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AirTag vs Tile – Which Tracker Offers Best Safety For Your Things?

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Although Apple AirTag Vs. Tile appears to be comparable on paper; there are significant differences between them. Choosing the best Bluetooth tracker is more complicated than simply choosing the one with the lowest price or the longest range. A decent tracker should be accurate, simple to set up, loud, and compatible with all of your devices.

While Apple and Tile succeed in all of these categories, they do it in various ways, from the design of the trackers to how they connect to the things you wish to track. In any case, you’re investing in an environment that, hopefully, you’ll be in for the long term, so be sure it meets all of your demands.

Overall Summary

Our Pick
 
4.5
4.5
$24.00
$24.88

Apple's AirTag is only available in sticker form, which costs $29.99 on Apple's website. A set of four is also available for $99.99. Apple does sell the AirTag attachment, which works as a keyfob, but you will have to buy it from the Apple Store with a couple of extra bucks. Apple's AirTag and Tile trackers may be used for digital stalking, exacerbated by their tiny size and low cost. When an AirTag is out of the range of the person who registered it for a lengthy period, it will begin to beep. Apple utilizes all nearby iPhones as a GPS beacon for AirTags to ping, so there's nearly always a way to find your tracker.

The Tile Mate, which attaches to the key ring, costs $24.99. The Tile Pro, which is made of metal that offers great rigidity & longer battery life, costs $29.99 a year. Tile's approach maintains a connection by using a mesh network of other Tile devices in the region, so you'll have to rely on the presence of other Tile users. Tile's technology likewise does not provide live updates. Tile does not presently offer anti-stalking tools but hopes to release a software upgrade in 2023 that would allow users to search for nearby trackers. However, it is not an ideal solution because it needs you to download the Tile app and scan for trackers regularly.

  • Excellent for locating misplaced stuff.
  • Precision location on iPhone 11 and later
  • Waterproof, compact, and lightweight
  • Can send location from a distance
  • Replaceable battery
  • Closed ecosystem
  • Thief friendly features
  • One form factor
  • Good connectivity
  • Replaceable battery
  • Loudspeaker
  • Durable build
  • Expensive when combined with accessories
  • AirTag does not function with Android and is easily scuffed.
  • No hole for a lanyard or keyring
  • Anti-stalking features are limited
  • More costly than competitors
  • The app does not provide accurate location information.
Our Pick
4.5
$24.00

Apple's AirTag is only available in sticker form, which costs $29.99 on Apple's website. A set of four is also available for $99.99. Apple does sell the AirTag attachment, which works as a keyfob, but you will have to buy it from the Apple Store with a couple of extra bucks. Apple's AirTag and Tile trackers may be used for digital stalking, exacerbated by their tiny size and low cost. When an AirTag is out of the range of the person who registered it for a lengthy period, it will begin to beep. Apple utilizes all nearby iPhones as a GPS beacon for AirTags to ping, so there's nearly always a way to find your tracker.

  • Excellent for locating misplaced stuff.
  • Precision location on iPhone 11 and later
  • Waterproof, compact, and lightweight
  • Can send location from a distance
  • Replaceable battery
  • Expensive when combined with accessories
  • AirTag does not function with Android and is easily scuffed.
  • No hole for a lanyard or keyring
  • Anti-stalking features are limited
4.5
$24.88

The Tile Mate, which attaches to the key ring, costs $24.99. The Tile Pro, which is made of metal that offers great rigidity & longer battery life, costs $29.99 a year. Tile's approach maintains a connection by using a mesh network of other Tile devices in the region, so you'll have to rely on the presence of other Tile users. Tile's technology likewise does not provide live updates. Tile does not presently offer anti-stalking tools but hopes to release a software upgrade in 2023 that would allow users to search for nearby trackers. However, it is not an ideal solution because it needs you to download the Tile app and scan for trackers regularly.

