5 Best No Monthly Fee Dog GPS Trackers: Without Subscription

Last Updated on May, 2025

Look, if you want a GPS tracker and don’t want to pay any monthly fee, the options you’ve got are quite low, yes, even if you find one, they are not going to be as reliable, and that’s why I have a better option. 

GPS trackers need cellular for accurate location tracking and for that, you need to pay. There are other options such as using Bluetooth, however, that’ll only work within a few feet.  

So yeah, I tested 10 no monthly free trackers and just picked 5, those were the ones I think are even worth considering if you’re dead set on not paying a fee. Keep reading to learn which ones are those. 

My Evaluation Process

I had to buy all of these for the sole purpose of checking them on my own. Some parameters I considered were the battery life, location updating rate, waterproof characteristics, and dimensions.

Eventually, I chose the best and sold the rest. 

Choosing what I chose might not be the best for YOU. That’s why I’m inviting you to read to the end. That should help you to make a firm decision.

Best 5 Subscription-Free Dog Trackers

1. PitPat Dog GPS Tracker (Editor’s Choice)

First of all, it works, I don’t know how, but they’ve pulled it off, just like a subscription based tracker, all you have to do is download the app, setup and start tracking.

The PetSafe Guardian GPS Fence is a smart system that helps keep your dog safely inside a set area using GPS technology. 

PitPat relies on its own mobile coverage and your phone’s cellular coverage to get updates on your dog’s location. It basically does what all other subscription based trackers.

Gets the information from the satellites and sends it to your phone. Simple as that.

PitPat’s own mobile coverage comes from its factory fitted SIM, and its cost is covered by PitPat themselves. That is what makes this a no subscription GPS tracker.

So that’s how the device works.

As for the results, as I mentioned already, PitPat does a great job for a no monthly fee tracker.

I would not compare it against subscription based collars, as they are still superior, but you can’t go wrong with this.

To check your dog’s location, you need to download the PitPat on your phone. It’s available on both Android and iOS. Once downloaded, you can set up your account with the on-screen instructions.

Once set up, you go into the location tracking tab on the app, click on ‘’Find My Dog’’ and you have your eyes on the dog. It takes around 4 to 6 minutes for the device to first connect with your phone, which is a bit of a delay.

Apart from Find My Dog, there is also another option called ‘’Start A Walk’’, this enables something similar to live tracking. You can select it from the location tracking tab.

My recommendation is, whenever you’re heading out of home, it’s better to Start A Walk. This will decrease the time it takes for the collar to find a satellite when you need to use Find My Dog.

Another important thing to note: PitPat is a Location and Activity tracking collar only, I’ve seen people complaining about the absence of geo fencing, there is no such feature here. You can’t create a safe zone and get the collar to alert you whenever the dog goes out of that. As I mentioned already, this is just a location and activity tracker.

Most of the time, from what I’ve seen, location trackers struggle in areas with a lot of trees, PitPat, being a no subscription collar, does an excellent job. In most occasions, it sticks to the 10 to 12 seconds for location updates.

Don’t expect it to do the same in dense forest areas, I took it for a hunting trip and the results were not something you’d like.

Overall, for location tracking, PitPat does what it promises without a doubt. I wasn’t even sure it would perform this good, but to my surprise, it does.

Don’t trust me?

PitPat has a 4.3-star rating on Trustpilot from over 2000 reviews, which is not bad.

That is some of the extras present in PitPat, for a subscription free tracker, it has excellent tech and features for a rather budget friendly price. If you’re on the fence, you can try out the device for 42 days and return it if you’re not satisfied. Thanks to the top-notch customer service, the process of returning the collar is much simpler.

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2. PetSafe Guardian® GPS Dog Fence (#2nd Best Choice)

After getting my hands on it and using it for a good few months, one thing was clear, if you are someone who is not ready to pay a subscription, this is a must-try. Thanks to PetSafe’s 45-day money-back guarantee, you can give it a shot with zero worries.

Here’s why the Guardian is worth trying out.

Firstly, it works, without any issues.

For starters, the tech it packs is impressive. As you may already know, you don’t need to dig your yard and bury wires for the device to work. All you have to do is, download the My PetSafe® app on your phone, get the device connected, draw the fences right on the app and that’s it, you’re all set up.

