Comparison

Stud Finder® vs Road Notice

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Stud Finder®

This utility app uses your iPhone's magnetometer to detect metal studs behind walls. Simply hold your device near the wall and observe the indicator for changes in the magnetic field. For best results, remove any external case from your phone.

Highlights
  • Detect metal studs
  • Uses magnetometer
  • Measures magnetic field
  • Indicator for metal proximity
  • Instructions for accuracy
Features
Read full description

Find the right spot. Mount with confidence. Turn your iPhone into a handy magnetic stud finder. Use your device’s built-in magnetic sensor to locate magnetic changes that may indicate screws, nails, or other ferrous metal behind a wall. Follow the needle, watch the live graph, and hear stronger signals as you scan. Try Pro with a 3-day free trial on the Weekly plan for eligible new subscribers. FEATURES • Unlimited Scanning (Pro Required) Scan without measurement time limits or interruptions. • Live Signal Gauge & Graph (Pro Required) See magnetic changes through a responsive needle and a live graph with X, Y, and Z readings. • Adjustable Sensitivity (Pro Required for Scanning) Fine-tune the detector’s response to suit your surroundings. • Sound & Haptic Detection (Pro Required) Keep your attention on the wall. Faster beeps and firmer haptic feedback help you follow stronger signals. Turn both off whenever you prefer. • Simple, Illustrated Instructions Learn how to prepare the sensor, scan steadily, and look for signal peaks with a three-step guide. • Flexible Viewing (Pro Required for Scanning) Scan in portrait or landscape, with layouts adapted for iPhone and iPad. START WITH A FREE TRIAL Explore Pro with a 3-day free trial on the Weekly subscription, subject to eligibility. Weekly and Yearly plans are available. Pricing and trial availability are shown before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled before renewal through your App Store account settings. PLEASE NOTE Stud Finder detects magnetic field changes; it does not directly detect wood. Results depend on your device, distance, metal type, and nearby magnetic interference. Terms Of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Road Notice

Read full description

Camera awareness. Follow posted limits. Road Notice gives a brief audible reminder as you approach a listed speed or red-light camera. Set it up while parked, put your phone away, and keep your attention on driving. Follow traffic laws and road conditions everywhere, whether or not a warning sounds. ONE-TIME SETUP Enable Camera warnings and allow Always and Precise Location. Monitoring can continue with the screen locked or another app open when iOS permits. Use Test warning while parked to check your selected audio connection and media volume. Reopen the app after force-quitting or restarting your iPhone. ONE BRIEF SOUND Warnings use your iPhone's selected speaker or car audio connection. The siren plays as media; your media volume and car input matter. Audio interruptions can prevent a warning. There is no CarPlay dashboard interface. QUIET WHEN THE DATA SUPPORTS IT Quiet below speed limit is on by default for speed cameras. It can suppress a siren when measured speed is reliably below an applicable limit or conservative estimate. Unknown speed or limit information still produces a warning. Red-light and combined-camera warnings remain on. Silence does not mean your speed is lawful; posted signs and current conditions always take priority. PUBLIC CAMERA INFORMATION The saved U.S. camera list combines OpenStreetMap and agency information with reviewed locations. Coverage is incomplete. Approximate locations and published mobile deployment areas are labeled Possible speed camera. The app cannot sense radar or confirm whether equipment is operating. Weekly source updates are downloaded when your phone can connect; the saved list works offline with GPS. ON-DEVICE ALERT LOG Review the latest 500 camera notifications in Alert log. Tap a notification to open its saved camera details and any eligible speed-limit information. Entries stay on your iPhone, are excluded from backups and problem reports, and can be cleared at any time. Quiet approaches and Test warning are not logged. LOCATION STAYS ON YOUR PHONE Camera matching happens on your iPhone, without uploading your location or keeping a trip history. There are no ads, analytics SDKs, subscriptions or accounts. Optional problem reports let you review an explanation and location-free technical details before explicitly sending them to a public GitHub issue. Submitted report text is public. The privacy policy explains reports and hosting connection logs. Free and open source. Requires iOS 17 or later. Maintained by Alonso Indacochea. Warnings and speed-limit information may be missing, delayed or incorrect. GPS, permissions, iOS background limits, battery state and audio conditions affect delivery. Background location uses battery. Avoid abrupt reactions to a siren; keep your attention on driving and follow traffic laws on every road.

Screenshots

Stud Finder®4 screens
Road Notice1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Road Notice at none against Stud Finder®'s 3. Road Notice also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Stud Finder®'s advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Stud Finder® sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Road Notice asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stud Finder® ships an update every 5 weeks, Road Notice weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Stud Finder® versus Road Notice: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStud Finder®Road Notice
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (23K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews7.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings23K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTue Nguyen MinhVolver Health

Bugs and requests

Stud Finder®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Fails to detect known metal objects
  • Erratic behavior and constant beeping
  • Upgrade issues even after purchase

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to detect wooden studs
  • Longer free trial period
  • More intuitive user interface

Road Notice

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Stud Finder®

Subscriptions2
  • Stud Finder Pro (Weekly)3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Stud Finder Pro (Yearly)$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Features$1.99
None

Road Notice

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stud Finder® free?
Stud Finder® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Road Notice free?
Road Notice is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Stud Finder® or Road Notice have ads?
Neither Stud Finder® nor Road Notice shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stud Finder® or Road Notice?
Stud Finder® ships an update every 5 weeks, and Road Notice weekly. Most recently, Stud Finder® was updated on October 31, 2026 and Road Notice on October 14, 2026.

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