  • Closed ecosystem
  • Thief friendly features
  • One form factor
  • Good connectivity
  • Replaceable battery
  • Loudspeaker
  • Durable build
  • More costly than competitors
  • The app does not provide accurate location information.
02/26/2024 02:44 am GMT

AirTag vs. Tile – Price & Availability

AirTag vs Tile

The AirTag is only available in sticker form, which costs $29.99 on Apple’s website. A set of four is also available for $99.99. Tile’s equivalent to this design costs $29.99, although Tile also provides the Tile Mate for $24.99. This is a little fob with a keyring hole. AirTag requires you to purchase an additional attachment to attach to your keys or lanyard. When this is considered, the AirTag technically costs more to be as useful as the Tile Mate is out of the box.

Tile premium, on the other hand, costs $29.99 a year and includes additional features such as free battery replacement, a $100 refund, and smart alerts. If you don’t mind foregoing the premium features, Tile Mate is the less expensive choice. Compared to the Tile Pro, Sticker, & Slim variants, AirTag matches or is less expensive. The Tile Mate, which attaches to the key ring, costs $24.99.

Design

When talking about trackers, the main concern is the shape & how compact is the tracker itself. Regarding the design, Apple AirTags offer a round compact shape design made of hard plastic, which also contains a shiny metal shell in the front. Although the AirTags are designed in such a way that they are very less likely to attach to anything. Due to its simple & compact design with no holes whatsoever, you can’t attach AirTags to any surface. However, Apple does sell the AirTag attachment, which works as a keyfob, but you will have to buy it from the Apple Store with a couple of extra bucks.

Apple’s accessories for its AirTags are compact & sturdy plastic loops which can be used as a keyfob. However, there are also a lot of third-party budget solutions you can find on Amazon. Apple AirTags look quite simple by the looks; however, if you want to give your AirTag a unique look, you can do it for free, as Apple provides an engraving option for an emoji or any initials you want on your AirTags.

On the other hand, Tile trackers offer a very user-friendly design. Also, you can choose from various shapes & materials. They also offer Tiles Pro, which is made of metal that offers great rigidity & longer battery life. Tiles trackers come in various vivid colours; therefore, you can choose the colour you want that goes with the object you want to protect. For example, you can get the red Tile tracker for your car keys, which also shares the same red colour.

AirTag vs. Tile – Size

Apple’s AirTag is the only one that cannot be attached to a keychain without having to pay extra for a keyfob attachment from Apple. They are in the shape of a disc and are 3.19 x 3.19 x 0.8cm. They are around the size of a quarter or £2 coin, so they should fit in a wallet, handbag, or slide into a bag. The Tile tags come in various sizes. However, the most affordable version, which is the Tile Mate, is 35mm x 6.2mm in size, which is a bit close to Apple AirTags. It weighs 7 grams, and it also comes with adhesive pre-applied to it.

AirTag vs. Tile – Compatibility

When selecting a Bluetooth tracker, compatibility is the most crucial element. After all, a tracker is pointless unless it is compatible with your device. AirTags are only compatible with iOS and iPadOS devices. Therefore, you must use an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. However, Apple offers a premium feature called Precision Finding, the AirTag’s most attractive feature, which employs ultra-wideband to deliver turn-by-turn directions. However, you need an iPhone 11 or newer to acquire this feature.

On the other hand, to run the Tile trackers, ones need to download and install a separate app. This may not appear to be a significant negative, but it is a barrier to entry. Tile provides apps for both Android and iOS, ensuring that their trackers work with virtually any modern smartphone. Also, one can use Tile with either an Android or an iPhone. AirTags are either iPhones or nothing. Tile is the way to go if you’re an Android user. The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag & SmartTag Plus are reasonable solutions for Galaxy smartphone users, but they haven’t gained as much traction as their competitors.

AirTag vs. Tile – Tracking Accuracy

Apple’s AirTags and Tile trackers rely on adjacent devices for accurate position monitoring. Still, Apple’s technology has an obvious advantage. Apple utilizes all nearby iPhones as a GPS beacon for AirTags to ping, so there’s nearly always a way to find your tracker. On the other hand, Tile’s approach maintains a connection by using a mesh network of other Tile devices in the region, so you’ll have to rely on the presence of other Tile users.

There is considerable difficulty connecting to the phones without being within 10 feet of the tracker. Meanwhile, tracking the whereabouts of an AirTag is simple, even when the AirTag is kilometers away.

