Yes, ShadowGPS has a monthly fee. So does every GPS tracker that shows your car on a live map, because getting your car's location from the road to your phone takes a cellular connection, and that connection costs something every month.
Here's the short version: the tracker is a one-time $69.90, and the plan runs $9 to $15 a month per tracker depending on how you choose to pay. No contract, ever. Month-to-month, or prepay and save. And every plan includes every feature.
Below, we break down exactly where that money goes, what you'll really spend in year one and year two, how ShadowGPS compares with Bouncie, Tracki, LandAirSea and Spytec, and the fees some brands tuck into the fine print. Just the numbers, laid out plainly.
Is there a GPS tracker monthly fee? Yes. Real-time GPS trackers need a cellular data plan, so most charge $10 to $30 a month. ShadowGPS costs $69.90 for the tracker, plus $15/mo month-to-month, $13/mo quarterly, $12/mo annually, or $9/mo on a 2-year prepay (1 to 3 trackers). No contract, ever, no cancellation fee, and every plan includes every feature.
Why does a GPS tracker have a monthly fee?
A GPS tracker has a monthly fee because it needs a cellular data connection to send its location to your phone. The GPS signal itself is free. The fee pays for the built-in SIM and data, the servers that store your trip history, the app, and the people who support it.
Here's the part most articles skip. GPS satellites are run by the U.S. government and the signal is free for anyone to use. But satellites only talk one way. They tell the tracker where it is; they can't carry that answer to your phone.
That's the cellular network's job. Your tracker works out its position from the satellites, then sends it over a cell connection to our servers, which push it to your app. That last step is what you're paying for each month.
Cellular data
Every ShadowGPS tracker has a SIM built in and runs on LTE-M across major carriers (Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S.; Rogers, Telus and Bell in Canada). You never sign up for a separate phone plan.
Servers & trip history
Every location ping gets stored, so you can scroll back through a trip timeline or replay a drive weeks later. That storage, and keeping it running around the clock (99.9% network uptime), lives in the plan.
App, alerts & support
The iPhone, Android and web apps, every alert you set up, ongoing updates, and U.S.-based support when something doesn't look right. None of that is a one-time cost.
A simple rule of thumb: if a tracker can show you where your car is right now, from anywhere, there's a monthly fee somewhere. If there truly isn't one, it's almost always a Bluetooth tag or a data logger. We'll get to those below.
What ShadowGPS costs, in plain numbers
There are only two parts to the bill: the tracker you buy once, and the plan you pay for while you use it. That plan is your GPS tracker monthly fee, and it's the only recurring charge.
The tracker: $69.90, one time
ShadowAuto (plug-in) and ShadowTrack (battery) are both $69.90. You buy it once and it's yours. There's no lease, and the hardware isn't secretly baked into a higher monthly rate.
The plan: $9 to $15 a month per tracker
Your monthly fee depends on two things: how often you choose to pay, and how many trackers are on your account. Same features at every price.
| Plan | 1 to 3 trackers | 4 to 10 trackers | How it's billed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $15/mo | $13/mo | Every month, cancel any time |
| Quarterly | $13/mo | $11/mo | Every 3 months ($39 per tracker at the 1 to 3 rate) |
| Annual | $12/mo | $10/mo | Once a year ($144 per tracker at the 1 to 3 rate) |
| 2-Year prepay | $9/mo | $8/mo | Once every 2 years ($216 per tracker at the 1 to 3 rate) |
Prices in USD, per tracker. In Canada, plans run CA$14 to CA$19 a month (1 to 3 trackers) or CA$12 to CA$16 (4 to 10 trackers). Full details on our pricing page.
Every plan gets every feature
This is the part we're proudest of. The only difference between plans is how often you pay. A $15 month-to-month customer and a $9 two-year customer see exactly the same thing in the app:
- Live tracking on a map, in the app or on the web.
- Trip timeline and trip replay, with up to a full year of history.
