Many of us tend to lose or misplace items like our keys or bags. To help people remember where they placed these vital items, there are a lot of Bluetooth item trackers on the market, like Tile. But for those heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, the AirTag is the best choice. It's a small, disk-like device that you can attach onto or into things like your bags or keys in order to locate them more easily. You can even put them on your car to help you find where you parked in a large lot, as well as on many other everyday essentials.
Our Picks
But to get the most out of your AirTag, you'll need some accessories. Yes, accessories for an accessory sounds absurd, but that's because the AirTag does not have an integrated hole to attach to your keys, nor does it come with a lanyard or strap to hang on your bag. Thankfully, the AirTag accessory market is ripe with tons of options from both first- and third-party manufacturers.
Read more: Apple AirTags Hands-On Evaluation
At CNET, we make it a point to try out everything we recommend, but we haven't yet had the chance to check out every single Apple AirTag accessory. However, we've looked into other products from the same brands, so we're pretty confident in our picks. As we get the chance to test more AirTag accessories, we’ll keep adding to the list.
Key chains and straps
While it launched a little later than some Apple AirTag accessories, Otterbox's key chain holder, which Otterbox calls a "Rugged Case," is made of solid plastic and does indeed encase your AirTag for full protection. Installing it is easy: you unscrew the top piece, place your AirTag in the case, then screw the top piece back on to lock the AirTag in the holder.
The Apple-branded leather key ring costs around $35 and is available in a few color options, though you may find limited stock with FineWoven replacements making it to stores.
If you're looking for a good value option, your best bet may be to roll the dice on a no-name brand. This Eusty key chain cover is available in a four-pack for less than $10. Often, generic models like this are labeled as "leather" when in fact they are faux leather (sometimes referred to as PU leather or vegan leather).
These look a lot like other basic faux leather AirTag key chains and come in a few color options. There are dozens if not hundreds of generic AirTag holders available. Most should be fine, but don't expect them to wear as well over time as the true leather models.
Spigen is also selling an attractively simple key chain Apple AirTag holder, the Valentinus, for around $18. It's made of faux leather.
Apple's Loop, made for attaching your AirTag to a bag, costs as much as an AirTag. But it's Apple's official loop option and this polyurethane option is cheaper than the $35 Leather Loop. That doesn't make it a good deal, but I'm just pointing it out. It's available in four colors.
Spigen, known for its affordable iPhone cases, has the Apple AirTag Case Rugged Armor. It's not quite as cheap as we hoped it would be, but maybe it will reduce in price in time. It does have a rugged design with a nice carabiner and carbon fiber elements.
Other AirTag options
If you're looking for a holder that sticks onto an object (like the underside of a bike seat or scooter), Pelican's Stick-on AirTag Mount is designed to do just that. A single mount costs $10 while a pack of four sells for $30 or less when on sale. It's available in many colors.Â
If you don't want to spend a lot for a mount, these Gorilla Mounting Tape Squares are a cheaper option and can be cut to size for AirTags. AirTags have an IPX67 water-resistance rating, which means it can be fully submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes and is dust-proof. So it can withstand some punishment without a cover. After all, it doesn't have a screen.
Casetify has a wide variety of AirTag holders. They're made of hard plastic and are fairly basic but have some eye-catching art on the backside. You can also customize them with your name or choose from several emojis and other graphics. They're expensive at $32 but sometimes go on sale.
The AirTag uses a CR2032 coin battery, which should last about a year. You can find a 10-pack of those batteries on Amazon for somewhere around $11. That's the way to go, especially if you have multiple AirTags, and other devices that use CR2032 coin batteries. Always remember to keep coin batteries away from small children so they don't accidentally swallow one. They can cause major injury if ingested.
Caseology's AirTag Vault is another straightforward key chain option that's affordable at $15 (currently on sale for $14) but could shave a few dollars off its price over time. (Caseology is also a sub-brand of Spigen.) It's one of the few Apple AirTag accessories that was available at launch and has been pretty popular as a result. It comes with a carabiner but you could attach a standard key chain if you want.
While this faux leather affordable key ring from Cyrill, a sub-brand of Korea-based Spigen, is nothing fancy but it is available in a premium black and gold finish. You can also look into the rest of Cyrill's collection on Amazon.
I like the design of Nomad's leather AirTag key chain better than Apple's, which leaves the AirTag partially exposed. This AirTag key chain hides it and looks more like a standard key chain. It's designed to "weather" over time, getting darker (particularly the brown version). It's available in brown or black for $30, which is pricey but it is nice. Nomad also makes a Leather Loop that's also a key chain and lists for $20. I prefer the more expensive model pictured here.
Moment, which makes and sells photo and video accessories for Apple products, including lens attachments, has an enclosure accessory that allows you to mount your Apple AirTag. It's "made from a rugged aramid fiber shell and backed with a super strong adhesive, you can stick an AirTag to any flat surface," Moment says. So, it'll keep the device protected and offers easy and trustworthy attachment.
Still not sure about AirTags? Here's what CNET's Experts have to say.
