How much does an asset tracking system cost? RFID, BLE and GPS prices in 2026

Updated October 23, 2026 · market orders of magnitude, prices excl. VAT

Over 5 years, including hardware, subscription and installation, tracking one asset costs from a few tens of cents to around ten euros per month depending on the technology. RFID is the cheapest per object but only locates at read points. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) locates continuously inside buildings. GPS tracks assets anywhere outdoors, and is usually the most expensive option per asset. The price of a tag or tracker is only part of the budget.

This page details the four cost items of a project and gives 2026 price ranges seen on the market, to compare RFID, BLE and GPS.

The 4 cost items of an asset tracking system

Hardware: one tag, beacon or tracker per asset, plus fixed readers or anchors for RFID and BLE. Paid once, with volume discounts.
Platform subscription: software, hosting, apps, API, support and, for GPS trackers, cellular connectivity. Paid every year, usually based on the number of assets tracked.
Installation and commissioning: mounting anchors or readers, pairing tags with assets, setting up zones and training. Paid once.
Maintenance: battery replacement after several years, replacing damaged tags. Low if the hardware is well chosen.

Over 5 years, the subscription often outweighs the hardware for BLE and GPS. It is the opposite for RFID, where fixed readers make up most of the investment.

Hardware prices in 2026: orders of magnitude

Technology	Item	Typical unit price, excl. VAT
Passive UHF RFID	Standard label	A few cents to €0.50
Passive UHF RFID	On-metal label or rugged tag	€0.50 to €5
UHF RFID	Fixed reader with antennas	€1,000 to €3,000
BLE	Bluetooth beacon or tag	€5 to €30
BLE	Fixed anchor or gateway	€100 to €300
GPS	Long-life industrial GPS tracker	€50 to €200

The gap between the low and high end of each range comes mostly from order volume, required ruggedness (waterproofing, shock resistance, metal mounting), battery life and network coverage (Europe or worldwide for GPS).

Platform subscription

The annual subscription covers the web and mobile platform, API, maintenance and support and, for GPS trackers, the SIM card and cellular connectivity. It decreases with volume. Typical orders of magnitude:

Technology	Subscription per asset per month
Passive RFID	A few cents to €0.50
BLE	€0.30 to €5
GPS (connectivity included)	€0.50 to €6

For a small fleet of a few dozen assets, expect the high end of the range; beyond several thousand, the low end.

Installation and commissioning

GPS trackers: a few hundred to a few thousand euros. Nothing is installed on site; the work is configuration and training.
Indoor BLE: from €1,000 to more than €10,000 depending on the floor area, the number of anchors and zones.
RFID: from a few hundred to €2,000 per read point, more if cabling or integration with your information system is complex.

5-year total cost: RFID, BLE and GPS compared

5-year total cost, hardware, subscription and installation included, per asset per month (orders of magnitude, excl. VAT).

Order of magnitude, all-in (excl. VAT)	UHF RFID	BLE	GPS
100 assets, per asset per month	About €1	€4 to €8	€5 to €10
1,000 assets, per asset per month	€0.50 to €1	€2 to €4	€2.50 to €5
What you get	A read at each read point	The zone of each asset, continuously, inside the building	The position of each asset anywhere outdoors

These ranges are indicative: the number of anchors or readers depends on the floor area, partitioning and number of zones to distinguish. They mainly show two things: RFID costs several times less per asset than BLE or GPS, and going from 100 to 1,000 assets usually divides the cost per asset by 2 or more.

What drives the budget, and how to reduce it

The accuracy required: knowing which room an asset is in needs far fewer anchors than a position to the meter. Start with the zones that answer a business question.
How anchors are powered: in an existing building, battery-powered anchors avoid running cables, often the most expensive part of an installation.
The right tool for each object: an RFID label costing a few cents for cheap objects that pass fixed points, a BLE beacon for those you need to find, a GPS tracker for those that leave the site.
GPS position frequency: a position at departure and arrival rather than at fixed intervals extends battery life and delays battery replacement.
A pilot before rollout: a few weeks to three months on one zone lets you measure the gain before investing in the whole site.

Frequently asked questions about the cost of an asset tracking system

How much does an RFID chip cost?

A passive UHF RFID label costs from a few cents in very large volumes to about €0.50 in small quantities. An on-metal label or rugged tag, built to withstand shocks and industrial environments, costs €0.50 to €5.

How much does a professional GPS tracker cost?

A long-life industrial GPS tracker usually costs €50 to €200 depending on quantities, battery life and network coverage. A subscription that includes cellular connectivity comes on top.

Do you have to pay a subscription?

Yes in most cases, for the platform and, with GPS, for the cellular network. The subscription is often annual and depends on the number of assets tracked: from a few cents per month for an RFID label to a few euros per month for a GPS tracker.

Which technology is the cheapest?

Passive RFID, at around €1 or less per asset per month over 5 years. But it only sees an object when it passes a reader. If you need to find stationary equipment, BLE is more cost-effective than RFID multiplied into many readers.

How much does an RTLS cost?

A zone-level BLE real-time location system (RTLS) costs about €2 to €8 per asset per month over 5 years, all-in, depending on fleet size. Point-level accuracy (angle of arrival or UWB) costs more, because it needs more powered anchors.

Do the prices include installation?

Installation is usually billed separately, once: from a few hundred euros for a fleet of GPS trackers to more than €10,000 for a large site equipped with BLE. The 5-year total costs on this page include it.

Get a quote for your site

Tell us the number of assets, how they move and your buildings: we will tell you the most cost-effective technology for your need and send a detailed quote. To understand the technologies, see also industrial RFID, industrial BLE beacons, professional GPS tracker and our RTLS guide. Request a quote.