![Pebblebee Clip 5 tracker tag just became a better AirTag rival [Review]](https://www.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Pebblebee-Clip-5-1020x574.jpg.webp "Pebblebee’s tracker tag just became a better AirTag rival [Review]")
The newly upgraded Pebblebee Clip 5 Bluetooth tracker tag sends out louder alerts, and its built-in LEDs got brighter. That should help it compete with Apple’s AirTag, as both use the same Find My network.
Plus, it has bonus features, like one that helps you find your iPhone.
I put the accessory through real-world testing — here’s how it came out.
Pebblebee Clip 5 review
Bluetooth tracker tags offer a convenient way to keep tabs on personal items like keys, wallets, luggage and backpacks by using short-range wireless signals that link to your iPhone. They can alert you when you’ve left something behind, help you locate a misplaced item by playing a sound, and even provide its last known location on a map.
Pebblebee Clip 5 does all of this, plus more. A standout feature is a couple of very bright LEDs for people who might have trouble hearing an audible alarm. If your item gets really lost, the tracker tag supports Apple’s Find My network so it can be located almost anywhere on Earth.
The Pebblebee Clip 5 sports a re-engineered acoustic chamber and powerful LED strobes that make it the loudest and most visible tracker Pebblebee has ever built.
Locate your valuables anywhere with this smart tag, offering compatibility with either Apple Find My (for iPhone) or Google’s Find Hub (for Android).
Table of contents: Pebblebee Clip 5 review
- Ready to go on your keys, backpack or pet collar
- Louder and brighter
- Excellent tracking performance
- Access Apple’s Find My network
- Bonus features: Phone Finder and more
- iOS and Android
- Pebblebee Clip 5 review: Final thoughts
- Pricing
Ready to go on your keys, backpack or pet collar
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Pebblebee Clip 5 is small enough to go on your keys, but it makes room for a built-in loop so it can be easily attached to whatever you want to track. There’s even a small carabiner in the box.
Around the outside edge are a pair of white LED lights that flash when you’re trying to find the tag.
Also on the edge is a USB-C port for charging. You won’t ever need to replace the battery, and Pebblebee promises a year of use on a single charge.
The new tag improves on the company’s previous version — the Pebblebee Clip Universal — by being thinner but more durable. It’s IP66 rated, which means it’s completely dust-tight and can survive rain or getting splashed with water. It’s not rated to survive underwater.
The design of the Pebblebee Clip 5 comes down to being “like AirTag, but better.” Apple’s tracker doesn’t have LEDs and uses a removable battery instead of a rechargeable one. It also lacks a built-in loop. On the other hand, AirTag can survive for a limited time underwater.
The standard Clip 5 model comes in a graphite color, but Pebblebee just started Evercolor, a limited edition color program that drops two fresh shades every three months. The first two are Emerald Storm and Amethyst Purple.
Louder and brighter
Screenshot: Pebblebee
To test out the upgrades in Pebblebee Clip 5, I put it next to the previous version, then used my iPhone 17 to trigger each of them. The newest version is undoubtedly louder. It’s really piercing. And both of them beat the tones from an AirTag. That’s a welcome improvement — anything that makes it easier to locate my keys still in a pants pocket in the laundry room is welcome.
The LEDs also got an upgrade, which really helps Pebblebee’s tracker stand out from AirTag. I keep a tracker tag on my cat, and blinking lights help tremendously when finding him outside at night. The ones in Clip 5 are definitely brighter than the previous version.
Of course, I can’t compare the brightness of these LEDs to AirTag because Apple didn’t include any.
Excellent tracking performance
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Can’t find your keys? Open the Find My application on your iPhone to set off the audible and visible alerts on the Pebblebee Clip 5. In other words, it’ll start making a lot of noise and blinking like crazy.
I did real-world testing on the new tracker tag, and it passes my basic test: I can stand in my kitchen and use my iPhone 17 to set off the alert in my bedroom at the other end of the house. I could also set it off from my carport, which requires the Bluetooth connection to go through a brick wall.
I then moved to the advanced distance test. My iPhone 17 can connect to the tracker tag from quite a long range: with the Clip 5 in my front yard, I can set it off from three houses down the street. And clearly hear it too, thanks to the extra loud alarm. To be fair, I could connect to the AirTag at that range, also. I could barely hear it, though.
All that said, AirTag has a trick Pebblebee’s product can’t match. Recent iPhone models can be used to locate an AirTag using ultra-wideband technology. The Find My app can display an arrow that points to the tag, and even list the distance. Clip 5 does not have UWB.
Access Apple’s Find My network
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
If you can’t locate the tracker with its audio and visible signals, check the Find My app again to see the device on a map. This isn’t updated in real time, but you’ll see where you were the last time the tag was nearby. And get help from fellow Apple device users.
Suppose you left your backpack in a meeting room hours ago. Pebblebee Clip 5 supports Apple’s Find My network. That means the tracker tag can be located by other people’s iPhones, Macs and iPads via Bluetooth. In this example, you’ll get a notification that your misplaced tag has been found if someone with an iPhone wanders near your backpack. The system works extremely well in places with lots of iPhones, like cities, college campuses, etc.
Just so there’s no confusion, the person who owns the iPhone that found your tracker tag doesn’t get notified. Their smartphone automatically sends out an anonymous notification.
Bonus features: Phone Finder and more
Pebblebee clearly wants Clip 5 to stand out from AirTag, and is willing to go the extra mile. An optional bonus feature lets you turn things around and use the tracker tag to locate your misplaced iPhone. Double-press a button built into the tag to set off an alert on your iPhone.
And that’s not all. In an emergency, rapid presses trigger bright strobes, a piercing siren, and your location is sent a collection of trusted contacts. That’s free — with an optional Alert Live subscription, your Safety Circle can see your real-time location.
iOS and Android
While I’ve emphasized iPhone in this review, Android users can take advantage of Pebblebee Clip 5’s support for Google’s Find Hub. The tag isn’t locked into a single ecosystem.
That said, the tracker must be configured for iOS or Android. A mixed group of iPhone and Android users can’t share a tag. But the product can be reconfigured if its owner switches platforms.
Pebblebee Clip 5 review: Final thoughts
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
After my tests, this tracker tag is going on my cat’s collar. I hadn’t expected it to replace the AirTag he’s worn for years, but I came away impressed by the very loud and bright Clip 5 alerts. If I need to find my fuzzy buddy outside at night, I think this will really help.
But I’m going to miss using the Find My app to point straight to my cat.
★★★★☆
Pricing
Pebblebee Clip 5 costs $34.99. At the time of this writing, Amazon is running a Black Friday deal that drops the cost by 30% — down to $24.49.
The Pebblebee Clip 5 sports a re-engineered acoustic chamber and powerful LED strobes that make it the loudest and most visible tracker Pebblebee has ever built.
Locate your valuables anywhere with this smart tag, offering compatibility with either Apple Find My (for iPhone) or Google’s Find Hub (for Android).
Pebblebee provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
