If you have been using an app called AR Ruler — or you searched for one and got a page of near-identical results — and you want something that does more than draw a line on the camera feed, Measure Tools is worth a look. It bundles a full AR measuring toolset (distance, height, angles, area, rectangle mode, chain measurements) with tools most single-purpose ruler apps don't have: saved measurement photos, floor plans with 2D and 3D viewing, custom real-size furniture for checking fit, virtual walls, a bubble level and an onscreen ruler — on both iOS and Android, free to download.
Get Measure Tools for Android Get Measure Tools for iOS
Let's address the naming collision head-on, because it confuses almost everyone — and our own history is part of the story. For years, our app was listed on the stores as "Measure Tools - AR Ruler": "AR ruler" is a generic label that many measuring apps wear, including at least one popular app literally named AR Ruler. With our latest update we renamed the app to "Measure Tools - AR Room Planner", because it had outgrown the label — a ruler draws a line between two points; this app measures rooms, keeps visual records, builds floor plans and places true-size furniture.
So read this page as coming from an app that spent years as an "AR ruler" and grew out of it. It is not a trick page — it compares Measure Tools with the apps still named or marketed as "AR Ruler", so you can decide which one actually fits what you're trying to do. (And if you're looking at this because the name on your home screen changed: yes, same app, same developer, new name.)
The first half of the name is just as deliberate. The usual pattern in this category is one publisher shipping a shelf of single-purpose apps — one app for floor plans, a separate one for AR measuring, another for an onscreen ruler, another for a bubble level — each its own download, often each with its own ads and subscription. We took the opposite bet: every measuring tool in one app, and we keep building more. Point-to-point, height, angles, area, rectangle and chain measurements, virtual walls, floor plans with 2D and 3D viewing, true-size furniture, a bubble level, a DPI-calibrated onscreen ruler — the aim is for the most comprehensive collection of measuring tools you can carry in your pocket. Hence the name: Measure Tools.
Choose Measure Tools if you want room planning, saved visual measurements (organized into unlimited folders with the Measurements subscription), and furniture-fit use cases — measuring a real space, keeping a photo record of the numbers, and placing adjustable 3D furniture to see whether things fit before you buy or move anything.
A competitor may be stronger if you need CAD/DXF file export or contractor-grade reports and documentation. Measure Tools does not currently offer CAD/DXF export — its floor plans and measurements live in the app, where you can view plans in 2D and 3D and share measurement-overlay photos.
That's the honest split. Everything below is the detail behind it.
One capability deserves its own section, because it's the point where a measuring app stops being a ruler and becomes a design tool. With the 3D Planning tier, Measure Tools places adjustable, true-size 3D furniture in your actual room: size a piece to the exact dimensions from any store listing, set it against the real wall — and then walk around it. Look at it from the doorway. Crouch to see if it hides the outlet. Check whether the corner sofa really leaves room to pass. It isn't a picture on a screen or a drawing on a plan: the piece stands in your room at its exact size, and you move through the layout as if it had already been delivered.
That turns hours of guesswork into minutes of trying. If you're renovating or furnishing a home, you can audition a whole layout — sofa, table, wardrobe — before spending anything, and re-arrange it as fast as you can drag. And if you're an interior designer or architect, it's a presentation tool: stand in the client's actual room, place the proposal at true scale, and hand them the phone. Watching an idea occupy their own space is more persuasive than any floor plan or render — and it takes minutes, not a studio afternoon. We've built whole guides around this workflow: measuring furniture before you buy and seeing furniture in your room at its exact size.
A note on the right-hand column: "AR Ruler" is not one app, and competitor apps change their features and pricing frequently. Where we can't verify a specific competitor's current behavior, the table says so instead of guessing. Check the current store listing of any app you're considering.
