Tile Slim vs. TrackR Pixel: Which should you buy?

We're a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We keeping track of all our important tech is important to us, and use all sorts od Bluetooth trackers to make sure we don't lose a single thing.

Tile Slim is everything you love about Tile in a slimmer package, allowing you to use the full services Tile offers through its fantastic app. Its size means it can easily fit into your bag, wallet, or purse, and giving options for ringtones makes it easier to pinpoint what you're ringing (if you have multiple Tiles).

While the TrackR Pixel is not as popular as a Tile, it still offers a great package for about a third of the price of the Tile Slim. With a 100-foot range, a replacable battery, and a design small enough to look like a coin, The TrackR Pixel is a great budget pick.

A few key differences

The Tile Slim and TrackR Pixel are different in only a few key categories, so when you're making your decision of which one to buy, the battery, price, and volume level are probably your main concerns.

Notably, the Title Slim doesn't have a replaceable battery, meaning when it dies, you have to get a new one. Tile does offer a reTile program which lets you buy new Tiles at a discount if you're replacing one because of a battery. While that discount can be up to 40 percent off, it still means buying a whole new Tile when the battery runs out.

The TrackR Pixel uses a replaceable CR2016 battery, which isn't that expensive to replace, and easy enough to find at local stores or online. This gives the TrackR Pixel a less expensive price tag when you think about the future, which is already on top of its cheap upfront cost.

If you're just looking for a simple Bluetooth tracker that is good for short distances and you don't want to spend any more money than you have to, the TrackR Pixel is probably the way to go. With cheap, replaceable batteries and its $10 price tag, the TrackR Pixel is going to be a more affordable option both now and going into the future.

That doesn't mean you should write off the Tile Slim completely, Tile's app experience and it's crowdsourced tracking capabilities are superior to TrackR. Having a larger community means you can more easily find an item you've lost, even if it's out of your Bluetooth's range. Tile uses others who have the trackers to do some of the location work for you.

Plus, even though the Tile Slim is technically quieter than the TrackR Pixel, you likely won't be able to really tell the difference from only an eight-decibel difference. If you plan to get multiple Bluetooth trackers to keep track of your different items, the Tile Slim may be the better choice because fo the support and fantastic easy-to-us app Tile offers.

Tile Slim

Best in multiples

$30 at Tile

Popular and reliable

The Tile Slim is best for people who want multiple trackers. The fantastic app experience and the ability to change the ringtone of different devices makes it a breeze to keep track of your items at once.

TrackR Pixel

Very affordable

Cheaper and easier to replace

$10 at Amazon

While the app and crowdsourced tracking option on the TrackR may not be as useful as Tile, hands down its the more affordable option both now and in the long run