Pod 3 VS Animo
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Animo and Pod 3 are both highly rated pet tracking solutions, but they greatly differ in terms of the features they offer. In this Animo vs. Pod 3 review, we list their top qualities side by side and determine which of these two pet trackers offers greater value for your money.
Highlights
Animo is a premium activity monitor and behavior tracker for dogs developed to learn your pet's daily patterns, interpret them, and convert them into useful and actionable information.
- Small and lightweight monitor with a sturdy construction
- Replaceable battery/6-month battery life/IP67 water resistance
- Dedicated app for the majority of Android and iOS devices
- Price: $90.00
- Shipping: $
Pod 3 is a GPS pet tracker that uses GPS, cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth technologies for outdoor and indoor tracking. It works in 175+ world countries and has a virtually unlimited communication range.
- Waterproof & shockproof tracking unit weighing just 1.1 oz.
- Minimum location update interval of just 10 seconds
- Activity and movement monitoring and adventure recording
- Price: $129.00
- Shipping: $0 *
*free shipping in the US, the UK, and Australia, other countries qualify for flat rate shipping of up to $15.35
Compare Features
Highlights
Animo is a unique dog activity & behavior monitor that allows you to keep track of your pet's exercise regimens (running, walking), sleep quality, and well-being (barking, shaking, scratching). After the adaptive algorithm synchronizes with your dog's habits (7 days), you can start setting activity goals to make sure they are getting plenty of exercise. It is one of the smallest and lightest devices of its kind and it comes with a proprietary app that can store up to 3 weeks of data between synchronizations. The device utilizes one replaceable battery that should last for about 6 months.
Type
Pet Activity Monitor
Design
Animo features a rugged housing paired with a sturdy mounting loop made of metal. It is a circular device with only 37mm in diameter and weighing just 22g. The package features 3 different silicone bands used to attach the monitor to your dog's collar and it covers widths between 12 and 30mm.
Available Sizes
Animo's silicone bands cover collars between 12 and 30mm.
Suitable For Cats
Durability
Animo is officially not shockproof, but its rugged housing is more than capable of handling external trauma and extreme conditions. As such, it should last for years without any problems. The IP-67 rating means that it can be submerged in up to 1m of water for up to 30 minutes. The housing is also resistant to fine particles such as dust and sand.
Key Tracking Features
Animo is not a pet tracker.
Pet Activity Monitoring
Animo features an adaptive algorithm that learns your dog's activity and behavior patterns and provides you with reports specific to your pet. The algorithm adapts to changes over time, which means you can monitor his or her activity and behavior as they age. The activity reports include running, walking, playing, and any other activities, the device monitors the number of burnt calories, the sleep score shows the overall sleep quality of your dog throughout the night, and the behavior tracking includes barking, shaking, and scratching.
Training Assistance
Animo does not come with training assistance.
Additional Features
Animo allows you to set activity goals for your dog once the monitoring algorithm is calibrated (7 days). The internal memory can hold up to 3 weeks' worth of data between synchronizations.
Communication Range
Animo synchronizes data automatically with your Android or iOS device within 10m.
Weight
22g (0.78oz)
Shockproof
Waterproof
Night Mode
Battery Life
Around 6 months (disposable)
Smartphone App
Animo comes with a proprietary app available on all devices running Android 5.0+ or iOS 9+. The app is absolutely free of charge and shows your pet's activity levels (walking, running, playing...), caloric expenditure, behavioral patterns, and sleep quality. It automatically keeps track of the set activity goals and alerts you the moment something falls drastically under the average value.
Connectivity
Animo utilizes Bluetooth to synchronize data with Android and iOS devices.
Coverage
Animo can work anywhere in the world.
Pricing
Animo pet monitor costs $90.
Shipping and Delivery
Animo shipping options include FedEx Ground (Free; 5-7 business days) and FedEx Next Day ($40; 1-2 business days)
Refund Policy
Animo comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Warranty
Animo comes with a 1-year warranty against any defects in material and/or craftsmanship.
Highlights
Pod 3 is a Bluetooth and WiFi enabled GPS pet tracker that allows for both indoor and outdoor tracking, works in 175+ world countries, has a virtually unlimited communication range, offers location, activity, and movement monitoring features, and boasts a minimum location update interval of just 10 seconds.
Type
GPS Pet Tracker
Design
The Pod 3 tracking unit is black, cylinder-shaped, and measures just 2’’ in length and 0.9’’ in diameter. It is attached to the pet’s collar using a rubber strap suitable for virtually all collars, as well as larger objects like bicycles or drones.
Available Sizes
Pod 3 does not come in different sizes and it fits most collars.
Suitable For Cats
Durability
Pod 3 can last for at least a couple of years with proper use. It is both shockproof and waterproof and it is not prone to damage.
Key Tracking Features
Pod 3 allows you to track your pet’s location with:
- 3 tracking modes, including Standby for battery saving, Safe Zone with instant notifications when the pet leaves the safe zone, and Adventure, with the most frequently updated location information;
- Near-real-time tracking, with location updated every 10 seconds in live tracking adventure mode;
- Multiple safe zones, which you can customize both in terms of location and size;
- Location history, which allows you to view your pet’s past locations for the period of 24 hours;
- Sharing, which allows multiple users to track the location of the same pet at once.