| Feature | Measure Tools | Apps named / marketed as "AR Ruler" |
|---|---|---|
| Basic AR distance measurement | Supported — tap-to-place points, chain measurements for connected runs | Typically supported (it's the core feature); varies by app/version |
| Height / vertical measurement | Supported — dedicated vertical mode | Varies by app/version |
| Area measurement | Supported — close a chain measurement around any shape and the area and perimeter are calculated automatically | Varies by app/version |
| Angle measurement | Supported — dedicated angles mode | Varies by app/version |
| Rectangle measuring | Supported — included with the Measurements subscription | Varies by app/version |
| Saved measurement photos | Supported — measurement photos with the dimensions drawn on, organized in My Projects and easy to share | Varies by app/version |
| 3D box / object preview in the room | Supported — 3D box and cylinder previews to check fit, rectangular or round (included with the Measurements subscription); adjustable 3D furniture with the 3D Planning subscription | Varies by app/version |
| Virtual walls | Supported — included with the Measurements subscription | Varies by app/version |
| Floor plan | Supported (3D Planning tier) — mark corners, set wall heights, add windows and doors, save projects, view in 2D and 3D | Varies by app/version |
| Export | In-app 2D/3D viewing + shareable measurement-overlay photos; no CAD/DXF file export at the time of writing | Varies by app/version — verify the current listing if file export matters to you |
| Non-AR tools (bubble level, onscreen ruler) | Supported — sensor-based bubble level and a DPI-calibrated onscreen ruler | Varies by app/version |
| Platforms | iOS and Android | Varies by app — some are single-platform |
| Ads / subscription / trial clarity | Free to download, with free tools and premium subscriptions; the free experience shows ads; you can try it free | Most use ads and/or subscriptions; terms vary by app/version |
How Measure Tools plans work: the app is free to download, with free tools and premium subscriptions. The Measurements subscription unlocks every measuring mode (rectangle measuring and virtual walls included) and unlimited measurement folders. The 3D Planning subscription includes everything in Measurements and adds floor plans plus unrestricted custom real-size furniture — with Measurements you get a starter selection of furniture types; with 3D Planning you get all of them. You can try it free before subscribing.
We're deliberately not printing competitor prices or star ratings here. Both change often, and a comparison page quoting stale numbers is exactly the kind of fake-feeling SEO page we don't want to be. Check the App Store and Google Play listings for current pricing and reviews of any app you're comparing — including ours.
What we can say plainly about Measure Tools: it is free to download, with free tools and premium subscriptions. The paid tiers are Measurements and 3D Planning, the free experience is ad-supported, and you can try it free. There is no separate "pro" unlock hidden behind the subscription tiers described above.
No phone-based AR measuring app, Measure Tools included, is a replacement for a tape measure on jobs where being off by a centimeter matters. AR measurements are estimates: accuracy depends on lighting, surface texture and how steadily the phone tracks the scene — our guide to AR accuracy breaks down every cause and fix. Devices with a LiDAR scanner (Pro iPhones and iPads) are noticeably more accurate than non-LiDAR phones. Whichever app you pick, verify critical dimensions with a tape measure before you cut, order or build anything. Any AR app promising construction-grade accuracy is overpromising.
Honesty cuts both ways. Consider a different app if:
If neither of those describes you — you're measuring, planning and record-keeping for your own projects — Measure Tools likely covers everything the app you're replacing did, and adds the planning layer on top.
Try Measure Tools and see if it fits your workflow. It's free to download and free to try — measure a room, save a few measurements, and compare the results against the app you're using now.
Get Measure Tools for Android Get Measure Tools for iOS
Yes. The app was listed for years as "Measure Tools - AR Ruler" and was renamed to "Measure Tools - AR Room Planner" as its features grew from simple AR measuring into floor plans and room planning. Same app, same developer — if you had the old name installed, updates continue normally.
The core AR measuring overlaps; the difference is the planning layer. Measure Tools adds saved measurement photos, floor plans with 2D and 3D viewing, custom real-size furniture for fit-checking, virtual walls, plus a bubble level and onscreen ruler — on both iOS and Android. If you only ever need a quick single distance, most apps do that; if you measure in order to plan something, that layer is the point.
It is free to download, and the core measuring tool is free with no usage limits (the free experience is ad-supported). Premium subscriptions (Measurements and 3D Planning) unlock the full set of measuring modes, unlimited measurement folders, floor plans and furniture previews — and you can try it free before subscribing.
No. Measure Tools measures on any modern iPhone or Android phone using camera-based AR, and automatically uses the LiDAR scanner on Pro iPhones and iPads for faster, more robust results.
More on choosing and using AR measuring apps:
Measure Tools - AR Room Planner