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Best GPS Trackers for Kids

Updated: Jan 26, 2024 7:39 PM
best gps trackers kids featured image that shows the top three best gps tracker models

To locate (pun intended) the best GPS tracker for kids, we’ve run dozens of GPS trackers through their paces, looking for highly functional units with feature sets that will please parents and kid-friendly designs that won’t look out of place on the schoolyard. We also wanted to make sure each item on this list was extremely easy to use, featuring integration with popular map apps and big, bright “alarm” buttons for kids to press if they need help. Devices with geo-fence alarms, a virtual perimeter that alerts you via smartphone when crossed, were also highly welcome. If you want to track your pet dog alongside the kids, consider investing in a dog tracker tag as well.

Of these best seven GPS trackers for kids, the one that best fit for parents and children alike is the Jiobit GPS Tracker, a lightweight and durable smart tracker with a host of unique features, including the ability to track using a combination of GPS, cellular data, WiFi and Bluetooth, providing accurate and up-to-the-minute location data. It’s also extremely small, around the size of a cracker, which makes it easy for any kid to carry. Read on to learn more about Jiobit, the best GPS tracker for kids and the six other amazing trackers on this list. Also check out our review of the best GPS tracker to see how they stack up.

Top 7 Best GPS Trackers for Kids Compared

 #1  Jiobit GPS Tracker

Award: Top Pick

WHY WE LIKE IT: The Jiobit is an astounding GPS tracker that is perfect for children, thanks to its kid-proof design. Its small, light (0.8 oz) and offers supreme location accuracy, thanks to a combination of innovative tracking techniques.

Pros
  • Waterproof, survives cycle in washing machine
  • Highly accurate location data, utilizing GPS and cellular
  • Long lasting battery, a week on single charge
Cons
  • Requires subscription, from $9 to $13 per month
  • Some accuracy issues reported while flying
  • Bluetooth occasionally cuts out, impacting geo-fence

The Jiobit GPS Tracker is packed to the gills with features, utilizing a combination of GPS, cellular data, Bluetooth and even WiFi to accurately pinpoint the exact location of your child. The tracker allows for a geo-fence alarm that goes off if your child wanders past a preset perimeter. The Jiobit is controlled via a proprietary app, which we found intuitive, that allows for an instant alarm to go off on the device itself if your child suddenly wanders out of eyesight. The best hidden camera might help as well.

The tracker’s small size, less than an ounce, and tiny form factor also makes this a must-have. It’s truly smaller than an Oreo cookie and can be discreetly clipped onto clothing or shoes. Note: the same thing can be achieved using the best smartwatch for kids. It’s also waterproof and mud proof, with the company saying the product could easily survive a washing machine cycle, though we did not put that through research . The Jiobit is a subscription service, though the prices are lower than many on this list. Month-to-month will set you back $13 each month, with the price lowering to $9 per month if you sign a two year plan.

Related: See also the best car trackers.

 #2  PRIMETRACKING Personal GPS Tracker

We’re sorry, this product is temporarily out of stock

Award: Honorable Mention

WHY WE LIKE IT: The PRIMETRACKING Personal GPS Tracker is the perfect all-around device for folks looking for the ability to track vehicles and adults, in addition to their children. It features a minimalist, all black, form factor and a large SOS button, which immediately sends an alarm to your smartphone.

Pros
  • Updates location every ten seconds
  • Battery lasts two weeks
  • Shows how fast tracker is moving
Cons
  • Does not work outside of North America
  • Initial setup was on the confusing side
  • No key hook or clasp, for attaching to clothing

The PRIMETRACKING Personal GPS Tracker includes one heck of a battery, with two weeks of use on a single charge. This means you can slip it into your kid’s bag and forget about it for two whole weeks. This tracker is controlled via a highly intuitive app, which can be installed on your smartphone, tablet and your personal computer. The app updates the device’s location every ten seconds, and we found the location data to be highly accurate. It also allowed us to set up a geo-fence perimeter with ease, with just the press of a button.

The product has some additional features that we found useful, like the ability to show how fast a vehicle it is placed inside of is driving. This could be perfect for parents with teen drivers, who are looking to make sure their kids are obeying the speed limit. The monthly subscription for this service is steep, though not the most expensive on this list, with a month setting you back $25. Another one of the popular kids GPS trackers you can check out is the AngelSense Guardian GPS, which is designed for children with special needs. The tracking devices can be attached to clothing, and your child’s location can be tracked every 30 seconds through the AngelSense app. You can create a care team of trusted guardians’ phone numbers to be sent a text message and your child’s real-time location if they wander outside a specific location. Though this tracking system requires a monthly fee, you can give yourself a peace of mind by being able to track your child and always know where they are. Also, see 5 of the best personal GPS tracking devices for more options. Or, if you spend a lot of time on a bike, check out the best GPS trackers for motorcycles.

