The conversion of solar energy into electricity is a viable response to address most of world's energy problems. Among the parameters affecting the performance of both photovoltaic (PV) cells and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems include their orientation and tilt angle with respect to the sun. Solar trackers (ST) are ideal devises for efficiency improvement. This paper aims to review the most commonly used ST and identify the systems that offer benefits such as greater efficiency, greater tracking accuracy, easy installation and cost effectiveness. There are mainly two types of ST viz. single and double axis ST. The optimization of these devices requires cumbersome specifications to avoid potential tracking errors that often lead to their poor performance. These specifications cannot be fulfilled by simple tracking methods due to different sources of tracking errors such as the misalignment of the tracking fixture, the level of pollution of the area, the shading of the sensors, the types of control schemes involved, the auxiliary units of the system, the lack of maintenance as well as the imperfection and power mismatch of connecting grids. The study reveals that double axis ST in form of polar-axis and azimuth/elevation featuring the solar movement models and the dynamic closed loop feedback control are the most effective and generally give more than a 40% improvement in energy return compared to fixed PV panels. Moreover, large systems significantly reduce the costs and save on materials. The energy consumed by the moving fixtures is mostly low (2–5% of the collected energy) but this could be higher if no optimization is performed. Lastly, all the hardware and software energy saving parameters must be optimized right from the early stages of the development of the system to prevent materials wastage and the energy over-consumption by the tracking units.