Paw Tracker VS Garmin Astro 430

UPDATED Feb. 2025
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While both Garmin Astro 430 and Paw Tracker can help prevent your pet from becoming lost, they are not equally well-suited for pets of all shapes, sizes, preferences, and habits. Explore our thorough Garmin Astro 430 vs. Paw Tracker comparison to discover how well each of these two pet trackers fits the unique needs of your best pal and which one is just right for him or her.

Garmin Astro 430
The Ultimate Sporting Dog Tracking System
VS
Paw Tracker
GPS Pet Tracker Created By Pet Lovers

Highlights

Garmin Astro 430
Garmin Astro 430 is a premium dog tracking system that provides location updates within seconds, tracks up to 20 dogs at once, and has a massive set of both standard and special features.
  • High precision with GPS/GLONASS, mean accuracy of 12 feet
  • 2.5-second location update rate; 9-mile communication range
  • Amazing durability; no monthly fees; 1-year limited warranty
  • Price: $649.99
  • Shipping: $
Paw Tracker
Paw Tracker is a GPS pet tracker that works in most of North America, updates your pet’s location every minute, lets you easily define the safe zone for your pal, and has an impressive battery life.
  • Uses both GPS and WiFi for indoor and outdoor tracking
  • Small, light, waterproof, and shockproof tracking device
  • Comes with a 30-day guarantee and a 1-year warranty
  • Price: $99.95
  • Shipping: $0 *
*Canada come with a $9.95 shipping fee and Mexico deliveries come with a $14.95 shipping fee