 #3  Jsbaby Kids Smartwatch

We’re sorry, this product is temporarily out of stock

Award: Most Kid-friendly

WHY WE LIKE IT: The Jsbaby Kids Smartwatch is a GPS tracker your children will actually want to wear. This beautifully designed smartwatch is available in two bright colors, with GPS tracking, a built-in camera, the ability to make and receive phone calls, a flashlight and some simple video games. This is the perfect middle ground device so you won’t have to buy them an actual smartphone.

Pros
  • Waterproof design is bright and colorful
  • Make and receive phone calls to approved numbers
  • Flashlight and SOS button help kids feel safe
Cons
  • Location data not as accurate as some on this list
  • Requires a SIM card, sold separately
  • Smartphone app not especially intuitive

The Jsbaby Kids Smartwatch is a kid-friendly tracker that is waterproof and dustproof, which makes it the perfect gadget for children to wear to the playground or even the local pool. It can make and receive phone calls, once you install the required SIM card, and we found the sound quality to be adequate. It can also receive text messages, if you need to impart some vital information to your tyke, such as “get home now.” On that note, there is also a large SOS button, which instantly sends an alarm notification to your smartphone, with pertinent location data so you can rush to the rescue.

The GPS location tracking is decent, but not as accurate as some other items on this list, though the many kid-friendly features, like the inclusion of a camera and simple video games, more than makes up for it. This is a device you won’t have to hide in your kid’s backpack. They’ll likely ask to wear it. They likely already own the best tablets for babies anyway.

 #4  Spytec STI Model GL300MA

Award: Best Related Smartphone App

WHY WE LIKE IT: The Spytec STI Model GL300MA boasts the largest battery on this list, with one charge powering the device for 2.5 weeks.. Additionally, the related app is best-in-class, making it easy to create custom alerts, like when your child gets into a moving vehicle or walks to a new location after a period of inactivity.

Pros
  • Highly accurate location data
  • Easy to get ahold of customer service
  • Long battery life, 2.5 weeks
Cons
  • Expensive subscription, starting at $25 per month
  • Setting it up was slightly confusing
  • Heavier than average (5.6 oz)

The Spytec STI Model GL300MA will track anything, anywhere at any time, using 4G LTE coverage and proprietary GPS technology to accurately locate the device in real time. The feature rich app integrates with Google Maps, giving you reliable location data that is consistently updated. The app also easily allows you to set a geo-fence perimeter and to design your own custom alerts, so you could, for instance, set an area to be “off-limits,” with the app notifying you if your child entered. The app even prepares weekly summaries, so you can easily see what your kid has been up to.

The tracker also boasts a large SOS button that functions similarly to other items on this, sending an alert to your phone if its pressed. The long battery life, 2.5 weeks, makes this a great “set it and forget it” tracker. Put it in the best kids laptop case.

 #5  Bohongde Kids Smartwatch

We’re sorry, this product is temporarily out of stock

Award: Best Budget

WHY WE LIKE IT: The bohongde Kids Smartwatch offers a great set of features to suit both kids and parents at a price point that won’t break the bank. The brightly designed watch offers reliable GPS tracking, along with a gorgeous HD display, a camera and the ability to make and receive phone calls, with a full set of in-app parental controls.

Pros
  • Easy for kids to use
  • Waterproof, appropriate for summer activities
  • SOS button automatically calls contact list
Cons
  • Micro SIM card required, only supports 2G
  • Not the most accurate tracker on this list
  • Instruction manual is confusing

The bohongde Kids Smartwatch is a fantastically priced smartwatch, offering parents an easy way to get in touch with their children while they are out playing or at school. It can store up to three phone numbers and make and receive calls to and from these numbers, providing you have the required micro SIM card installed. The SOS button works a bit differently than other items on this list, opting to automatically call stored contact numbers when pressed, instead of pushing an alert out to your phone. On the tracking front, it shows the location of the device on the in-app map, which we found to be adequate, though this is not the best dedicated tracker on the list.

For kids, the watch can take pictures and store them in a snazzy, easy to peruse photo album. The product is also IP67 waterproof, meaning it can be kept on while swimming, diving and playing in the rain. There is also a simple match game included, which could keep them entertained for a little while. You may also want to look at the best kids computer case.

 #6  Amcrest 4G LTE GPS Tracker

Award: Best Warranty

WHY WE LIKE IT: The Amcrest 4G LTE GPS Tracker is a sturdy, fully customizable product with an inconspicuous, water-resistant design, offering location tracking in 5 second intervals and the ability to track vehicle speeds. It also comes with a lifetime warranty, which means this is the only tracker you are likely to ever need.

