Tile Mate vs. Apple AirTag: Which is best?

• 

  Tile Mate (2022)

  Platform-agnostic tracker

  Tile Mate is the company’s most affordable general-purpose smart tracker that features a permanent battery and is backed by Tile’s own tag network.

  Pros

  • Work with both Android and iOS devices
  • Built-in cutout
  • Compact design

  Cons

  • Permanent battery
  • No UWB support
  • Some features require a paid subscription

• 

  Apple AirTag

  Precision finding for iPhone

  $25 $35 Save $10

  The AirTag is Apple’s lone but incredibly popular smart tracker. It only works with Apple devices and is backed by the company’s massive Find My network.

  Pros

  • UWB support for precision tracking
  • Huge tag network
  • User-replaceable battery

  Cons

  • Limited to Apple devices
  • No way to ping iPhone

The Tile Mate and Apple AirTag are two of the most popular smart trackers today. However, they are quite different in most respects, including the tag network, which is used to locate tagged items outside the Bluetooth range. These differences make each tracker more suitable for certain types of users. So, we are pitting the Tile Mate against the Apple AirTag to determine which is best for you.

Price, availability, and specifications

The Tile Mate has a list price of $30. However, you can save money on multipacks, which cost less than individual units, which is helpful when buying in bulk. It’s also widely available and comes in black, white, and several limited-edition variants.

The AirTag has a similar price tag of $29, and you can get the four-pack at a discounted price of $99. The Apple smart tracker is available via the usual suspects, and if you order it from the company’s online store, you can get it engraved. Unfortunately, there is only one white/silver color option.

Here’s a look at the raw specifications of the two smart tags before we get into the nitty-gritty.

• 	Tile Mate (2022)	Apple AirTag
  Connectivity	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth, Ultra Wideband, NFC
  Battery	Up to 3 years; non-replaceable	Up to one year, user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery
  Water Resistance	IP67	IP67

Design, build, and battery

The Tile Mate and the Apple AirTag have very distinct designs. While the Tile Mate is all plastic with a square shape and curved corners, the AirTag combines plastic with aluminum in a circular design. However, both are rated IP67 for dust and water resistance.

Tile has included a cutout on the Mate to make attaching the tracker with your belongings easier. Unfortunately, there is no cutout on the AirTag. So, you’ll have to shell out extra for an official or third-party accessory to attach it to valuables.

Additionally, the Tile Mate has a printed QR code on the back to provide your contact information when an item is lost. The AirTag doesn’t have a QR code. Instead, Apple has included NFC to transmit your contact details to any Android or iPhone with NFC support.

AirTag has a clear advantage over the Tile Mate on the battery front. It uses a user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery that can last up to a year. The Tile Mate, on the other hand, has a built-in permanent battery that will last you around three years. But after that, the Tile Mate is as good as a very small paperweight.

Features

Like all modern smart trackers, the basic functionality of the Tile Mate and the Apple AirTag is the same. Both use Bluetooth to track and locate the tagged items at close range. The tag network is used when the tagged items leave the Bluetooth range. So, Bluetooth and respective tag networks are equally vital to how well a smart tracker functions.

According to Tile, the Mate has a Bluetooth range of 250 feet. But this is a line-of-sight range that you are unlikely to get in the real world because it’s full of obstructions, like walls, household items, and more. Apple doesn’t share an official figure for the AirTag’s Bluetooth range, but it’s likely to be similar to the Tile Mate, if not better.

Networks

In terms of the tag network, all Tile trackers, including the Mate, rely on the company’s network. This network includes mobile devices with the Tile apps installed and Amazon Sidewalk devices. While the Tile network is reasonably good, it falls behind the Apple Find My network, which the AirTag uses and includes most iOS devices worldwide. As such, there is a greater chance of finding an AirTag outside of the Bluetooth range than a Tile Mate.

AirTag also has UWB (ultra-wideband) support. This technology allows precision tracking at close range, which Bluetooth doesn’t offer. It can come in handy when your tag isn’t visible, as the iPhone uses it to show the tag’s distance and direction.

Additional built-in perks

However, the Tile Mate’s built-in speaker is noticeably louder than the AirTag’s speaker. In the absence of UWB, the speaker is used to locate the tag at a close range. Pinging your phone is also a nifty Tile Mate feature unavailable on the AirTag. There is a button on the Mate, which you can press, and your phone will make a sound even if it’s on silent.

Additionally, the Tile Mate offers something called an Anti-Theft Mode, which, once enabled, hides your Tile from the company’s Scan and Secure feature. The Scan and Secure feature is aimed at notifying you of any hidden and unwanted trackers on you. While this can help you become aware of any malicious trackers, it can also notify thieves of trackers present in the stolen items. A similar option isn’t available on the AirTag.

Separation alerts, sharing, and subscriptions

Among other highlights, AirTag supports separation alerts. Your iPhone will ping you when you leave a tagged item behind, significantly reducing your chances of losing a valuable. You can get the same feature on the Tile Mate, but it’s part of the company’s paid subscriptions, Tile Premium and Tile Premium Protect, adding to the smart tracker’s cost.

Similarly, AirTag allows it to be shared with up to five of your contacts for free, provided they all have iOS 17 on their iPhone and satisfy a few conditions, like having iCloud logged in with their Apple ID and having Keychain turned on. You can also share the Tile Mate, but only with one person for free. If you want to share it with more people, you can get unlimited sharing as part of the company’s paid subscriptions.

In addition to unlimited sharing and separation alerts, the Tile Premium subscriptions offer a 30-day location history, a replacement warranty, and item reimbursement for lost tagged items up to a fixed value.

AirTag has a lot of advantages over the Tile Mate. However, it can only be used with Apple devices, making it useless for Android owners. In contrast, the Tile Mate can work with both Android and iOS.

Which should you buy?

Choosing between the Tile Mate and the Apple AirTag comes down to your smartphone’s platform. If you use an Android phone, the AirTag won’t be a viable option, leaving you with the Tile Mate as the only choice. The Mate may not be as great as its more expensive sibling, the Tile Pro, but it’s still a capable smart tracker with a decent Bluetooth range, access to a reasonably extensive tag network, and durable construction.

While the Tile Mate is iPhone-compatible, there is no better option than the AirTag for iPhone users. It easily trumps the Mate in terms of features. The AirTag has UWB support, a user-replaceable battery, and a significantly larger tag network. The lack of a cutout is disappointing, but you can get a third-party accessory to fix this.