There are many GPS dog collars out there to choose from and it can be difficult to decide which one is worth your hard-earned money. Both Fi and Halo Collar are two of the best dog GPS collars out there, but for entirely different reasons. Below, we’ll break down the top features of these two contenders, giving you the lowdown on what makes them bark-worthy…and which one you should buy for your furry friend!
Main Features of Fi Smart Collar vs Halo Collar 3
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Best Overall GPS Dog Fence
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Best Budget Smart Collar
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Pros:
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Pros:
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- Invisible Fence, Tracking Collar, Training Collar, and Activity Monitor
- AlwaysOn™ GPS and Active GPS Antenna
- Real-time tracking
- All-carrier cellular coverage worldwide
- In-app dog training
- 48-hour battery life
- Affordable Tracking Collar
- 50% smaller
- Real-time Live GPS Tracking when your dog is lost
- 200% LTE signal
- 400lbs+ resistance for heavy chewers
- IP68 & IP66k water-resistance
- Up to 3 months battery life from one charge
Let’s start with a quick rundown of the top features and what each brings to the table.
Halo Collar 5
Halo Collar 5 is built as a full system, not just a tracker. It combines GPS tracking, virtual fencing, training, and activity monitoring into one collar, so you’re not juggling multiple devices or apps. The AlwaysOn™ GPS and active antenna keep location updates consistent, even when your dog is on the move, and the real draw is the ability to create wireless fences anywhere. Add in real-time tracking, global cellular coverage, and in-app training guidance, and it’s clearly designed for dogs who need structure and freedom at the same time.
Fi Smart Dog Collar Series 3
Fi Series 3 takes a much more focused approach. It’s a GPS tracker first, with a lighter, smaller design that’s noticeably less bulky on your dog’s neck (which matters more than you’d think, especially for slimmer breeds). It still delivers strong real-time tracking when your dog goes missing, along with improved LTE connectivity and impressive durability—this thing is built to handle rough play and even determined chewers.
Design
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When it comes to design options, the sky is the limit with Fi! Not only do they offer 4 standard colors, but thanks to the Fi Maker program you can |
The Halo Collar 5 comes in 6 designs, including 5 solid colors (Sunburst/Yellow, Midnight/Blue, Orchid/Pink, Graphite/Gray, Blaze/Orange) and a Realtree camouflage design. |
When it comes to design options, the sky is the limit with Fi! Not only do they offer 4 standard colors, but thanks to the Fi Maker program you can
The Halo Collar 5 comes in 6 designs, including 5 solid colors (Sunburst/Yellow, Midnight/Blue, Orchid/Pink, Graphite/Gray, Blaze/Orange) and a Realtree camouflage design.
Halo Collar 5 Design
Halo keeps things simple but solid. You get a handful of clean, modern color options plus a camo design, so there’s enough variety to find something that doesn’t look like a generic black box on your dog’s neck. It’s not endlessly customizable, but it feels intentional and polished right out of the box.
Fi Series 3 Design
Fi starts with a few basic colors, then quietly opens the door to a much bigger design world. Through the Fi Maker program, you can swap in all kinds of third-party bands and styles (some are genuinely great, some…less so), but you’ll pay extra for most of them. It’s the better option if you care about aesthetics—or just don’t want your dog wearing the same collar as everyone else at the park.
Sizes
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Thanks to the Perfect Fit kit. one size now fits most dogs. |
Fi also fits most breeds from chihuahuas to Great Danes |
Thanks to the Perfect Fit kit. one size now fits most dogs.
Halo Collar 5 Sizing
Halo has come a long way here. Earlier versions were really only practical for larger dogs, but the 5 opens things up quite a bit with a wider neck size range that works for many small to large breeds. That said, it’s still a bit on the bulkier side, so while it fits smaller dogs, it doesn’t always feel like it was made for the tiniest ones.
Fi Series 3 Sizing
Fi leans into flexibility with its modular design, and it shows. The Series 3 can be adjusted across a wide range of sizes, from smaller dogs all the way up to large breeds, without looking oversized or awkward. It’s just a more natural fit overall, especially if your dog is on the smaller or slimmer side (or has that classic sighthound neck situation).