The fences can be of any shape, not just limited to circular, and you should have a property that’s at least 3/4 acres for the Guardian to work.

Looking at the performance, this is where the Guardian makes most of the no monthly fee trackers obsolete. With my time with the Guardian, I’ve not had my dog escape the fence even once.

However, one important thing to note here is, for the Guardian to work as intended, you need to train your dog and get it to understand the boundaries. Without training, you might rarely see any positive results.

You don’t have to worry too much about how to train your dog, PetSafe’s provides a step-by-step training guide, so you are fully covered in that area as well.

I consistently got three days and a maximum of 4 full days without any problems. But my recommendation is to charge the device after every 2 full days of use, that way, it does not run out of charge midday.

Moving on, there is nothing much to report about the Guardian, it’s a simple and easy to use GPS dog fence which you can try out if you’re not ready to pay a subscription fee for a GPS location tracker.

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3. Garmin Astro 430 Tracker (#3rd Best Choice)

Let’s start the evaluation by looking at the design, communication range, location updating rate, and accuracy.

The T 5X locator’s dimensions are such as a height of 1.75, a width of 3.5, and a depth of 1.85; every unit is in inches. The weight is around 6.6 oz with a one-inch collar strap and antenna.

The T5X fits larger dogs with a neck circumference of 9.5 inches and above.

The handheld locator’s dimensions are 6.3 x 2.4 x 1.4 (height x width x depth) in inches. It weighs around 9.2 oz., and that’s with the batteries included.

The Garmin 430 handheld has a transflective 65-K color TFT display. Its dimensions are 1.43″ x 2.15″ (width x height); and 2.6″ diagonal length.

You get 9 miles of range with 2.5 seconds location update rate — that’s as accurate and fast as a GPS tracker can get. 

The tracker has a mean accuracy of 12 feet, but I noticed that it could be as close as 9-10 feet as long as the signal strength is strong.

The handheld locator has the standard IPX7 waterproof rating.

So, the product is entirely waterproof.

When we look at the special features, preloaded TOPO maps bring a lot of value to the device. You can also store data on a microSD card for up to 4GB (not provided). 

It also has geofencing with an alert system. If you’re unfamiliar with how geofencing works, let me explain.

You can draw a boundary on the map shown in your designated app; this could be a geofence or a virtual fence.

What makes the difference? A geofence ALERTS the mobile phone when your dog crosses the boundary, informing you.

A virtual fence, on the other hand, VIBRATES the collar, or emits a sound. It is your job to train your dog to respond accordingly. 

There’s automatic rerouting with optimal mapping for detailed roads as well. Finally, hunt metrics let you share details of your dog’s speed, location, etc., with others if you wish to.

The locator is pretty straightforward and has no connection to mobile phones. 

The tracker is best for hunting dog tracking. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t use it for typical dog tracking purposes at all.

Learn more about Garmin Astro 430.

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4. Marco Polo Tracker

The Marco Polo handheld has a lot of comfortably placed buttons. The surface is smooth and made of a rigid polymer. 

Made out of velcro and synthetic fiber, the tag is also protected by a durable nylon holder.

The tracker is recommended for both small and large dogs as long as the neck size is 7 inches or more.

The communication range of the Marco Polo tracker directly depends on the surrounding area. The maximum range is up to 2 miles, with an accuracy of 10-15 feet.

As per my observation, the location update rate is 5 seconds on average.

But the problem is that you do not get to see the exact location, only the direction, and the distance.

However, the battery will last up to 3 days in active tracking mode (which I think is self-explanatory).

The Marco Polo tracking device has the IP67 waterproof rating. 

Amongst the special features, geofencing and alerts take a significant place. However, you cannot draw a boundary on a map.

The boundary is the radial zone, the circle, making the locator the center. The smaller radius you can choose is 50 ft. When you move, the boundary moves.

You also can add up to 3 pets to one Marco Polo locator.

All things considered, Marco Polo is definitely a reliable solution if the requirements are satisfied.

Here you can read more about Marco Polo Pet Tracker.

