iPhone: AirTag, no debate, the network wins. Android or mixed households: Tile Pro, which works on both, or a tracker on Google's Find Hub network. And the $8 key bowl by the door beats all of them within two weeks; buy both, the tracker covers the gap.
Checked 2026-11-04
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| Item | Stamp | Band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple AirTag | KEEP | $$ (single) | iPhone households |
| Tile Pro | WORTH A LOOK | $$ | Android and mixed households |
| A bowl by the door | KEEP | $ | Beating the problem entirely |
No. 1
The lost-keys tax, canceled, if you live on iPhone; the finding network is the product.
The catch: iPhone only in practice; needs a holder for keys.
Checked 2026-11-04: Apple's current AirTag is $29 for one or $99 for four, with a louder speaker and longer Precision Finding range than the first model. It needs an iPhone on iOS 26 or later and runs on a replaceable CR2032 coin cell.
Added 2026-08 · Checked 2026-11-04
Best for: iPhone households
No. 2
The cross-platform tracker; Android households start here.
The catch: Network density trails Apple's, and a subscription upsell exists.
Tile is now sold by Life360, which listed Tile Pro at $34.99 on 2026-11-04. Works with iPhone and Android.
Added 2026-08 · Checked 2026-11-04
Best for: Android and mixed households
No. 3
The $8 fix that beats every tracker: one bowl, by the door, keys live there.
The catch: The habit takes two weeks; the tracker covers the gap.
Added 2026-08 · Checked 2026-08
Best for: Beating the problem entirely
| Tracker | Network | Price seen | Status on this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple AirTag (current model) | Apple Find My, iPhone on iOS 26 or later | $29 single, $99 for four | KEEP |
| Tile Pro | Tile network (Life360), iPhone and Android | $34.99 | WORTH A LOOK |
| Chipolo POINT models | Google's network | Discontinued in 2025 | RETURNED |
| Chipolo POP (not carded) | Apple Find My or Google Find Hub | $29 | Not carded yet |
| Bowl by the door | Your habit | A few dollars | KEEP |
A tracker with no finding network only works inside the room you already searched.
Band: $
Tags: trackers, keys
Confidence: Tested briefly
Added 2026-08 · Checked 2026-08 · Returned 2026-08 · No network, no finding
Network density is the entire product. A tracker that only pings within Bluetooth range tells you what you already knew: the keys are somewhere in this room.
A tracker is only as good as the network of phones that can see it. On iPhone, AirTag uses Apple's Find My network, which is why our card says the network is the product. In Android or mixed households, Tile is the cross-platform option, and Chipolo POINT works with Google's Find network and has a loud ring. Avoid Bluetooth-only trackers with no finding network: ours is stamped RETURNED because it only works in the room you already searched.
The habit that stops keys going missing is a single home for them by the door. The tracker covers the days the habit fails. Start with a bowl and a hook, and put the tracker on the one key ring that matters. Our guides on losing your keys and building a launch pad cover both halves.
iPhone user who loses keys at home and out: AirTag on the main key ring, with a holder. Android user: a tracker on Google's Find Hub network, or Tile Pro. Mixed household sharing a car key: Tile Pro, which both phones can use. Wallet that goes missing: a card-shaped tracker in a wallet slot. Lose the phone more than the keys: some trackers, such as Tile Pro, can ring your phone from the tracker, so check for that feature. Lose things only inside the house: start with the bowl by the door and a hook for bags; a tracker may be unnecessary once the habit sticks.
Three things moved since this list was first carded. Apple now sells a new AirTag at the same $29 single price ($99 for four), with a speaker Apple says is 50% louder and up to 1.5 times the Precision Finding range; it needs an iPhone on iOS 26 or later (checked 2026-11-04 on apple.com). Chipolo says its ONE Point and CARD Point models were discontinued in 2025, so our Chipolo POINT card is now stamped RETURNED with that reason; Chipolo's current POP tag ($29) works with either Apple's Find My or Google's Find Hub, and we have not carded it yet. And Tile is now sold by Life360, which lists Tile Pro at $34.99. None of this changes the advice: pick the network your phone already uses, then put the tracker on the one key ring that matters.
Apple says AirTag runs for more than a year on a standard CR2032 coin cell that you replace yourself when your iPhone tells you it is low. Buy a two-pack of CR2032 batteries when you buy the tracker and keep them in the kitchen drawer, because a flat tracker is a Bluetooth-only tracker. AirTag is rated IP67, which Apple defines as up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, so rain and a dropped puddle are fine and a washing machine is a gamble. Precision Finding, which points you to the exact spot with distance and direction, works only with iPhones that support it. A key ring holder is extra, since AirTag has no hole of its own. For an Android phone, the questions are the same: check the battery type, whether it is replaceable, and which finding network the tracker joins.
One tracker per thing that leaves the house and causes a crisis when lost. For most people that is the main key ring, then a wallet, then a bag. Card-shaped trackers fit a wallet slot; small tags suit keys and bags. Do not tag things that never leave the house, such as the TV remote, unless you lose them daily: the cost adds up and the phone fills with alerts. Name each tracker clearly in the app, such as "car keys" or "work bag", because "AirTag 3" is useless at 8:04 in the morning. And test a find once, on a calm day, so you know how the app works before you need it in a hurry.
Modern trackers include anti-stalking protections. Apple says that if someone else's AirTag is traveling with you, your iPhone or Android phone will notice and alert you, and the AirTag will eventually play a sound. The same alerts can confuse you if you borrow a family member's keys or carry a partner's bag, so expect them in those cases. Trackers are for finding your own things. Using one to follow a person without consent is not what they are for and is illegal in many places. If you get an alert you do not expect, take it seriously: your phone's alert screen explains how to find the tracker and what to do next.
If one partner has an iPhone and the other uses Android, there are two good approaches. Either each person uses the tracker that matches their own phone, or the household picks a tracker that works on both, such as Tile. Shared keys are the tricky case, because only the owner's phone sees most trackers in detail. Whatever you buy, the habit does most of the work: one bowl or hook by the door, keys go there every time, and the tracker is for the day the habit fails. Our guides on losing your keys and building a launch pad cover the routine, and the printable launch pad checklist puts it on the door.
Buying a tracker for the wrong phone, such as an AirTag in an Android household. Putting the tracker on a spare key ring rather than the one that leaves the house. Ignoring the low-battery alert until the tracker is dead on the day it is needed. Buying a Bluetooth-only tracker with no finding network, which is why that card is RETURNED on this list. And relying on the tracker instead of a home for the keys: a tracker tells you where they are, but a bowl by the door means you never have to ask.
Stamps are earned per the desk's criteria: KEEP means still in use after 30 days or more, WORTH A LOOK means real merit with a situational fit. This list is re-checked quarterly and the table above carries the date. Stamps follow the desk's published criteria, and the returned entry explains itself.