Durability
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Description: Designed to be durable, withstanding rough play and outdoor activities. The rubberized collar and strap are protected by a tough fabric case that provides scratch, tear, and bite protection. |
Description: Boasts a military-grade design that promises even greater durability and longevity. Handles up to 400 lbs of pressure, enabling it to hold up against aggressive chewers. |
Designed to be durable, withstanding rough play and outdoor activities. The rubberized collar and strap are protected by a tough fabric case that provides scratch, tear, and bite protection.
Boasts a military-grade design that promises even greater durability and longevity. Handles up to 400 lbs of pressure, enabling it to hold up against aggressive chewers.
Halo Collar 5 Durability
Halo Collar 5 is built to handle real-world wear, not just casual walks around the block. The casing is sturdy, water-resistant, and holds up well in rain, mud, and general chaos (which, let’s be honest, is most dogs). That said, it’s still a tech-heavy device with more going on under the hood, so it benefits from a little awareness—you don’t want it taking repeated hard hits against rocks or getting dragged through something it shouldn’t be.
Fi Series 3 Durability
Fi Series 3 feels a bit more “set it and forget it” when it comes to durability. It’s extremely tough, highly water-resistant, and designed to stay attached even with rough play or dogs that treat collars like chew toys. The simpler design works in its favor here—fewer moving parts, less to worry about—and it’s one of the few smart collars that genuinely feels like it can keep up with high-energy dogs without needing constant babying.
GPS Tracking Features
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Description: Thanks to its AlwaysOn™ GPS and all-carrier coverage, when used as a tracking collar, the Halo Collar 5 can go anywhere that your dog goes, including over mountains and in the forest. The collar uses AI as well as an advanced GPS/GNSS system. |
Description: Fi offers Real-time live GPS tracking when your dog is lost. With its 200% LTE signal and unlimited AT&T LTE-M connectivity, you can track in most remote areas and on hikes. |
Thanks to its AlwaysOn™ GPS and all-carrier coverage, when used as a tracking collar, the Halo Collar 5 can go anywhere that your dog goes, including over mountains and in the forest. The collar uses AI as well as an advanced GPS/GNSS system.
Fi offers Real-time live GPS tracking when your dog is lost. With its 200% LTE signal and unlimited AT&T LTE-M connectivity, you can track in most remote areas and on hikes.
Halo Collar 5 GPS Tracking
Halo’s tracking is built to stay on, not just kick in when something goes wrong. The AlwaysOn™ GPS, combined with multi-network cellular coverage and GNSS support, keeps location data consistent even when your dog is off exploring in less-than-ideal terrain (think woods, hills, or anywhere your phone signal starts to get questionable). It also layers in some AI-driven tracking behavior, so it’s not just showing you where your dog is, but helping anticipate movement a bit more intelligently.
Fi Series 3 GPS Tracking
Fi takes a slightly different approach by focusing on strong, reliable tracking when it matters most. You get real-time GPS updates once your dog is marked as lost, backed by enhanced LTE connectivity that performs surprisingly well even on hikes or in more remote areas. It’s less about constant high-frequency tracking and more about stepping up quickly and accurately when you actually need to find your dog.
Activity and Fitness Tracker
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Provides detailed activity monitoring, including steps, playtime, and rest, with personalized recommendations. |
Offers in-depth activity tracking with daily, weekly, and monthly reports, helping owners keep their pets healthy and active. |
Provides detailed activity monitoring, including steps, playtime, and rest, with personalized recommendations.
Offers in-depth activity tracking with daily, weekly, and monthly reports, helping owners keep their pets healthy and active.
Halo Collar 5 Fitness & Activity Tracking
Halo covers the basics without trying to turn your dog into a fitness experiment. It logs walks, tracks daily activity, and gives you a general sense of how much your dog is moving throughout the day. It’s useful, especially if you’re already using the app for training and containment, but it’s more of a “nice to have” than a deep dive into health data.
