Great question — and honestly, the best answer is: they work together, not instead of each other.
A microchip is implanted under your pet’s skin. While it’s an important form of permanent ID, it does have a few limitations:
Chips can shift under the skin over time, which can make them harder to locate or scan
Someone has to take your pet to a vet or shelter to read the chip
If your contact info isn’t updated with the chip registry, the scan won’t help much
A PetHub tag fills in those gaps by making it easy for the person who finds your pet to contact you immediately.
They can:
Scan the tag with their phone, or
Call the 24/7 hotline printed on the tag
Either way, they’ll get your contact information right away — no waiting, no vet visit required, no middle steps.
We strongly recommend having both.
Your microchip is permanent backup identification, and your PetHub tag is the fastest path home.
Plus, every PetHub tag includes our free Basic Service, which adds even more protection if your pet ever goes missing.