Tile’s technology likewise does not provide live updates. Apple’s Find My app displays an AirTag’s position on a map, but it often refreshes. However, this doesn’t work on Tile since it only shows the tracker’s last-known position instead of an up-to-date pin. Viewing a Tile’s location history requires the company’s premium subscription, which costs $3/month or $30/year.

AirTag vs. Tile – Features

AirTag vs Tile

Any app or gadget with location or GPS services can be hacked and manipulated against the users. To overpower this situation, Apple has taken steps to make AirTag more secure. When the gadget is separated from its registered user for an extended time, it will chirp. If necessary, flip the rear of the AirTag counterclockwise to disable the tracking capability.

Earlier this year, tile introduced Scan & Secure feature, a new function to tackle digital stalking. This function works by searching adjacent locations for other Tile devices & alerting you when they are found. To utilize this function, you must be signed into the app, have Bluetooth & location tracking enabled, and have exact location enabled on your smartphone.

AirTag vs. Tile – Safety

AirTag vs Tile

Apple delivered a software upgrade to increase its safety safeguards shortly after releasing the AirTag. The AirTag and Tile trackers, like many other tech devices, may be used for digital stalking, which is exacerbated by their tiny size and low cost. When an AirTag is out of range of the person who registered it for a lengthy period or travelling with someone who is not registered, it will begin to beep. The exact time it takes to hear the first alarm varies, although it is usually between 8 & 24 hours.

If you find an AirTag in your backpack or receive an “AirTag Found Traveling With You” notification on your iPhone, you can tap the AirTag against any phone that supports NFC to obtain its serial number and instructions for disabling it. You may also detach the AirTag and take out the battery. If your safety is threatened, you can also contact your local police authorities.

Tile does not presently offer anti-stalking tools but hopes to release a software upgrade in 2023 that would allow users to search for nearby trackers. However, it is not an ideal solution because it needs you to download the Tile app and scan for trackers on a regular basis.

Key Differences

Talking about the differences, there is a lot to talk about between Tile Tracker & Apple AirTags. The most significant difference is in the design, as the Apple AirTags provide a convex shape without any hole or keyfob to attach to any key or surface. Tile provides an inbuilt hole on its body to attach it to any key or luggage chain etc. Tiles can be used with any assistant like Google Assistant, Alexa & Siri, while on the other hand, AirTags only supports Siri, which is kinda bummer.

Talking about the differences in the features section, AirTags offers a rich amount of security features like Precise Location tracking with location-based beep support & you don’t need an additional App to operate it. However, on the hand, Tiles lack precise location tracking & even need to download an external app. Also, you can use Tile on Android & iOS both, while AirTags can only be used with Apple devices.

Key Similarities

Coming to the key similarities, there are a few features that are present in both of the gadgets, like both AirTags & Tile trackers support close-range Bluetooth connectivity feature, which helps track your gadget in close quarter areas easily. Also, both trackers support Built-in audio speakers for voice alerts. Moreover, the best feature both trackers provide is replaceable batteries. Also, both of the trackers provide IP ratings. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about water or dust. Both trackers provide one-year battery life.

Which smart tag is best in Apple AirTag vs. Tile?

Everything comes down to compatibility. Apple customers with many iOS devices will appreciate the AirTag’s outstanding feature set & ease of use. Tile is the way to go for everyone else. It is far more versatile and can connect to any mobile operating system.

How long does AirTags last?

AirTag batteries have a one-year lifespan and may be replaced after that. The Tile Pro also features changeable batteries for one year, although the rest of the Tile family does not.

Conclusion

At this stage, the Tile & AirTag are evenly matched. What it boils down to is compatibility. If you already use IOS, this is a no-brainer. The AirTag is an excellent tracker that works well with iOS & has several interesting capabilities. It’s also a no-brainer for anyone who isn’t an Apple customer! Tile is more versatile and can be utilized on a broader range of objects. In either case, you can’t go wrong with either Apple AirTag vs. Tile.

The AirTag is the obvious winner in this category. Also, we suggest it to anybody with a compatible iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Meanwhile, Android phone owners should select the Tile that best meets their needs.

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