Compare Features

Garmin Astro 430
Highlights
Garmin Astro 430 is a professional dog tracking system that offers location updates every 2.5 seconds, has a communication range of up to 9 miles, boasts great precision due to the use of both GPS and GLONASS, offers a vast range of special features, tracks up to 20 dogs at once, and comes with no monthly fees.
Type
GPS Pet Tracker
Design
The Garmin Astro 430 tracking system includes one handheld locator and either the T5 or T5 mini tracking unit with a special collar. Both the locator and the tracking units feature a black-and-orange color scheme. They are made of durable materials like heavy-duty plastic and stainless steel. The handheld locator features a transreflective 65-K color TFT display measuring 2.6’’ in diagonal. It comes with standard and long-range stainless steel radio antennas and a top-mounted GPS antenna. The T5 tracking unit comes with a top-mounted GPS antenna and standard and long-range radio antennas while T5 mini comes with a top-mounted GPS antenna and a standard radio antenna. Both tracking units feature LED light beacons and the locator is equipped with a vibration motor.
Available Sizes
The Garmin Astro 430 handheld locator is compatible with the T5 and T5 mini tracking units that differ in size. T5 measures 1.74’’ x 3.5’’ x 1.85’’ (HWD), comes with a 1-inch collar strap, and weighs 9.3 oz. with the collar. T5 mini measures 1.8’’x 3.1’’ x 1.4’’ (HWD), comes with a 0.75-inch collar strap, and weighs 7 oz. with the collar. T5 is suitable for neck circumferences of 9.5+ inches while T5 mini fits smaller necks.
Suitable For Cats
Durability
Garmin Astro 430 is not shockproof, but both the locator and the tracking units are durable, waterproof, impervious to dust and dirt, and suitable for use in all kinds of harsh conditions. They are built to withstand frequent bumps and blows and they can easily last for years with no diminishments in functionality.
Key Tracking Features
Garmin Astro 430 is a feature-rich pet tracker that offers:
  • Near-real-time tracking with a 2.5-second location refresh rate, accuracy within 12 feet, and 10,000 points of information per dog;
  • Additional maps, such as BirdsEye Satellite Imagery, HuntView, TOPO U.S. 24K, and City Navigator NT for turn-by-turn routing;
  • BaseCamp software for trip planning;
  • BaseStation software for computer tracking;
  • Multiple tracking profiles, such as hunting, automotive, marine, and recreational;
  • Multiple dashboards within a single page;
  • Customizable dog display providing dog name, direction, distance, and status data.
Pet Activity Monitoring
Garmin Astro 430 does not monitor pet activity.
Training Assistance
Garmin Astro 430 does not provide training assistance.
Additional Features
Garmin Astro 430 offers a multitude of bonus features, including but not limited to:
  • Hunt metrics providing insight into dogs’ hunting patterns and behavior;
  • Convey counter for creating up to 2,000 waypoints;
  • Rescue mode for battery saving;
  • Wireless sharing;
  • Area calculation;
  • Hunt and fish calendar;
  • Sun and moon information.
Communication Range
4 miles with T5 mini, 9 miles with T5
Weight
T5 mini: 7 oz. with collar; T5: 9.3 oz. with collar
Shockproof
Waterproof
Night Mode
Battery Life
Handheld locator: up to 20 hours; T5: 20-40 hours; T5 mini: 16-30 hours
Smartphone App
Garmin Astro 420 does not come with a smartphone app.
Connectivity
Garmin Astro 430 uses GLONASS and GPS for location tracking and radio frequency signals for inter-device communication.
Coverage
Garmin Astro 430 does not rely on external services, so it can work anywhere in the world. However, due to varying international regulations, it is only approved for use within the US.
Pricing
$649.99
Shipping and Delivery
Garmin Astro 430 can be shipped throughout the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. Shipping is free of charge - unless you opt for next business day shipping, in which case you pay an $18 shipping fee.
Refund Policy
Garmin Astro 430 comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Warranty
Garmin Astro 430 comes with a 1-year limited warranty. Repairs come with a 90-day warranty.
Paw Tracker
Highlights
Paw Tracker is a GPS tracker for dogs and cats that works in most of North America, uses GPS, cellular, and WiFi technologies for outdoor and indoor tracking, boasts an impressive battery life, provides instant notifications, and updates your pet’s location within 60 seconds.
Type
GPS Pet Tracker
Design
Paw Tracker tracking unit comes in the shape of a paw. You can opt for the gold, silver or blue version of the tracker. The unit is rather small and measures 47 mm in height by 50 mm in width by 15 mm in depth. You can attach it to your pet’s existing collar or harness by using the clip on the back of the device.
Available Sizes
Paw Tracker does not come in different sizes. It fits collars and harnesses up to 1 inch wide and up to 1/4 of an inch thick.
Suitable For Cats
Durability
Paw Tracker is resistant to impact and water. It is designed to withstand rough play and different weather conditions. With normal use, it should last for at least several years.
Key Tracking Features
Paw Tracker allows you to keep track of your pet's location with:
  • Near real-time tracking, with your pet’s location information updated every 1 minute, 10 minutes, 60 minutes or 12 hours, depending on your preferences, and instant alerts sent when your pet leave the safe zone;
  • Interactive map, which enables you to view your pet’s current location and the distance between you and your pet, with three viewing modes available, focusing on your location, your pet’s location, and both your and your pet’s location;
  • Geofrence, which allows you to define the size and location of the safe zone for your pet;
  • Historical route, which lets you view your pet’s past locations during a given 24-hour period;
  • Sharing, which allows you to share your pet’s location information with your friends and family.
Pet Activity Monitoring
Paw Tracker does not monitor your pet's activity.
Training Assistance
Paw Tracker does not provide training assistance.
Additional Features
In addition to the essential tracking features, Paw Tracker provides:
  • Battery status and alerts, allowing you to view the device’s current battery level from within the app and receive a notification when the battery is low and needs to be charged.
Communication Range
Paw Tracker works over any distance within cellular coverage.
Weight
1.41 oz.
Shockproof
Waterproof
Night Mode
Battery Life
Up to 10 days in standby mode, up to 12 hours with the 1-minute interval for uploading GPS location
Smartphone App
The Paw Tracker app is compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices. It requires Android 3.0+ and iOS 8.0+. It provides instant alerts and a map for easy tracking and allows you to define and modify the safe zone, view your pet’s past locations, and remotely activate the LED lights on the tracking unit. Your friends and family can download the app and use your device’s ID number and password to log in and help you track your pet. Multiple users can track the same pet’s location at the same time. The app can be used for multiple pets. It is available free of charge.
Connectivity
Paw Tracker uses GPS, cellular, and WiFi technology to track your pet's location. GPS and cellular networks are used to track your pet in the outdoors while WiFi networks and hotspots are used for indoor tracking.
Coverage
Paw Tracker works in most areas of North America, including the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Pricing
Device: $99.95 Service Plan: $9.95 per month with the monthly subscription and $8.33 per month with the yearly subscription.
Shipping and Delivery
Paw Tracker can be shipped to the US, Mexico, and Canada. US deliveries come with free shipping, Mexico deliveries come with a $14.95 shipping fee while deliveries to Canada come with a $9.95 shipping fee.
Refund Policy
Paw Tracker comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The device can be returned for a refund if it has not been tested on a pet.
Warranty
Paw Tracker comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty.

Compare Ratings

Garmin Astro 430
FINAL RATING
8.9/10
Range
Accuracy
Features
Design
App
Pricing
Paw Tracker
FINAL RATING
8.5/10
Range
Accuracy
Features
Design
App
Pricing

Winner

Garmin Astro 430 is a professional dog tracking system that provides fresh location updates every 2.5 seconds, boasts great accuracy and durability, and has more useful features than you can count. If you do not want to settle for just any pet tracking device, read this Garmin Astro 430 review to learn all about this highly advanced tracker.

* All the prices on this website are subject to change without notice. While we put a great deal of effort into making sure that all the prices are accurate, one or more products may have outdated prices. Please visit the specific product’s official website for exact prices.
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