- 16+ custom alerts, including speeding, geofence exits, curfew and crash alerts.
- Car Alarm and tamper alerts, so you hear about it the moment your car moves when it shouldn't.
- Share Location with family, and every tracker and every user managed from one account.
Some brands sell their fastest updates as an add-on. We don't, and that turns out to be the biggest hidden difference in this whole category. More on that in the comparison below.
Same fee, two trackers: which one fits your car or truck?
The monthly fee is identical for both trackers, so the choice comes down to where it's going. If your car or truck was built in 1996 or later, it has an OBD-II port under the dash, and ShadowAuto simply plugs into it. No tools, no wiring, no charging, ever. It also reads engine codes, so you'll know what a check-engine light means before you call the shop.
ShadowAuto
- Plugs into your OBD-II port in under 2 minutes
- Car Alarm, tamper alerts and engine codes
- Powered by your car, never needs charging
Not sure where your port is? Our guide on finding your OBD2 port in 30 seconds covers most makes and models.
If there's no OBD-II port, or you'd rather the tracker stayed out of sight, ShadowTrack is the battery-powered version. Tuck it in the car, drop it in a glovebox, or mount it on a trailer or piece of equipment. It keeps reporting even if nobody knows it's there.
ShadowTrack
- Hides or mounts in under 2 minutes
- Up to about 15 days per charge
- Works on anything without an OBD-II port
Best for: ShadowAuto if you want a plug-it-in-and-forget-it tracker for a daily driver, a teen's car or a Turo rental. ShadowTrack if you need it hidden, portable, or on something without a port.
What a GPS tracker really costs: year one and year two
A GPS tracker monthly fee is only half the story. To compare trackers fairly, you need the total cost of ownership: what you'll spend from the day you buy it to the day you'd realistically replace it.
The true-cost formula
Year-one cost = device price + any activation fee + (monthly fee × 12). Then run the same math at 24 months, because that's where trackers with a low sticker price and a high monthly fee start to pull ahead on cost.
Here's what that looks like for one ShadowGPS tracker:
| Plan (1 to 3 trackers) | Year one, incl. device | Two-year total | Plan cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly, $15/mo | $249.90 | $429.90 | About 49¢ |
| Quarterly, $13/mo | $225.90 | $381.90 | About 43¢ |
| Annual, $12/mo | $213.90 | $357.90 | About 39¢ |
| 2-Year prepay, $9/mo | $285.90 (covers both years) | $285.90 | About 30¢ |
Notice the trade. The 2-year prepay asks for more upfront, but it's the lowest total by a wide margin. Month-to-month costs the most over time, and buys you the freedom to stop the moment you're done.
Monthly or prepaid: which plan should you pick?
Pick month-to-month if your need has an end date
A summer road trip, a few months of a new driver's permit, a trailer that only moves in season. Pay $15 while you need it, then cancel. No penalty, no phone-tree negotiation.
Pick annual if it's your daily driver
If the tracker is staying in your car for the foreseeable future, the annual plan drops you to $12 a month and you only think about billing once a year.
Pick the 2-year prepay if you already know you're keeping it
Turo hosts, parents with a teen who just got their license, and small business owners usually land here. At $9 a month, it's the lowest rate we offer, and there's still no contract attached to your account.
What it costs for people like you: 4 real examples
Ranges are easy to ignore. Here's the actual math for the four kinds of people we hear from most.
1. A parent with a new teen driver
One family car, one ShadowAuto plugged in under the dash, annual plan. Year one comes to $213.90, then $144 a year after that.
A lot of parents start month-to-month for the first couple of months to make sure they'll actually use the speeding and curfew alerts, then switch to annual. That's a sensible way to test it. Our guide for parents of teen drivers covers the conversation side, too.
2. A Turo host with three cars
Three ShadowAuto trackers ($209.70) on the annual plan ($432 a year) puts year one at $641.70. After that, it's $36 a month to see every car in your lineup, or $12 per car.