Fi Series 3 Fitness & Activity Tracking
Fi leans much further into the health side of things. Along with tracking daily activity, it also monitors sleep patterns and builds a longer-term picture of your dog’s habits (which can be surprisingly helpful when something feels “off”). The addition of smart vet records and its AI-driven insights pushes it closer to a lightweight wellness tracker, not just a step counter.
Smartphone App
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The Halo app is intuitive, offering training programs, activity monitoring, and easy-to-set geofences. Other neat features include a Whistle (calls Fido back to you), the ability to send positive reinforcement right to the collar, battery level notifications, and more. |
The Fi app is also user-friendly, providing detailed activity data, location tracking, and customizable safe zones. Additional features include customized goal-tracking, detailed sleep monitoring, and more. |
The Halo app is intuitive, offering training programs, activity monitoring, and easy-to-set geofences. Other neat features include a Whistle (calls Fido back to you), the ability to send positive reinforcement right to the collar, battery level notifications, and more.
The Fi app is also user-friendly, providing detailed activity data, location tracking, and customizable safe zones. Additional features include customized goal-tracking, detailed sleep monitoring, and more.
Halo Collar 5 App
Halo’s app is doing a lot, but it’s surprisingly easy to navigate once you get the hang of it. You can set up and adjust virtual fences, follow guided training programs, monitor activity, and track your dog’s location all in one place. It also has some thoughtful touches, like the ability to send feedback directly to the collar (for reinforcement), a built-in “whistle” recall feature, and clear battery alerts so you’re not caught off guard. If you’re actually using Halo for training and containment, the app ends up being the control center for everything.
Fi Series 3 App
Fi’s app feels simpler and more focused, which makes sense given what the collar is designed to do. You get detailed activity tracking, sleep data, and location history, along with customizable safe zones and goal tracking that’s actually useful (not just filler stats). It’s less about managing your dog in real time and more about understanding their patterns over time. Bonus: the social/community side is still there if you want it, but it’s easy to ignore if you don’t.
Pricing and Subscription
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Halo Collar requires a subscription, end of story. There's no getting around it. However, they do have several different levels starting at around $9 and change a month (if you pay annually).
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Fi not only requires a subscription; you can't even buy a collar without choosing a subscription first. As a 100% subscription-based model, though, they do have a decent number of options as well.
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Halo Collar 5 Subscription
Halo uses a tiered membership system, so you can pick a plan based on how much functionality you actually want. The base plan starts at around $9/month, with higher tiers unlocking more advanced features (mainly around training, tracking frequency, and overall control). There’s no long-term commitment required, which is nice if you’re testing it out or just not a fan of being locked in—but you do need an active subscription for the collar to work at all.
Fi Series 3 Subscription
Fi keeps things simpler with a single membership plan, but it does require at least a 6-month commitment upfront. You can bring the monthly cost down if you prepay for longer periods, which is where most people end up saving a bit. Like Halo, though, the collar is basically a paperweight without the subscription, so it’s not optional—it’s just part of the real cost of using it.
The Verdict
The Halo Collar 5 and the Fi Smart Collar are both amazing options. The “winner” really depends on your budget, your needs, and your dog. If you have a small-breed dog or a tiny budget and you just need a GPS tracker plus a good activity monitor, Fi may be your best option. However, if you have the extra money to spend upfront, the Halo Collar is a smart buy. It’s a GPS tracker, activity monitor, training collar AND invisible fence all in one.
Marketed as the most accurate GPS dog fence available, the Halo Collar 5 lets you create, edit, and store unlimited fences (starting at 30 x 30 feet). It fits dogs with neck sizes from 8–30.5 inches. Beyond containment, it offers near pin-point GPS tracking to help locate lost dogs quickly, along with built-in training tools and activity monitoring—all in one collar.
Top Features:
- 48-hour battery life
- AlwaysOn™ GPS
- Real-time tracking
- All-carrier cellular coverage worldwide.
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Do you know if Halo has an option for sizing up as your puppy grows? I know Fi does, just a simple switch of the band.
i dont think so
I live in an area with very poor wifi and many dead areas. would either of these collars work for my location?
In your case, I’d rather check Garmin collars