Pros
  • Lifetime warranty is handy
  • IPX5 waterproof design helps prevent against breakage
  • Integrates with Google Maps
Cons
  • Long lasting battery, but only with minimal location settings
  • Only works in the United States, Canada and Mexico
  • Subscription is expensive, as much as $35 per month

The Amcrest 4G LTE GPS Tracker is a solid GPS tracker with a full suite of features equatable to other items on this list. It can create a geo-fence perimeter, sending out push notifications if breached. It can also track how fast the unit is moving, sending out a push notification if the device exceeds the speed limit or harshly slams on the breaks, which is very useful for the worried parents of new drivers. The app is functional and easy to navigate, integrating nicely with Google Maps, further adding to its accuracy as a location tracker.

The battery is said to last two weeks on a single charge, but we found this only true with the location settings turned down to their minimum, updating less than once a minute. On that note, it requires a monthly subscription which is tied to how often it updates location data, with the most expensive option, every 5 seconds, coming in at a whopping $35 per month. The cheapest option, which refreshes location every minute, is $20 per month. Despite this it is one of the top spy gadgets on our list.

 #7  Family1st GPS Tracker

Award: Best GPS Trackers for Kids

WHY WE LIKE IT: The Family1st GPS Tracker is a subscription-based tracker that offers a series of family plans, plus the ability to set up 10 perimeter alerts on a single account, the highest number on this list. This is the perfect, low-cost option for large families looking to get multiple children covered.

Pros
  • Lifetime warranty is handy
  • Can set 10 geo-fence perimeters on one account
  • Small, lightweight design makes this great for school backpacks
Cons
  • Subscription maxes out at $45 per month
  • Only works in United States, Canada and Mexico
  • Device cannot be turned off via the app

The Family1st GPS Tracker is an accurate tracker designed with large families in mind. The company offers several subscription plans that tie multiple devices to a single account, offering a multitude of options for large families, including the ability to set 10 geo-fence perimeters on one single account, by far the highest number on this list. The tracking capabilities are above average, using 4G LTE and integrated with Google Maps, making it easy to pinpoint a location. It also tracks how fast the device is moving, like similar models, sending out push notifications if the speed limit is breached.

The unit is no bigger than a D battery, and light (3.6 oz), making it the ideal product to stuff in a school backpack or a baby stroller. The subscription plans, however, are on the steep side, maxing out at $45 per month.

How We Decided

There are plenty of GPS trackers on the market, some with features that are specially designed with children in mind and others that are just good all-around products that work with kids and adults alike. First of all, we wanted to make sure that these GPS trackers were good at, well, tracking via GPS. The items on the above list use a mix of cellular data, WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE and 2G to track, with the lead item, the Jiobit, using all methods at once.

We also wanted to make sure that the aforementioned location data was presented in a concise and informative way, usually via an app. On that note, we discarded items whose app did not work with both iPhones and Android phones. Other safety features, such as SOS alarms and the ability to track moving vehicles were also important as we made our way through our research trackers. We were also concerned with durability, looking at waterproof and water-resistant trackers that offered lengthy warranties.

Finally, we wanted to make sure these were items that kids would, at the very least, not object to carrying around. Every tracker on this list can easily slide into a backpack or stroller with barely a notice, with the two smartwatches being perfect for tech-hungry kids, thanks to their suite of apps and games.

GPS Tracker Buying Guide

The Most Important Features to Consider

  1. Subscription Plans
    The above list has a good mix of products that require subscription plans and those that do not. You may be wondering, are subscription plans worth it? In short, yes, but make sure to not overpay. The subscription-based trackers, across the board, offered more accurate location information, with real time updates and plenty of customization options, like the ability to set up “do not enter” zones and the option to keep an eye on how fast your child is going in a car, which is perfect for the parents of a new driver.
  2. Geo-fence Perimeter Alarms
    Many trackers on this list offer the ability to set up a number of geo-fence perimeter alarms. This feature allows you to, essentially, draw a location ring around your child, causing an alarm to go off if they exit a preapproved location. This option can also be inverted, setting off an alarm if your child enters a particular location.
  3. Waterproof
    These trackers are intended for kids and, as such, you may want to invest in a waterproof product. Kids like to swim and play in the rain, after all. Many of the items on this list offer some form of protection from the elements, with the two smartwatches leading the pack, offering full IP67 waterproof certification.
  4. Not Just For Kids
    The products on the above list would all work splendidly for keeping track of your children, but some, like the PRIMETRACKING Personal GPS Tracker, are great all-around trackers, perfect for the seniors in your life, or if you just want to get involved in some light spycraft. We won’t judge.

Best GPS Trackers for Kids Questions (FAQ)

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