Slide your phone across the wall and Stud Finder reveals what's hiding underneath. No more drilling blind.
See behind the wall,
now in your pocket.
Stud Finder is an iOS and Android app that locates wall studs using the phone's built-in magnetometer, replacing $20–$50 hardware stud finders for DIY tasks like mounting TVs, shelves, and cabinets. It's free to try, ad-free, and works offline.
The stud finder app for iPhone and Android. Find wall studs through drywall with your phone's magnetometer — accurate to within an inch, no extra hardware. Free to try, ad-free.
Download the App
+127K
walls scanned
+50K
people trust us
4.6★
App Store rating
FEATURES
One last check before the drill comes out.
Magnetic scanning
Your phone's built-in magnetometer detects the screws and nails behind drywall. No extra hardware needed.
Stud spacing estimate
Measures the distance between two studs and verifies standard 16″ / 24″ framing.
Live signal map
An on-screen heatmap shows exactly what the sensor picks up. No guessing, just raw physics.
HOW IT WORKS
A real-time magnetic reading shows you exactly how strong the signal is. Higher numbers mean a screw or nail is right there.
Fine-tune the Stud Finder sensitivity for any surface. Drywall, plaster or brick all get an accurate reading.
Track magnetism on all three axes at the same time. You see exactly which direction the metal is pulling from.
THE HONEST ANSWER
What a stud finder app can — and can't — do
A stud finder app doesn't see wood through the wall, and any app that claims to is faking it. What your phone's magnetometer actually detects is the steel screws and nails that anchor drywall to each stud: against Earth's ambient magnetic field of 25–65 microtesla (NOAA World Magnetic Model), a fastener at contact distance reads 50–200 microtesla — a sharp, unmistakable spike. Because studs sit on 16-inch centers in U.S. residential framing (IRC §R602.3.1) and fasteners land within an inch of each stud's center, finding the screws means finding the stud.
Where it works
- Standard 1/2-inch or 5/8-inch drywall screwed to wood studs — the construction most North American homes built after 1960 use
- Locating studs to within about an inch, which is enough for shelves, picture frames, curtain rods, and most TV mounts
- Working entirely offline — detection is on-device, with no account and no internet
- Verifying its own reading: sweep twice at different heights, and a real stud spikes at the same horizontal position both times
Where it doesn't
- Metal-stud commercial walls — the whole wall reads as magnetic, so there's no spike to lock onto
- Concrete, brick, and other masonry — there are no studs or fasteners to find
- Plaster over metal lath — hundreds of lath nails flood the magnetic signal
- Replacing a second opinion on heavy mounts — above roughly 30 lb, confirm with a hardware finder and drill only where both tools agree
The full physics is on how it works, the head-to-head with a $30 wand is in app vs. hardware, and the detailed honest test is in do stud finder apps work. Platform-specific guides: iPhone and Android.
TESTIMONIAL
-
"Mounting heavy mirrors used to mean three test holes and a lot of patching. Now I scan once, mark the studs and drill with confidence. My walls thank me."
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
BLOG
How to Find Ceiling Joists: 5 Ways That Actually Work
Find ceiling joists with a phone app, a magnet, or a tape measure. Joists run 16 or 24 inches on center — and a ceiling joist finder is already in your pocket.
Stud Finder App vs Walabot: Which Do You Actually Need?
Stud finder app vs Walabot — one is free and lives on your phone, the other is a paid imaging device that sees pipes and wires. An honest comparison of what each finds, and which fits your job.
4.6
2,702+ Reviews
See behind the wall,
now in your pocket.
Stud Finder turns your phone into a precision wall scanner. Know where the studs, screws and pipes are before you drill.
Download the App