Stud Finder vs StudSearch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stud Finder
This utility app uses your iPhone's magnetometer to detect metal fasteners behind drywall, helping you locate stud lines. Simply sweep your phone across the wall to find screws and nails, then mark the spikes to identify the stud's position for mounting.
- Detects metal fasteners behind drywall
- Locates stud lines
- Uses iPhone's magnetometer
- Simple sweep-and-detect method
- No ads or interruptions
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Find studs behind drywall using your iPhone's built-in magnetometer. This app detects metal fasteners (the screws and nails holding your drywall to wood studs) and helps you locate stud lines behind your wall. HOW IT WORKS Your drywall is screwed into wooden studs roughly every 16 inches. This app picks up those screws by reading changes in the magnetic field as you sweep your phone across the wall. Find screws in a vertical line and you've found the stud. HOW TO USE Take your case off. Hold your phone flat against the wall. Sweep slowly left and right. When the signal spikes, there's metal nearby. Mark each spike, look for a vertical line of hits, and that's your stud. Drill a small pilot hole before you mount anything heavy. If the bit hits something solid, you're on the stud. If it punches right through, move an inch and try again. Takes 30 seconds. WHAT THIS APP CANNOT DO It detects metal, not wood. If there are no screws or nails in the wall where you're scanning, it won't find anything. It also won't work well through thick plaster, concrete, or tile. And it's not a replacement for a professional stud finder on structural work. For mounting a TV, hanging shelves, or putting up pictures on normal drywall, it works. No ads. No nag timers. No interruptions. PRIVACY No account. No tracking. No data leaves your phone.
StudSearch
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■ Find where it's safe to drill Mounting a TV, shelf, or handrail on drywall alone is dangerous — screws can pull out. To fix things safely you need to drive screws into a stud. StudSearch uses your iPhone's magnetometer to detect the screws behind the drywall and locate the studs. ■ Works with your walls ・Wood-frame / light-gauge steel (LGS) modes — the magnetic signature differs, so detection is tuned per mode ・Stud-spacing guide: 16" / 24" on center (406/610mm), plus Japanese 303/455mm — find one stud, predict the next ・Real-time graph and readout of the magnetic response ■ Simple to use 1. Take the phone out of its case and reset the baseline 2. Sweep slowly along the wall without rotating the phone 3. When you get a hit, mark it — then trace above and below to confirm a vertical line ■ Guides and safety notes, supervised by a licensed architect Includes how-to guides for TV mounting, shelves and handrails, plus stud-finding basics, supervised by a Japanese first-class licensed architect. For safety-critical fixtures such as handrails, we recommend a final check with a mechanical (needle-type) stud finder. ※ This app estimates stud positions from magnetic response. Metal other than screws (wiring, pipes, etc.) also reacts. Always confirm by other means before drilling. See the in-app disclaimer for details.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Stud Finder at none against StudSearch's shown. StudSearch's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Stud Finder ships an update every 3 weeks, StudSearch every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stud Finder | StudSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (10 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Monolayer Studio | HISAHITO TSUCHIDA |
In-app purchases
Stud Finder
No in-app purchases
StudSearch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stud Finder free?
Is StudSearch free?
Do Stud Finder or StudSearch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Stud Finder or StudSearch?
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