The Measure App vs Apple’s Measure app

We make The Measure App, so we’re not neutral. Everything said here about Apple’s Measure app comes from Apple’s own iPhone User Guide and its App Store listing, checked on 5 November 2026. Apple can change its app at any time, so follow the links to check.

The short version

“Not described in Apple’s guide” means we couldn’t find it in Apple’s user guide pages for Measure. It doesn’t prove the app can’t do it.

What Apple’s Measure app does

According to Apple’s guide, you open Measure (in the Utilities folder), move your iPhone slowly so it can find the space, and either let it frame a rectangle automatically or tap to set start and end points. Edge guides and a Ruler view work on supported models. Apple recommends measuring from about 0.5 to 3 metres (2 to 10 feet) away, and says plainly that the measurements are approximate (Apple).

The level lives in the same app: open Measure and tap Level (Apple).

Apple lists a LiDAR Scanner only on the Pro and Pro Max models from iPhone 12 Pro onwards (Apple), and its App Store listing says guide lines on iPhone 12 Pro and later make measuring easier and more accurate (App Store).

What The Measure App adds

The Measure App puts nine tools in one strip along the bottom of the screen:

• Measure, the free AR tape measure. Readings are marked as estimates when the camera is less sure.
• Area and Floor Plan: tap the corners of a surface or a whole room, and get the area, the perimeter and every wall length.
• Height and Angle: straight up from the floor, or the angle of a corner.
• Level: a vial for edges and a bullseye for flat surfaces.
• Ring Size: lay a ring on the screen for its US, UK, EU and Japanese size. Approximate; ask a jeweller.
• Stud Finder: finds iron and steel, such as the screws and nails in a wall. It can’t find wood or wires.
• Ruler: a real-size ruler across the whole screen, with no card to calibrate.

You can save a measurement with a photo, find it again later, and export it as a PDF. The app makes no network requests and has no account, so what you save stays on your device.

Which should you use?

• Use Apple’s Measure if you want a free, quick length or a level and you’re happy with what it does. It’s already on your phone.
• Try The Measure App if you need floor plans, heights, angles, ring sizes, a screw and nail finder or a real-size ruler in one place, and saved measurements you can export. Start with the free tape measure and decide from there.

Whichever you use, camera measurements are approximate. Check with a tape measure before cutting or ordering anything.

We make The Measure App, so we are not neutral. Every figure above is copied from each app’s own App Store listing on November 5, 2026; ratings and prices change, so check the listing before you choose. Quoted lines are each listing’s own subtitle.