Pet Activity Monitoring
Pod 3 allows you to track your pet’s activity with:
- Constantly refreshed details on rest, walk, and play activity, with time spent walking and playing expressed in minutes and rest time expressed in hours;
- Daily, weekly, and monthly activity overviews;
- Custom-defined daily activity goals.
Training Assistance
Pod 3 does not provide training assistance.
Additional Features
Extra features available with Pod 3 include:
- Movement tracking, with the device constantly monitoring your pet’s movement and identifying unusual and sudden changes in your pet’s activity and behavior;
- Adventure recording, which allows you to record your pet’s walks and revisit them later, with adventures shown on a map and including information on distance walked, time spent walking, area covered, and your pet’s speed.
Communication Range
Pod 3 works over any distance within cellular and WiFi coverage.
Weight
1.1 oz.
Shockproof
Waterproof
Night Mode
Battery Life
Up to 5 days in standby mode, up to 8 hours in Adventure mode (refresh rate of 10 seconds)
Smartphone App
The Pod 3 smartphone app is compatible with Android 5.0+ and iOS 8+. The app can be used for multiple pets. Login details can be shared with friends and family in order to enable multiple users to simultaneously track the same pet via the Pod 3 app.
The app features 2 main screens, including the Pet screen and the Map screen. The Pet screen allows you to view details of your pets, their last known locations and location times, and their 24-hour location history. It further lets you manage safe zone, refresh rate, activity monitoring, and adventure recording settings. The Map screen allows you to manage your account settings, add new pets, view location information for your pets, refresh their locations manually, and access Pod Help.
Connectivity
Pod 3 uses GPS technology for outdoor tracking. It is WiFi and Bluetooth enabled for tracking indoors. It uses 2G and 3G cellular networks to transfer location information to the pet guardian's smartphone.
Coverage
Pod 3 works in 175+ countries on 6 continents
Pricing
Device: $89 Service Plan: $8.95 per month with the monthly subscription; $4.95 with the yearly subscription.
Shipping and Delivery
Pod 3 comes with free shipping for deliveries to the US, the UK, and Australia. For other countries, there is a shipping fee of up to $15.35.
Refund Policy
Pod 3 comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can return the device within 30 days and get a full refund if it is saleable or faulty. If the device is not in a saleable condition, there is a $25 fee. If the device is broken or lost, you do not get a refund but you do get a 50% discount on a new Pod 3.
Warranty
Pod 3 comes with a 12-month warranty. The warranty covers malfunctions that are not caused by improper use.
Compare Ratings
Compare User Reviews
- Submitted By Charles_Gray on 12/28/2019It works well but it took me a while before I realized it needs to be placed a certain way, otherwise it gives you wrong information.
- Submitted By Jenna Watson on 08/10/2019What a great little gadget! It works just as advertised and my big hellion still didn’t manage to lose it in action.
- Submitted By Inara Mayers on 12/08/2019I apreciate that don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be able to operate this device. The app is quite self-explanatory. You have a map screen that shows you where your dog has been and the other screen shows his movement history and it also covers your pets safe zone which it shouldn’t enter but if it does you can keep track of where he’s going. You can also watch tutorials that explain how to use the app and what it has to offer. The app allows you to add other pets. I can also sent everything I see to my husband and sister so we can all be in the loop which I know sounds crazy but Stella is our baby and we need to take care of her the best we can.
- Submitted By Stacy Waller on 11/30/2019Jill is the type of dog that is restless and keeps bumping into things. And she likes to play with other dogs that usually turns into a full blown wrestling match so it’s safe to say that she needs high quality equipment if you don’t intend to buy new stuff every few days. This tracker turned out to be completely Jill-proof which means bite proof, rock-proof, water-proof and any other type of proof Jill needs. You would not believe how many leashes and trackers she chewed through or broke or they just fell off at some point so having this tracker as long as we do is nothing short of a miracle.
- Submitted By Vivek Scott on 11/17/2019I feel Burton is covered in every which way possible. The tracker has a bluetooth, wifi and gps and cell connection. I was really happy when I read that. When I’m at home, the tracker is connected to the wifi, outside it has gps or you can connect on bluetooth is he doesn’t go far. Cell connection is not tied to the specific provider which is really a good thing and you can keep track of everything on the app you can download on your phone. I let Burton wander around not worrying for a second that he might get lost somewhere I never been before.
- Submitted By Faye Short on 11/02/2019I opted on this tracker because I can connect through almost everything but I was a bit worried because of the shape it seemed big and I didn’t know if it would make problems since my dogs likes to move around a lot and sleep under the bed and in other not easy to reach areas. It has been two months now and the tracker is still in place. I didn’t notice anything different in Mikes routine. He keeps doing what he does without any problems I think. I managed to strap it firmly and it still holds the same and I think it is due to the fact that it is really light even though it is shaped funny.
Winner
Pod 3 is a GPS tracker for cats and dogs that boasts a vast range of useful location and activity tracking features. It is waterproof, shockproof, and among the lightest pet trackers available. If you are interested in getting a pet tracker that can do more than just provide your pet’s location information, read this honest Pod 3 review.