Chipolo CARD Spot vs Tile Slim: Which should you buy?

If you need an item tracker in your wallet, the top choices come from Chipolo and Tile. Though they look awfully similar, they work within entirely different systems and will suit different users' needs. We're here to help you figure out which is right for you.

Chipolo CARD Spot vs. Tile Slim (2022): Breaking it down

Before we dive into the details, let's look at how the specs for the Chipolo CARD Spot and 2022 Tile Slim compare.

Chipolo CARD Spot vs. Tile Slim (2022): The benefits of Find My

When picking an item tracker, it's important to understand the underlying system that enables it to work. For the Chipolo CARD Spot, that's Apple's Find My network.

Find My utilizes the millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices around the world to create a global network of devices that can privately and anonymously locate nearby items in that system. That means that any time a compatible Find My accessory gets within range of a device in the Find My network, it will send its location to iCloud so that you can it can be seen in the Find My app by its owner.

As well as viewing the location of your lost wallet, the Find My app can be used to make your CARD Spot play a sound — useful for when you just can't find it around the house — as well as offer left-behind notifications and Lost Mode. The latter means that if someone picks up your lost wallet, they'll be able to read a message you leave for them as well as a way to contact you.

For Apple users, the tie-in with the Find My system makes Chipolo's CARD Spot a much better buy than the similar offering from Tile, which has to rely on its own much smaller network of Tile users.

Chipolo CARD Spot vs. Tile Slim (2022): Spec-for-spec, Tile Slim comes out on top

Though the Chipolo CARD Spot's Find My integration sets it apart from other card-shaped item trackers, that doesn't mean it offers the best specs overall. Firstly, being a Find My trackers means it is only usable by Apple device owners, whereas the Tile Slim works with both iOS and Android devices.

Tile Slim also excels in Bluetooth range, water-resistance rating, and battery life with overall dimensions that are essentially the same as those of the CARD Spot. As well as having a built-in speaker, Tile Slim also has a button that, when double-pressed, makes your phone ring — even if it is on silent.

There's a convenient QR code on the back of the Tile Slim for a finder to scan to see your contact details compared to the less obvious process of doing the same via Find My for the Apple-owned system.

It's worth noting that neither the CARD Spot nor the Tile Slim offers a user-replaceable battery due to their thinness. While the Tile Slim provides an extra year of use before dying, Tile doesn't offer a discount program on a future tracker if you trade in your spent one. Chipolo, on the other hand, will give you 50% off your next CARD Spot after its two-year lifespan has passed.

Tile also has some of its best features locked behind its $30 per-year Tile Premium paywall, including the left-behind notifications that Find My gets you for free.

Chipolo CARD Spot vs. Tile Slim (2022): Which should you buy?

The Chipolo CARD Spot is the obvious pick if you're all-in on Apple gear due to its Find My integration. Apple's global network includes hundreds of millions of devices, making it more likely that you'll be able to find your lost wallet, and setting the CARD Spot up is super-easy in the Find My app.

For those on Android, the CARD Spot is a no-go, and the Tile Slim may be worth considering regardless of your platform if the extra Bluetooth range and better water resistance are important to you. That being said, the Tile network is much smaller, and some features require a paid subscription.