# Ruler vs Life

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Life at 100% against Ruler's 15%. Life also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 14 months). Ruler's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (422 vs 6). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Ruler holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ruler has 422 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 15% of Ruler's written reviews are positive against 100% of Life's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Ruler ships an update every 14 months, Life every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ruler | Life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (422 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ruler/id1555214809/reviews)** | [3.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/life-size-ruler/id6503698542/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **422** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 15.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 6 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matrix Software Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1457004046) | [Jumpei Adachi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516414955) |

## What reviewers say

### Ruler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ruler/id1555214809)

Measure objects and distances with an on-screen ruler and augmented reality. Supports inches and centimeters, with features for linear sizes, angles, area, volume, and more. Save your measurements for later use.

**Highlights:** On-screen ruler for small objects, Augmented Reality (AR) measuring, Measure linear sizes in cm/inches, Calculate angles, area, and volume, Save measurements, Generate plan projections

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Basic caliper and spirit level included
- ✅ Option to opt-out of data selling/sharing
- 👌 Accurate measurements (Arabic review)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📏 Inaccurate measurements
- 💥 Frequent app crashes
- 💸 Limited free functionality (5" limit)
- 🚫 Cannot switch to metric (cm)
- 🤷 Unclear AR mode usage

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iPhone 17 and iPad
- App crashes within 1 minute
- AR mode not functional
- Cannot switch to cm
- Measurements are out of scale

**Requested features**

- Fix crashing issues
- Enable switching to metric (cm)
- Improve AR mode usability
- Add save and print functionality
- Provide usage instructions


### Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/life-size-ruler/id6503698542)

Transform your smartphone into a precise measuring tool. This utility app allows you to measure lengths and distances directly on your screen. It's a convenient digital ruler for everyday tasks.

**Highlights:** Smartphone as a ruler, Measure lengths, Digital measuring tool, Precise measurements

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ruler free?

Ruler is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Life free?

Life is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ruler or Life?

Ruler is rated higher. Ruler averages 4.2 out of 5 from 422 ratings, while Life averages 3.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do Ruler or Life have ads?

Ruler shows ads; Life does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ruler or Life?

Ruler ships an update every 14 months, and Life every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ruler was updated on November 7, 2026 and Life on November 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*