The 9 Best Stud Finders, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 Professional Stud Finder

$53 at Amazon $74 at Walmart $55 at Home Depot

We think the electronic Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 Precision is the best stud finder because it gives you an accurate and detailed look into your walls. Its 13 sensors simultaneously "look" behind the walls (it can also be used to find joists underneath the flooring) to pinpoint the location of wooden studs and metal objects, such as pipes, easily and accurately.

One of the standout features of the ProSensor 710 is its effortless usability; there's no calibration required. Unlike some wall stud finders, this one is ready to go right away. It also shows you the edge and center of the stud simultaneously, which takes a lot of work out of the whole process.

During testing, we found that the ProSensor 710 located studs, both metal and wood, quickly and accurately. We didn't have to pass the device back and forth over the wall for more than a few seconds before the 13 indicator lights started popping.

This model is always in deep scan mode, so even if the walls are thicker than a standard .75 inches, you get an accurate reading—we found the results were very accurate over all three types of tested surfaces, including lath and plaster, drywall, and paneling. The manufacturer claims the tool has a detection depth of 1.6 inches ideally and 1.1 inches in reality, which we found to be true.

Since this stud finder was very accurate in our tests and its large, comfortable handle made it easy to hold, we recommend it over all the other options. However, it doesn't detect live wires, nor does it have a battery life indicator or other extra features.

_{Sensor Type: Electronic | Deep Scan: Yes | Live Wire Detection: No}

Best Budget

Craftsman 3/4-Inch Depth Stud Finder

$13 at Amazon $12 at Lowes $12 at Ace Hardware

This reasonably priced stud finder is nothing fancy, but if you just need a simple stud finder to detect wood and metal studs—not electrical wiring or pipes—then this is a good addition to your toolbox. We found it very easy to calibrate—just hold the button down until the red light goes off—and easy to use, as well.

Unlike more premium stud finders, this one does not locate the center of a stud itself. That means you need to locate the edges yourself, which is a time-consuming process. Even though it's more than half the price of the Franklin Sensors ProSensor 710 Professional Stud Finder (our best overall pick), it's just as accurate. We found the process to be easy in practice, but this model does struggle a bit with paneling and plaster.

This stud finder has a detection depth of 3/4-inch, which is less than many other stud finders, but generally sufficient for finding studs (except for garage walls and ceilings with double layers of sheetrock for fire protection). It's small and lightweight, making it easy to carry in a pocket or add to your tool kit. We think it's a good option if your walls aren't too thick and you only need a stud finder for occasional use.

_{Sensor Type: Electronic | Deep Scan: No | Live Wire Detection: No}

Best for Metals

Zircon MetalliScanner M40

$35 at Amazon $47 at Walmart $35 at Home Depot

Metal is often missed by typical stud finders calibrated for wood studs, but there can be many types of metal support materials within your walls, including nails, screws, rebar, and metal pipes. The Zircon MetalliScanner M40 is specifically designed to detect a wide variety of ferrous (magnetic) and nonferrous metals behind floors, walls, and ceilings.

In our tests, this stud finder found everything it was supposed to, including wood and metal studs, copper pipes, and nails. It had no problems detecting objects behind our drywall, plaster, and paneled test wall, but it wasn't able to detect live wires. It has an impressive depth scan of up to 4 inches deep for magnetic materials and 2 inches for non-magnetic objects.

We appreciated how easy this stud finder is to use. Its coil lights up in red as it gets close to the hidden stud or metal pipe and then switches to blue light when it's right over the object being scanned. Not only that, but there's an audible tone when the device detects metal. Plus, it's comfortable to hold.

_{Sensor Type: Electronic | Deep Scan: Yes | Live Wire Detection: No}

Best Magnetic

CH Hanson 03040 Magnetic Stud Finder

$17 $13 at Amazon $13 at Walmart $10 at Home Depot

Magnetic stud finders are an older type of stud finder, but they can still be effective. Using a powerful rare-earth magnet, the CH Hanson 03040 locates ferrous nails and screws that hold drywall to studs and studs to other parts of the frame. It doesn't sense studs directly, but we found that it does provide a good idea of where studs are behind the wall.

We like that there's no need to calibrate this tool and no batteries to install, so it's always ready to go. We found it to be very accurate for finding wood or metal studs based on the nails and screws within them, but be aware that magnetic stud finders like this one will not detect copper pipes, other non-magnetic materials, or live wires.

In our tests, the device worked over drywall, paneling, and plaster with ease, but it did take longer to detect nails in wooden studs than in metal studs. When passing over ferrous metal, the stud finder "clings" slightly to the underlying magnetic object. There's no other indicator, so you really need to pay attention.

_{Sensor Type: Magnetic | Deep Scan: No | Live Wire Detection: No}

Best for DIYers

Franklin Sensors ProSensor M90 Professional Stud Finder

$30 at Amazon $30 at Walmart $30 at Home Depot

If you need a stud sensor for a DIY project such as hanging shelves, installing a wall-mounted television, putting up new lighting fixtures, or similar home projects, then you'll appreciate the Franklin Sensors ProSensor M90 as much as we did. This easy-to-use and accurate stud finder doesn't need any calibration, so you can get right to work.

