoZilla vs. other GPS trackers

If you’re looking for a kids GPS tracker, GeoZilla’s closest competitor is Jiobit, which also has no audio and an SOS button. But Jiobit’s monthly subscription is more affordable than GeoZilla’s, its battery lasts twice as long, and it actually worked when we tested it.

For keeping tabs on an older adult, we recommend Aloe Care Health’s Mobile Companion. It’s packed with safety features that older adults need, including automatic fall detection and quick access to an emergency helpline staffed by trained professionals. And it’s easy for caregivers to use the app to see their loved one’s location at any time without being dinged by too many updates.

The GeoZilla is fine to use for tracking pets, vehicles, or items. But there are pet-specific GPS trackers on the market that have better features, like a built-in light to help you find your pet in the dark. The same is true for vehicle-specific GPS trackers, which often include maintenance data.

For tracking items, Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags are an affordable alternative to the GeoZilla since they don’t require a monthly subscription.

Compare the GeoZilla GPS Tracker to competitors

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.

Good for itemsUp to $19.99/mo.5 daysNone

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

Final word

Our experience with the GeoZilla GPS Tracker wasn’t great. We don’t recommend it for your loved ones—its safety features just aren’t reliable enough.

And you can get pet- and vehicle-specific trackers that perform better and cost less. That just leaves item tracking for the GeoZilla. It needs some significant tech upgrades to do anything else.

GeoZilla GPS Tracker FAQ

They need to be invited to your Circle and leave their phone’s location settings on.

Go to People. Tap My Circle at the top of the screen to select a specific Circle to add the person to or to create a new Circle. Remember—everyone in a Circle can track each other.

Once you’ve selected the right Circle, swipe up to show all the options in the bottom navigation menu, and tap Add a New Member. Enter their phone number to text them an invitation link.

Once they sign up for GeoZilla, they’ll show up in the list of People. Tap on their name to see their location or request a check-in.

It’s free to use the GeoZilla App to track people using their phone or other GeoZilla-compatible devices. But the GeoZilla GPS Tracker requires a cellular service fee of about $20 a month. There are also a few upgraded features—like location history—that require GeoZilla Premium.

GeoZilla didn’t knock our socks off. The GeoZilla GPS Tracker was glitchy but the app seemed to work fine for tracking our phones during testing.

Expect a learning curve when using the app, and make sure everyone understands who can see their location once they sign up to your Circles. We only recommend the GeoZilla GPS Tracker for items.

How we reviewed the GeoZilla GPS Tracker

One of our GeoZilla testers sporting the collar attachment. Image: Cathy Habas, SafeWise

We conducted hands-on testing for our GeoZilla GPS Tracker review. We tried all of its free safety features and settings, added family members to our Circle, and even roped our dapper doggie into wearing the collar pouch and taking the GeoZilla for a spin. We also contacted GeoZilla customer service to troubleshoot some issues.

Finally, we compared the GeoZilla’s features, technical specifications, and price to other GPS trackers we’ve tested and reviewed. Learn more on the Safewise methodology page.

Related articles on SafeWise


Disclaimer

*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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