Comparison

Stud Finder vs Stud Finder App

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 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.

Highlights
  • Detects metal fasteners behind drywall
  • Locates stud lines
  • Uses iPhone's magnetometer
  • Simple sweep-and-detect method
  • No ads or interruptions
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Stud Finder App

This utility app uses your phone's magnetometer to detect metal objects like nails, screws, pipes, and rebar hidden within walls. It offers two scanning modes and provides real-time feedback to help you avoid drilling into unwanted materials.

Highlights
  • Magnetometer-based metal detection
  • Two distinct scan modes (Stud & Metal)
  • One-tap calibration
  • Live signal gauge with haptic feedback
  • Save and revisit scans
  • Light and dark themes
  • Deep Scan Pro feature
Features
Read full description

Before you drill, know what's behind the wall. Stud Finder uses your phone's built-in magnetometer to detect metal hidden in your walls — the nails and screws that mark a stud's edge, and the pipes, rebar and conduit you want to avoid hitting. Calibrate against a clean section of wall, then sweep slowly. The live gauge rises as you approach a target and calls a hit when the signal is strong enough. TWO SCAN MODES Stud Mode — Tuned for the faint, brief signals produced by the nails and screws fastening a stud to the wall. Trace the fastener line to locate the stud edge. Metal Mode — Tuned for the strong, sustained fields of pipes, rebar, conduit and steel studs. The threshold sits high enough that a nail line won't trigger it, so you can tell a fastener from a pipe. Both modes are free. No paywall on the core detector. FEATURES • One-tap calibration against your actual wall, so readings adapt to the room • Live signal gauge with real-time strength readout in microtesla • Haptic feedback the moment a hit is detected • Save scans with a label like "Living room wall" and revisit them anytime • Keep-screen-awake option so the display won't sleep mid-sweep • Optional reminder if you haven't scanned in a while • Light and dark themes STUD FINDER PRO • Deep Scan — boosted sensitivity that surfaces faint fastener lines a standard scan can miss • Unlimited saved scans (the free version keeps your 5 most recent) HOW IT WORKS — AND WHAT IT CAN'T DO We think you should know exactly what you're buying. Your phone's magnetometer senses magnetic fields. That means it detects ferrous metal — steel nails, screws, pipes, rebar and conduit. Wood is not magnetic, so no phone can detect wood directly. Stud Finder locates studs the same way a magnetic stud finder does: by finding the metal fasteners holding them in place. This is why we describe what we find by signal strength rather than claiming to identify materials. If a reading in Stud Mode is unusually strong, the app tells you it's likely metal rather than a stud. Results depend on your device's magnetometer, wall material and depth. Detection is less reliable through thick plaster, tile, concrete or metal lath. Always verify before drilling, and never rely on any app alone when electrical wiring or plumbing may be present. PRIVACY Stud Finder is designed with your privacy in mind and does not share personal data unnecessarily. Your scans are stored on your device. Privacy Policy: https://redizeuz.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://redizeuz.com/terms

Screenshots

Stud Finder4 screens
Stud Finder App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stud Finder at none against Stud Finder App's 2. Stud Finder also leads on ads (none vs shown). Stud Finder App's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating and ratings volume 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 App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Stud Finder asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stud Finder App holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 4 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Stud Finder versus Stud Finder App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStud FinderStud Finder App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (10 ratings)4.3 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMonolayer StudioEbenezer Oteng

Customer experience

Stud Finder

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Stud Finder App

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Stud Finder

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Stud Finder App

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$7.99

Questions

Is Stud Finder free?
Stud Finder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stud Finder App free?
Stud Finder App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stud Finder or Stud Finder App?
Stud Finder App is rated higher. Stud Finder averages 4.1 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Stud Finder App averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Stud Finder or Stud Finder App have ads?
Stud Finder App shows ads; Stud Finder does not.

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