Hosts who are adding cars should note the pricing break: your fourth tracker moves your whole account into the 4 to 10 tier. See how hosts use it on our Turo page.
3. A small business with five trucks
Five trackers puts you in the 4 to 10 tier. Hardware is $349.50. On the annual plan ($10 per truck per month), year one is $949.50, then $600 a year, or $50 a month to keep tabs on the whole crew.
Month-to-month at the same tier would be $1,129.50 for year one. For the full fleet breakdown, see our guide to fleet GPS tracking costs.
4. A trailer or boat that only moves in summer
One ShadowTrack, month-to-month, used for five months: $69.90 + $75 = $144.90. Cancel when the season's over, then start a plan again next spring. The tracker stays yours the whole time.
GPS tracker subscription fees compared
Most GPS trackers that show live location charge somewhere between $10 and $30 a month, with the fastest plans reaching $45 to $50. The advertised rate rarely tells the full story, though, so here's how the brands people compare us to actually line up.
| Tracker | Type | Device | Monthly fee | Fastest updates | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple AirTag | Bluetooth tag | About $29 | $0 | No live GPS; relies on nearby Apple devices | None |
| Bouncie | OBD-II plug-in | $89.99 | $9.65 ($8.35 for 3+) | 15 sec | None |
| Tracki | Battery | About $20 to $30 | $19.95 month-to-month; $9.95 on a 2-year plan | Faster intervals on higher tiers | 2-year for best rate |
| Spytec GL300 | Battery | About $30 to $40 | $25 to $45 | 5 sec on the top tier only | None |
| LandAirSea 54 | Battery | About $29.95 | $19.95 to $49.95; $9.95 on a 2-year prepay | 3 sec on the $49.95 tier | 2-year for best rate |
| BrickHouse | Battery | Varies | $17.99 to $34.99 | Tiered by plan | None |
| ShadowGPS (ShadowAuto or ShadowTrack) | OBD-II or battery | $69.90 | $9 to $15 (1 to 3); $8 to $13 (4 to 10) | 5 sec on every plan | None, ever |
Competitor pricing checked October 2026 from brand websites, Amazon listings and published reviews (including HotAirTag's subscription comparison). Prices change often, so confirm on each brand's site before you buy.
The "speed tax" nobody puts on the box
The single biggest hidden cost in GPS tracking isn't a fee. It's update speed. Many brands advertise their lowest monthly rate, but that rate comes with slow updates, sometimes minutes apart, and the fast tracking you probably assumed you were getting costs more.
LandAirSea's 3-second tier sits at the top of its price list. Spytec's fastest updates live on its top plan. Tracki charges more for shorter intervals. With ShadowGPS, every plan updates your car's location every 5 seconds while it's moving, whether you pay $9 or $15. That's not an upgrade; it's just how the tracker works.
The second hidden cost is the contract. Several of those "$9.95 a month" headlines only apply if you prepay two years. ShadowGPS offers a prepay rate too, but you never need one to get every feature.
Where ShadowGPS isn't the lowest number
We'd rather tell you this than have you find it. Bouncie's $9.65 month-to-month rate is lower than our $15 month-to-month rate, and an AirTag has no monthly fee at all. If you have one car with an OBD-II port and 15-second updates are fine for you, Bouncie is a fair choice.
What the difference buys you with ShadowGPS: faster updates on every plan, a battery tracker option that keeps reporting even if it's unplugged or hidden, Car Alarm and tamper alerts, and no contract on any plan. An AirTag, meanwhile, isn't really a car tracker. It only updates when an Apple device passes nearby. We explain why in GPS tracker vs. Apple AirTag.
