Pet Alert or Filalapat: which one when a pet goes missing?
Two very different services, and a third job neither of them does.
They do not answer the same question, which is why setting them side by side line by line only takes you so far. Filalapat is the app of the national I-CAD file: it is where an identified animal is declared lost or found. It is free, it is the official step, and it is where to start. Pet Alert is a network of departmental Facebook pages whose fast diffusion is paid: 30 to 100 € per listing depending on the option.
That leaves a third job neither of them does: telling the people who are right by the place the animal went missing, the ones who could come across it within the hour. Animalert does exactly that, for free, from an app run by a French registered non-profit.
One practical point before you choose: the Filalapat app has not been downloadable from the App Store or from Google Play since early September 2026 (checked on 3 September 2026). The filalapat.fr website itself still works, so the declaration can still be made from a browser. No public announcement explains the withdrawal, so we do not guess at the reason.
What each one does, line by line
 Animalert | Pet Alert | Filalapat | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it is for | Telling the people right nearby | Posting a listing on Facebook | Declaring an identified animal lost or found |
Cost | Free | 30 to 100 € per listing | Free |
Who runs it | Registered non-profit (association loi 1901) | Private companies | The national I-CAD file |
Mobile app | App Store and Google Play since 27 August 2026 | No, Facebook pages | Removed from both stores in early September 2026 |
Official loss declaration | |||
Alerts people right by where the animal went missing | Department-wide diffusion on Facebook | ||
App rating | 5/5 from 5 ratings | Not verified | Listing removed from the stores |
In practice the three add up rather than replace one another. Declare the loss to I-CAD first: it is free, and it is what lets a vet, a pound or a town hall recognise your animal by reading its chip. Then raise the alert around you with Animalert, and print the poster straight away. Paid diffusion, if you want it, comes after.
FAQ - Frequently asked questions
Are Filalapat and I-CAD the same thing?
No. I-CAD is the French national identification file for cats, dogs and ferrets: it is where your animal's chip or tattoo is registered, and where a disappearance is officially declared. Filalapat is the search app attached to that file. The file remains, and so does the declaration; the app has not been downloadable from the stores since early September 2026.
Does Pet Alert cost money?
Fast diffusion does. The network runs on departmental Facebook pages, and getting a listing published quickly is paid, between 30 and 100 € depending on the option. Animalert is free with no paid tier: the non-profit lives on donations, not on the families looking for their animal.
Which free app can I use to report a lost pet?
Animalert. The app has been on the App Store and Google Play since 27 August 2026, it is free, it is published by a French registered non-profit, and it currently shows 5/5 from 5 ratings on the App Store. It tells the people who are right by the place the animal went missing, and it prepares the poster to print. The I-CAD declaration, also free, is still worth making alongside it.
Where should you start when a pet goes missing?
With the I-CAD declaration if your animal is identified: it is free, and it is what lets a vet, a pound or a town hall read the chip, see that the animal is being looked for, and reach its family. Then alert the neighbourhood without waiting, because the first hours are where it is decided. Animalert tells the people right nearby and hands you the poster to print straight away.