Whether you're a cat person, a dog person, a bird person, hamster person, a snake person, or even a giant African snail person, keeping your animals safe has to be a priority for any pet owner.

Keeping track of your pet or pets with the help of some connected tech might mean being able to get a look at where they are in your house whenever you like, or it could mean getting a bit of insight into where exactly they roam when they get set loose in the neighbourhood. Alternatively, it could be a great way of working out just who on the street is giving them the extra dinner that's proving so troublesome to your vet.

Regardless, pet trackers are very much in vogue for anxious owners who want to be in the know. There are a lot of fairly rubbish products out there, so we've compiled a list of some of the very best for your convenience. With the help of any of these devices, you'll find yourself in a new world of animal knowledge.

Best pet trackers to buy today

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Tractive GPS Dog Tracker
Best overall

The best tracker going

$34.99 $49.99 Save $15

Our top pick goes to Tractive, which has made a great collar-bound tracker for your pets.

Pros
  • Convenient
  • Reliable
  • Loads of insights
Cons
  • A bit bulky

Attaching easily to a collar, and with a version specifically for cats also available, Tractive's GPS tracker is second to none when it comes to monitoring your pets. You can geofence areas to be notified if they get out of them, and keep track of their exercise and health, too.

If your pet isn't the sort to run away, it's still really interesting to view a history of where they've been, giving you a bit of an insight into their life. You will need to take a subscription out to use the tracking features, but they're not too expensive at all.

If your concern is less about your pet's location and more about their happiness and engagement, then perhaps a specific pet camera is the answer. Petcub's cameras let you check in on your pets from wherever you are using two-way audio from your phone so that you can talk to them and comfort them if needed.

This Bites version of the camera also lets you dispense treats, and can be a really useful tool to train your pet even when you're not at home, encouraging calm behaviour and discipline with rewards.

Amazon Blink Mini is a compact indoor camera with two-way audio image 1
Blink Mini
Best Value

Versatile use

This smart home camera can be a perfect way to keep an eye on your pet without having to break the bank by any means.

Pros
  • Great price
  • Responds to motion
  • Keep an eye out
Cons
  • No treat dispenser

If you don't mind losing the interactivity of a dedicated pet camera, though, you might wonder whether a dedicated device is really needed. Many of us now have indoor cameras in our homes for security and peace of mind reasons anyway, and these can double as great pet cameras, too.

The Blink Mini is a super affordable camera and its movement tracking and alerts can be really useful. Place them around your house and you'll be able to see what your animals are up to without any fuss.

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Petcube Play

Great for keeping them engaged

$199 $229 Save $30

This camera doles out lasers instead of treats, making it perfect for cats.

Pros
  • Laser pointer
  • Super fun
  • Cat-friendly
Cons
  • Not much use for dogs

Your pet might still get more than a little bored if they're left home alone for long periods, though, so if treats aren't the trick perhaps a laser pointer is more up their street.

Working perfectly with energetic cats, the laser pointer in the Petcube Play can either be controlled directly by you or set to automated random patterns to give your cat exercise and ensure it gets some engagement even if you're not there to give it attention in person.

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Whistle GO Explore

Useful little tracker

$89.99 $149.95 Save $59.96

It isn't cheap but the Whistle GO works nicely and is sleekly designed.

Pros
  • Small and light
  • Great stats
Cons
  • Qutie expensive

Another excellent pet tracker comes in the form of the Whistle GO Explore, although it's quite a pricey option. It clips easily onto collars and has both live and historic location tracking for you to review, plus alerts if your pets stray too far.

20 days of battery life means you won't have to charge it annoyingly often, plus of all the pet trackers we've seen it's probably the nicest-looking, with a small unit that won't weigh your pet down. It also requires a subscription fee each month to use all its features.

Tile Mate
Tile Mate

Nice and affordable

A tracker that might not be designed for pets, but can do a job if you're prone to losing track of them on walks.

Pros
  • Good price
  • Easy to set up
Cons
  • Won't give any stats

A final option, but a bit of a cheeky one - perhaps all you need is something to help you find your dog if it runs off on a walk, or if your cat hides down the garden. In that case, a Tile tracker could be the answer, rather than a posh pet tracker. So long as you're within 200 feet of your pet, it'll give you a nice pinpoint location.

You might already have one of these trackers in a drawer somewhere - if so, you may have just found your next pet tracker.