AirTag vs. Tile Buyer's Guide - MacRumors

Tile has been making Bluetooth item trackers for almost a decade and is now AirTag's main competitor.

The Tile Slim is the perfect shape to slide into a wallet, while the Tile Sticker is small enough to stick to a TV remote.

Apple's AirTag and Tile's trackers share a number of important features, such as Bluetooth tracking, audio alerts, and water resistance:.

The Tile Mate is made entirely out of white plastic, while the Tile Pro has a more premium metal design and offers a range of color options including Black, White, Ruby Red, Azurite Blue, and Rose Pink.

Both AirTag and Tile use Bluetooth Low Energy as their main tracking technology.

When the tracker is within Bluetooth range, users can use their smartphone to see its current location and get it to play a sound to help find it.

The Tile trackers have Bluetooth ranges between 150ft to 400ft, depending on the model.

When out of Bluetooth range, both AirTag and Tile leverage devices in the community for tracking.

Tile uses a feature called "Community Find," where any in-range device with the Tile app installed can detect and locate any user's Tile tracker anonymously.

Both AirTag and Tile users can also put their tracker into "Lost Mode" to receive a notification when it has been located by a device.

To set up a Tile tracker, users need to first download the Tile app from the App Store, create and activate a Tile account, hold down the button on the tracker until an audio cue plays, place the Tile tracker on the device, and wait for confirmation of pairing.

Users simply need to hold the AirTag near to their device, tap pair, and the process is complete.

AirTag and Tile Pro both use a replaceable CR2032 battery, while the Tile Mate uses a replaceable CR1632 battery, to achieve around one year of battery life.

When it has run out, users simply open their AirTag, Tile Mate, or Tile Pro, and insert a new battery.

The battery of the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker is not replaceable or rechargeable.

Users will need to dispose of their tracker and buy a new one when the battery runs out, but they do offer a longer three-year-long battery life.

The AirTag, Tile Mate, and Tile Pro are all "water-resistant." Since there is no replaceable battery in the Tile Slim or Tile Sticker, they are "waterproof.".

The AirTag has IP67 water-resistance, but Tile has not disclosed the exact water-resistance ratings of its trackers!

When within Bluetooth range, users can double press the button on their Tile tracker to make their phone ring!

If users do not have an iOS device, an AirTag separated from its owner for an extended period of time will play a sound when moved to draw attention to it

The Tile Mate and Tile Slim are priced at $24.99

Tile also offers a wide range of cheaper combo packs containing multiple Tile trackers for an overall lower price

It also has to be remembered that the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker will only last up to three years before they have to be discarded, potentially reducing their value for money in the long term

Though the AirTag is priced competitively against Tile trackers, it should be noted that in most use cases, users will need to buy additional accessories to attach the AirTag to an item, which pushes up the overall cost considerably

The only customers who should buy a Tile tracker instead of the AirTag are Android users, individuals who need a specific design, such as the ultra-slim form factor of the Tile Slim, or simply individuals that would find features such as the ability to ring their phone remotely indispensable