Hidden GPS tracker fees to check before you buy
The GPS tracker subscription fee is the line everyone sees. These are the lines that show up later. Before you buy any tracker, ask about each one.
| Fee to watch for | What to ask | ShadowGPS |
|---|---|---|
| Activation or setup fee | Is there a one-time charge on top of the device? | No hidden fees. Device plus plan is the whole bill. |
| Cancellation fee | What does it cost to stop? | Nothing. Cancel any time. |
| Contract for the best rate | Is the advertised price tied to a 1 or 2 year commitment? | No contract, ever. |
| Speed upcharges | Does the advertised plan include the fastest updates? | Same update speed on every plan. |
| Feature tiers | Are geofences, alerts or trip history locked behind a higher plan? | Every plan includes every feature. |
| "Free" device | Is the hardware folded into a higher monthly price? | One-time $69.90, and the tracker is yours. |
| Short trip history | How far back can you see past trips? | Up to a full year. |
| Extra users | Do family members or drivers cost extra to add? | Every tracker and every user on one account. |
| Old network technology | Is it on a current network, or one being phased out? | LTE-M on major U.S. and Canadian carriers. |
That last row matters more than people expect. When carriers shut down 3G, older trackers simply stopped working, and owners had to buy new hardware. The FCC's guide to the 3G phase-out explains what happened. Bargain trackers on older networks can carry the same risk.
Also watch for pricing you can't see until after you've bought the device. One independent roundup notes owners complaining that Tracki's plan prices only appear inside the app after registering. Our prices are on our pricing page before you spend a dollar.
Are there GPS trackers with no monthly fee?
Yes, but they aren't real-time GPS trackers in the way most people mean. Nearly every "no monthly fee" tracker falls into one of four buckets:
- Bluetooth tags (AirTag, Tile): no fee, but no live GPS either. They only update when someone else's phone passes nearby, which makes them unreliable for a moving car.
- GPS data loggers: they record where a car has been, but you have to retrieve the device and download the data. No live map, no alerts.
- Prepaid bundles: the fee is still there, just paid upfront and folded into the device price. Our 2-year prepay works the same way, minus the mystery.
- Bring-your-own-SIM trackers: you pay your carrier instead of the tracker company, often with more setup, more tinkering, and a higher chance the device runs on a network that's being retired.
If what you want is to open your phone and see where your car is right now, plan on a monthly fee. The real question is what you get for it. For a ranked look at the options, see our guide to every GPS tracker price tier.
Does the monthly fee cover the SIM card?
Yes. Every ShadowGPS tracker ships with a SIM already inside, and your plan covers all the data. There's nothing to buy from a carrier, no phone plan to add it to, and no data overage charges.
This is the second most common question we get before purchase, so we wrote a full explainer: does your GPS tracker need a SIM card?
How the ShadowGPS subscription works
Getting started takes about two minutes
Plug ShadowAuto into your OBD-II port (or charge and place ShadowTrack), download the ShadowGPS app, add your tracker, and pick a plan. Most people are watching their car on the map before they've finished their coffee.
Moving to a longer plan
If you start month-to-month and decide the tracker is staying, you can move to a longer billing period to bring your rate down. Same features, same app, lower monthly number.
Cancelling
Cancel any time. There's no contract to break and no cancellation fee. The tracker is yours to keep, so if you need it again next season, just start a new plan.
The 30-day money-back guarantee
If ShadowGPS isn't right for you, you're covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. Try it on your actual car, in your actual driveway, before you decide.
From our support inbox: the billing questions we hear most
"Do I pay per tracker?" Yes. Each tracker has its own plan, and rates drop once you have four or more.
"Will my price go up if I drive a lot?" No. "Starting at" doesn't mean usage-based billing. Every plan has the same features, and the only difference is how often you pay.
"Can I cancel without calling anyone?" There's no contract and no cancellation fee. If anything about your bill ever looks off, our U.S.-based support team will sort it out.
Is a GPS tracker monthly fee worth it?
Only you can answer that, but three questions make it a lot clearer.
