BowlScout / Tool

GPS Collar Cost Calculator: Battery Charges and Plan Costs Over the Years You Own It

By BowlScout Editorial Team · Published 7 Oct 2026 · Updated 20 Oct 2026 · Interactive tool · manufacturer specifications

The short answer

A GPS tracker’s price tag is the smallest number you will pay. Cellular trackers bill a plan for as long as you use them, radio trackers need a handheld, and every battery claim comes with a condition. Enter today’s prices from the makers’ own sites and this calculator shows the total over the years you expect to own the device, plus how often you will be charging it. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.

GPS Collar Battery & Plan-Cost Calculator

Compare up to three trackers on what they cost to run and how often they need charging. Battery figures are pre-filled from the makers’ published claims; every price is yours to enter from the maker’s site — BowlScout does not publish prices. Plans are charged in whole terms, the way the makers bill them.

Years you expect to own it

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Totals use only the numbers you entered; battery claims are the makers’ under the stated condition. Plan terms are charged whole: if you own the device for 3 years on a 2-year plan, two terms are counted.
Result

Formulas used

months = years × 12 · termsBought = ceil(months ÷ termMonths) · planPaid = termsBought × termPrice · totalPaid = device + accessory + planPaid · perYearAverage = totalPaid ÷ years · perMonthAverage = totalPaid ÷ months · chargesPerYear = ceil(365 ÷ batteryDays) · chargesTotal = chargesPerYear × years

Battery presets were read from manufacturer pages on : Fi “up to 3 months” (condition not stated on the collar page); Tractive DOG 6 “up to 6 days” / up to 14 days with Power Saving Zones, DOG 6 XL 20 / 42 days, CAT 6 Mini 4 / 7 days; Halo Collar 5 up to 48 hours with AlwaysOn GPS (updated October 20, 2026); Garmin Alpha T 20 “up to 68 hr.” / 136 hr with the extended battery box. Live tracking shortens all of them. Plan prices, device prices and plan availability change — enter the figures shown on the maker’s page today. Nothing here is a recommendation or veterinary advice.

Not sure which kind of tracker you need? Read GPS collars with a subscription vs without, or compare three cellular options in Fi Series 3+ vs Tractive vs Halo. The GPS collar guide explains the spec sheets.