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5. Garmin Alpha 200i

Weighing 9.9 oz with the standard antenna and battery, the Alpha 200i is not too big. Its dimensions are such as 2.7″ (width) x 6.4″ (length) x 1.3″ (depth).

The minimum recommended neck size of your dog to wear the tracker is 9.5”.

Since the communication mostly depends on the collar, the maximum tracking range of the Alpha 200i is 9 miles. The location update rate is 2.5 seconds.

Like all Garmin dog tracking devices, the surrounding obstacles are irrelevant to the Alpha 200i.

The accuracy is up to about 5 feet, and you can track up to 20 dogs at once.

I am moving on to the battery life, resistance capacities, special features, and mobile app/locator. 

The battery life of the Alpha 200i is around 20 hours. The battery life of the TT 15X is between 20-40 hours. 

In my experience, my Alpha 200i was on for around 16-17 hours, and the TT 15X was on for about 30-34 hours.

So, the numbers are accurate.

Did I tell you about the barometric altimeter that helps you accurately monitor ascent and descent?

Finally, the Alpha 200i locator has a TFT color touchscreen with a 282 x 470 pixel resolution. The display size is 1.8″ in width and 3″ in height with 3.5 inches of diagonal distance.

This tracker is compatible with the Garmin Explore app. So you don’t have to worry about carrying the locator everywhere. You can view all the data on your smartphone itself.

Overall, like other Garmin trackers in the list, the Alpha 200i meets and exceeds the expected features of a non-subscription tracker.

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How Are These Collars Subscription Free?

GPS is not a necessity to facilitate location tracking. But you can’t do much with Bluetooth tracking as well. 

These trackers work without subscription because they do not directly depend on GPS satellites. Because when that happens, you should pay for the service.

Instead, the trackers use their own localized signaling and receiving system. So, some of these trackers can function without cell service anywhere in the world.

For example, all the trackers that come with their own handheld locator are what enable this localized signal system.

So, there are no hidden fees; these trackers work as they are described here with no monthly subscription.

No Subscription-Based GPS Trackers Vs. Subscription-Based GPS Trackers

One could say that subscription-based GPS trackers have more features than non-subscription ones.

That’s a partially true statement.

There are trackers that are designed to work with a subscription. But these can be used without the subscription, which takes away so many features.

In situations like that, yes, it might be better to have a subscription.

But some pet trackers do not require a monthly subscription by design. The available subscriptions are optional.

So, no subscription GPS trackers can be as amazing. They can be even better than subscription-based GPS trackers.

All you need to do is ensure that their operational features cater to your needs.

Benefits and Downsides of a No Subscription Tracker

Top Factors to Consider When Buying a No Monthly Subscription Dog Tracker

Size of Your Dog

Not all dog collars are of the same size or weight. They differ in terms of the lowest and maximum circumference too.

So, it’s essential to check whether the collar fits your dog. In order to check that, you should know the size of your dog in terms of length parameters and weight.

Location Tracking

You’re buying a dog tracker to track your dog. So, its location tracking capacity must be checked. You must check the specs such as the location updating rate, location accuracy, and whether you can choose the location updating rate.

Build Quality and Durability

Battery Life

The device is electronic since the collars run with GPS technology. So, there’s a battery life to each collar.

You need to check the maximum battery life and whether there are different operational modes, because the battery life tends to differ in each mode.

Extra Features

Is it enough as long as you’ve checked the above features? No. You should also see what extra features there are.

For example, there can be geofencing, activity tracking, or maybe you could store AND share location and activity data. But remember to double check how relevant those extra features are to your needs.

Is Buying a Dog Tracker Without Subscription Worth it?

If you’re okay with hiccups during tracking and slow location updates, then yes, there is no problem going with a dog tracker without a subscription.

If you want the opposite experience, fast location updates with zero lag, then NO. You’re not going to be satisfied with the results. 

In Conclusion

No-subscription trackers are something I wouldn’t have relied on if PitPat did not exist. This device delivers what’s promised without any issues, and you can rely on it without any doubts. The price, on the other hand, isn’t something too high either, considering there are no other fee to pay after that. The cherry on top is the 42 days free return, you can try it out risk-free.

All that makes this an opportunity you can’t miss if you’re in the market for a no-monthly fee GPS dog tracker.

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