With nine sensors, this device had no problem detecting wood and metal studs and metal pipes behind most common wall materials. In our lab tests, it worked equally well through plaster, drywall, and paneling. Depending on the surface materials, this tool's depth detection is between 1 and 1.5 inches, and it's always in deep scan mode.

The sensor lights trigger as the tool moves over a hidden stud; generally, two of the lights come on as the tool meets the stud's edge, and three lights hold steady once the stud sensor is over the center of the stud. That makes it easy to find the full width of the stud. We did find that it was best to move this stud finder fairly slowly along the wall, as overly fast passes make it a little more difficult to pinpoint the full width of the stud.

_{Sensor Type: Electronic | Deep Scan: Yes | Live Wire Detection: Yes}

Best Easy Use

StudPop Original Magnetic Stud Finder

$12 at Amazon View on Studpop.com

If you just want a basic stud finder that is easy to use, we highly recommend the StudPop Original Magnetic Stud Finder. This simple device has a center trigger that "pops up" when the magnet slides over a hidden metallic object, so we found it easier to use than the CH Hanson 03040 (our best magnetic pick).

We had fun testing this stud finder, which requires no calibration or batteries. We found that it didn't really matter if we slid the tool quickly or slowly; it responded very accurately either way when moving over metal studs or over wooden studs with embedded steel nails and screws.

In our tests, the StudPop performed best on drywall and plaster but wasn't quite as responsive over paneling. According to the manufacturer, it can also be used over lath or tile on top of drywall or plaster.

The StudPop cannot detect copper pipes, which are non-magnetic, but it can respond to pipes made of ferrous metals. It doesn't detect wiring either.

While this stud finder does not detect the edges of wood or metal studs, as most electronic stud finders do, it responds with a pop and a feeling of magnetic "grip" when moving over stud centers, and we found it very easy to use and reliable in its response.

_{Sensor Type: Magnetic | Deep Scan: No | Live Wire Detection: No}

Best for Marking Studs

Calculated Industries StudMark Magnetic Stud Finder

$15 at Amazon $22 at Walmart

Like other magnetic stud finders, the StudMark works by "sticking" to ferrous metals, including steel nails, screws, and studs, behind the wall. In our tests, the StudMark did well at detecting metal behind drywall and plaster, although it was a little harder to feel the magnetic grip when using the device on paneling.

What we especially like about this tool are the two teardrop-shaped magnets that can be removed from the body and used to mark the placement of studs. Thus, the user can easily indicate the position of up to three studs.

If you don't want to use the magnets, then you can easily use the tool's small indentation to make precise pencil marks. That's very handy when hanging something large enough to overlay more than one stud, like a flat-screen television, shelf, or large mirror.

The StudMark is easy to use and requires no calibration or batteries. We just slid it along our test wall until we felt the magnetic response, which told us that a stud was buried underneath. Note that like other magnetic stud finders, this one cannot detect copper pipes or live wiring, although it will respond to ferrous metal pipes and rebar.

_{Sensor Type: Magnetic | Deep Scan: No | Live Wire Detection: No}

Best for Plaster Walls

Mecurate Stud Finder

$30 $25 at Amazon

While newer homes generally have drywall, there are many older homes that still have plaster walls. And while just about any stud finder works well over drywall, many are challenged by plaster. If you're looking for the best stud finder for plaster walls, then the Mecurate Wall Scanner is our recommendation.

In our test lab, this device performed beautifully over plaster, easily detecting wood studs, metal studs, and live wires buried beneath the surface. It also worked well on drywall and paneling but required much slower passes for consistent accuracy on these surfaces.

There are four scanning modes on this device: stud mode, with a 3/4-inch detection depth, deep mode with 1.5-inch depth detection, metal mode for 2-3/8-inch depth detection, and AC mode, which has a 2-inch depth detection.

You can also turn on an audible beep and the LED indicators; we found this made it easier to quickly determine the location of studs. We also appreciated how this tool clearly shows both the edges and the center of the underlying stud, and the backlit display was easy to read even in dim lighting.

_{Sensor Type: Electronic | Deep Scan: Yes | Live Wire Detection: Yes}

Best for Hanging Heavy Items

Ryobi Whole Stud Finder

$36 at Walmart $30 $25 at Home Depot

If you are hanging something heavy, such as a cabinet, shelf, or large mirror, you need to securely fasten the item to more than one stud. Before beginning such a project, it's helpful to know exactly how wide each stud is and its center. After a brief learning curve, the Ryobi Whole Stud Finder provided us with that information quickly and accurately.

As the device moves over a stud, LED lights indicate whether the stud sensor is over the center of the stud and, if not, in which direction it should be moved to find the center. Once centered over the stud, a quick push of a button marks the spot with a small mark.

In our tests, the stud finder worked very well over drywall, plaster, and paneling, but we did find that it worked best when moved slowly across these surfaces. It was easy to use with just one hand and comfortable to hold. This stud finder does require calibration before every use, but it's not difficult to do; just push the button while holding the tool against the wall and wait a few seconds. It automatically searches up to 1.5 inches behind the wall, so switching between modes is unnecessary.

_{Sensor Type: Electronic | Deep Scan: Yes | Live Wire Detection: No}