1. What would a day of not knowing cost you?
The National Insurance Crime Bureau counted 659,880 vehicle thefts in the U.S. in 2025, about one every 48 seconds. The fee isn't really about theft, though. It's about the gap between "where's my car?" and actually knowing, whether the answer is a stolen car, a teen running late, or a rental that hasn't come back.
2. Will you actually open the app?
The people who get the most from a tracker set up a few alerts (a geofence around home, a speed alert, Car Alarm overnight) and then mostly forget about it until a notification matters. If that sounds like you, the fee is buying something you'll use.
3. Do you need it all year, or for a season?
If it's seasonal, go month-to-month and cancel. If it's your daily driver, annual or 2-year prepay gets you to roughly 30 to 40 cents a day. Either way, you're never locked in.
For the deeper cost math across every brand, read GPS tracker cost: what you should actually pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a monthly fee for a GPS tracker?
Yes, almost every real-time GPS tracker has a monthly fee, because it needs a cellular data connection to send its location to your phone. Most plans run $10 to $30 a month. ShadowGPS plans are $9 to $15 a month per tracker, with no contract, ever.
How much is the ShadowGPS monthly fee?
For 1 to 3 trackers, it's $15 a month billed monthly, $13 billed quarterly, $12 billed annually, or $9 on a 2-year prepay. With 4 to 10 trackers, those drop to $13, $11, $10 and $8. The tracker itself is a one-time $69.90.
Why do GPS trackers charge a subscription fee if GPS is free?
The GPS satellite signal is free, but it only tells the tracker where it is. Getting that location to your phone takes a cellular connection, plus servers to store your trip history and an app to show it. The subscription fee covers those.
Does the monthly fee include the SIM card and data?
Yes. Every ShadowGPS tracker has a SIM built in, and your plan covers all the data. You don't need a separate phone plan, and there are no data overage charges.
Can I use a GPS tracker without a subscription?
Only with trade-offs. Bluetooth tags like AirTag have no fee but no live GPS, and data loggers record trips without showing them live. If you want to see your car on a map in real time, you'll need a plan.
Is there a contract with ShadowGPS?
No contract, ever. Go month-to-month, or prepay quarterly, annually or for two years to lower your rate. You can cancel any time, with no cancellation fee.
What happens if I cancel my GPS tracker subscription?
Live tracking and alerts stop, but the tracker is yours to keep. If you need it again later, for another season or another car, just start a new plan.
Are there activation or hidden fees?
No. With ShadowGPS, the bill is the tracker plus your plan. There's no cancellation fee, no charge for faster updates, and no feature locked behind a higher tier.
Do faster location updates cost extra?
With many brands, yes, the fastest updates sit on the most expensive plan. With ShadowGPS, every plan gets the same update speed, whether you pay $9 or $15 a month.
Do I pay a monthly fee for each vehicle?
Yes, each tracker has its own plan. Once you have four or more trackers on your account, the per-tracker rate drops, from $15 to $13 month-to-month or from $9 to $8 on a 2-year prepay.
Is it cheaper to prepay for a GPS tracker plan?
Yes. One ShadowGPS tracker costs $429.90 over two years on the monthly plan, versus $285.90 on the 2-year prepay, device included. Month-to-month costs more but lets you stop whenever you want.
Can I just pay for a GPS tracker during the months I need it?
Yes. Choose the monthly plan, cancel when the season or trip is over, and start a new plan when you need it again. There's no penalty either way.
Plug it in. See it move. Cancel any time.
$69.90 for the tracker, plans from $9 to $15 a month, no contract, ever. Month-to-month, or prepay and save.
ShadowGPS pricing current as of October 2026; see our pricing page for the latest. Competitor pricing was checked in October 2026 from brand websites, Amazon listings and published reviews, and may have changed since. Amazon links are affiliate links. Always follow your state's laws when tracking a vehicle you don't own outright.
