Tile Mate vs. Chipolo Classic: Which should you buy?

Between the Tile Mate and Chipolos Classic, I have to give the edge to the Tile. While you'll probably be happy with either tracker, the Tile has a louder maximum ring volume, is water resistant, and has a battery that will last a solid year. It's range might be a bit shorter than the Chipolo Classic's, but it's still probably long enough to find anything you might have lost inside your home.

If you want color options, a slightly longer range, and don't mind changing the battery a little more often, the Chipolo Classic is still a good tracker.

The breakdown

There's a lot that the Tile Mate and Chipolo Classic have in common. The trackers are around the same size, and owners of either tag can utilize the respective community of Tile or Chipolo owners to find items that they've left behind someplace. But the differences between the two are important to note.

The Chipolo Classic's biggest advantage used to be its range. At 200 ft, Chipolo beats most of the competition by about 100 feet, but with the latest revision to the Tile lineup, that advantage has disappeared, as the Tile now also sports a 200-foot rang. The Classic does still come in more colors, with six available: yellow, red, blue, white, green, and black, so you can get the one that best matches your personal style.

Meanwhile, the Tile Mate's biggest advantages are its battery life and ring volume. When you ring your Tile Mate to try to find it, it's maximum volume is 119 decibels (dB), almost 30 dB louder than the Chipolo (and almost 40dB louder than the previous-generation Mate). It's battery also lasts for a year, and like the Chipolo, that battery is replaceable. The Tile Mate also has an advantage with voice assistants. Like the Chipolo, the Tile Mate is compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, but if your iPhone is running iOS 12 or later, it's also compatible with Siri thanks to Shortcuts. You can create a shortcut, complete with a custom activation phrase, to find your lost item using Siri.

While we'd like to see a more robust rating (like those found in past Tiles), the Tile features an IP55 dust and water protection rating. This means that its rated for protection against some dust intrusion, as well as low-power water jets. While you certainly shouldn't submerge your Tile, it's still better protected than the Chipolo if you take your things around water.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Tile MateChipolo Classic
WirelessBluetoothBluetooth
Wireless Range200 ft/60m200 ft/60m
Battery LifeOne yearNine months
Battery typeOne CR1632One CR2025
Ring volumeUp to 119 dBUp to 92 dB
Size35mm (H) x 35mm (W) x 6.2mm (D)35mm diameter x 5mm (D)
Weight7g6.6g
ColorsWhiteYellow, Red, Blue, White, Green, Black
Price$25$25-$30 (depends on retailer)

These are both great tracking tags, each with their own advantages, but all things considered, the Tile Mate is your best bet. A year of battery life, compatibility with all of the major voice assistants, water resistance, and a louder ring volume all help elevate the Tile Mate above Chipolo's offering. If you want more something more colorful or smaller, then the Chipolos Classic is still a good choice

Joseph Keller

Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.