Best luggage trackers now that AirTags are everywhere
A tracker in a checked bag is only as good as the network of phones around it at the airport. Which tracker to buy depends on the phone in your pocket.
4 products ranked Updated
Our rankings are built from published testing by named outlets, not from our own lab. We earn a commission when you buy through our links, and it never changes the order.
The short answer
- 1 Apple AirTag 2 Best if you have an iPhone $29.00
- 2 Chipolo Pop Best if you use Android, or both $29
- 3 Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 Best for Galaxy phones
- 4 Tile Pro (2024) Loudest Tile, longest range About $35, per Tom's Guide
Prices checked 14 September 2026. They move constantly — the retailer's own page is the authority.
Apple AirTag 2
4.5 / 5
Our reading of Tom's Guide, AirTag 2 review — the most findable tracker their reviewer has tested, and their key-finder guide's best for iPhones , 2026
For iPhone owners this is the answer, and the reason is the network, not the tag: every nearby iPhone relays its location, and airports are full of them. Tom's Guide's reviewer followed a relative's suitcase abroad while the traveller had no data. The second version finds a bag in a room from about 74 feet, half as far again as the first. It only works with Apple devices.
Pros
- Uses the huge Find My network of Apple devices
- Precision Finding to about 74 ft
- $29, and a coin battery lasts about a year
Cons
- iPhone only
- Needs a separate holder or luggage tag to attach
Where these findings come from
- Tom's Guide, AirTag 2 review: Precision Finding reached about 74 ft against 50 ft for the original; louder speaker; luggage location kept updating abroad without cellular data, via nearby Apple devices
- Tom's Guide, key finders: best for iPhones; works with Apple Watch; still uses a CR2032 coin battery, about a year per battery
Chipolo Pop
4 / 5
Our reading of Tom's Guide, key finders — their best alternative key finder , 2026
The tracker for Android users, and for households with both kinds of phone: it works on Apple's Find My network or Google's Find Hub, so a suitcase is relayed by whichever phones are nearby. Its 120 dB alarm is the loudest Tom's Guide tested, useful on a baggage carousel. It cannot point you to the bag as precisely as an AirTag, and its Bluetooth range was short in their test.
Pros
- Works with Apple Find My or Google Find Hub
- Loudest alarm tested, 120 dB
- Free alerts if you leave it behind
Cons
- Short Bluetooth range in testing
- No Ultra Wideband precise finding
Where these findings come from
- Tom's Guide, key finders: works with both Google Find Hub and Apple Find My; alarm rated at 120 dB, the loudest they tested; free out-of-range alerts; keyring hole built in
- Tom's Guide, key finders: shorter range in their testing; no Ultra Wideband for precise finding
Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2
4 / 5
Our reading of Tom's Guide, key finders — their best key finder for Samsung phones , 2026
If you own a recent Galaxy phone, this gives you the same precise, point-me-to-it finding that AirTag offers iPhone users, a waterproof body, and the longest range in Tom's Guide's testing. It works with Samsung phones only. No photograph or price: Samsung's store served us a general accessories page.
Pros
- Longest range in testing
- Precise finding on recent Galaxy phones
- IP67 and a replaceable battery
Cons
- Samsung phones only
- No photograph or verified price
Where these findings come from
- Tom's Guide, key finders: excellent range in testing, several hundred feet; IP67; replaceable battery; Ultra Wideband compass on recent Galaxy phones
- Tom's Guide, key finders: only works with Samsung phones; alarm could be louder
Tile Pro (2024)
3.5 / 5
Our reading of Tom's Guide, key finders — their pick for range among Tile trackers , 2026
Works with any phone and has a loud alarm, but for luggage its weakness is the network: a Tile is found by other people running the Tile or Life360 app, far fewer than the phones relaying an AirTag or a Chipolo on Find My. Choose it if you already use Life360. Otherwise the Chipolo does more for the same phones. No photograph: Tile's site served us a Canadian page with no product data.
Pros
- Works with iPhone and Android
- Loud 110 dB alarm
- Replaceable battery, IP68
Cons
- Smaller finding network than Apple or Google
- Range well short of the 500 ft claim
- No photograph
Where these findings come from
- Tom's Guide, key finders: works with iPhone and Android; 110 dB alarm audible at 80 ft in a park; replaceable battery; IP68
- Tom's Guide, key finders: fell well short of its promised 500 ft range; the SOS feature replaces two-way find rather than adding to it
Why the network matters more than the tag
Once your bag is out of Bluetooth range, which is about the length of a corridor, a tracker is found only when a stranger's phone passes near it and quietly reports where it is. So the question for luggage is how many phones are on your tracker's network. Apple's Find My includes almost every iPhone. Google's Find Hub includes Android phones. Tile's network is limited to people running its apps.
What actually matters
Your phone. AirTags need an iPhone, SmartTags a Galaxy. Chipolo works with either network.
Precision finding. Ultra Wideband tags point you to a bag in a crowded room. Bluetooth-only tags just tell you it is nearby.
A loud alarm, for picking your case out on a carousel.
Battery. Coin batteries last about a year and are easy to swap. Sealed tags are replaced when they run out.
Can you put a tracker in checked luggage?
Coin-cell and small rechargeable trackers are generally allowed in checked bags; their batteries are tiny compared with the power banks that must travel in the cabin. Check your airline if in doubt.
Where this comes from
We do not test trackers. This guide draws on two Tom's Guide articles: a key-finder round-up that measures alarm volume and real-world range, and a review of the AirTag 2 that includes following luggage abroad. Both come from the same outlet, so treat them as one testing view.
What we are leaving out
GPS trackers with their own SIM and subscription, which suit vehicles more than suitcases, and card-shaped trackers for wallets.
Where this comes from
We did not test these. These people did.
Every score on this page rests on the testing below. The ranking is ours; the measurements are not. How we research.
- Tom's Guide, key finders — Each tracker buried in a laundry hamper to test alarm volume, and walked away from in a park and on a football field in 10-foot steps to measure real range. Updated April 2026.
- Tom's Guide, AirTag 2 review — Hands-on review measuring Precision Finding range against the original AirTag, including use in luggage abroad. Published 2026.
Questions people ask
Will an airline find my bag faster if it has a tracker?
Can someone use a tracker to follow me?
More guides
Best packing cubes
What packing cubes actually buy you, what they do not, and the one component that decides whether a set lasts a year or five.
5 picks Updated
Best carry-on luggage
Cabin allowances, wheels, and the part that actually breaks. What to weigh up before you buy, and how we will decide the ranking.
4 picks Updated
Best travel backpacks for a one-bag trip
Carrying a week on your back means trading capacity against the cabin allowance. The measurements that decide it, and how we will rank them.
3 picks Updated