7 Great Distance Measuring Apps for Android and iPhone

The best distance measuring apps for Android and iPhone make it easy to quickly calculate the distance between two points. Some apps work by line of sight for shorter distances, while others calculate much further distances. No matter what you’re trying to measure, from your daily run to a cross country trip, these apps have you covered.

FYI: looking to measure altitude instead? Check out these apps that will measure altitude with your phone.

1. Best for Short Distances: Smart Measure

Platforms: Android

Price: Free with Pro option

Smart Measure is part of the Smart Tools collection of apps and measures both the distance and height of objects. It’s designed for short distances, such as determining how far away a person is standing or how far apart two walls are, without using a tape measure.

Yes, it does have some negative reviews, but in my experience, this is mainly because it’s a little tricky to use at first. Instead of just pointing and getting results, you need to first calibrate the app based on your own height. It’s not perfectly accurate, but is surprisingly close in most cases.

The app does have ads, but they’re not obtrusive. Watch a short ad to remove all ads for six hours. Or upgrade to remove ads and enjoy measuring width and area as well.

Pros

• Measure both distance and height
• Small ads don’t get in the way
• Step-by-step guide within the app

Cons

• Calibration isn’t straightforward (but there’s an in-app tutorial)
• Short distance only

Good to know: if you’re looking to learn a person’s height, try these apps.

2. Best for Golfers: Smart Distance

Platforms: Android

Price: Free with Pro option

Smart Distance is another app from the creator of Smart Measure that is optimized for measuring distances further out to a range of a kilometer. While Smart Measure employs trigonometry for distance measurements up to 50 meters, this app relies on perspective estimates to measure objects much further than that.

You’ll need to know the height of your target. For instance, a golfer would need to know the height of the flag (approximately seven feet). Then, the app uses your camera’s perspective to measure the distance based on the height.

While it’s one of the best distance-measuring apps for golfers, hunters, and anyone else measuring shorter distances, it’s not accurate past a kilometer. Plus, if you don’t have any idea of your target’s height, you won’t get accurate results. In my tests, it seemed to be off by about 6 to 12 inches sometimes.

Pros

• Ideal for short and longer distances (up to 1 km)
• Step-by-step tutorial in app

Cons

• Hard to use if you don’t know target’s height
• Small, unobtrusive ads (remove for a one-time fee)

3. Best for Perimeter Measurement: GPS Fields Area Measure

Platforms: Android and iOS

Price: Free plus Pro options

GPS Fields Area Measure (Android, iOS) works differently from the first two distance-measuring apps. Start with a map, and use it to measure the distance between two or more points. Measure the distance between two cities, the length of a road, or perimeters, such as a field or other plot of land.

It’s designed with farmers in mind who want to quickly measure the perimeter of their fields. However, it’s really for anyone wanting to measure distances and perimeters all over the world.

Use manual or GPS measuring to measure distance and area or find points of interest. Measure in both metric and imperial units. Click the +, choose your measurement option, and select your points. Or, use GPS measuring to measure while walking or driving. The free version does have large ads, and you have to pay to remove them.

Pros

• Measure short and long distances
• Measure perimeter, distance, and area
• Uses Google Maps views

Cons

• Large full-screen ads

4. Best for Home DIY Projects: AR Ruler 3D

Platforms: Android and iOS

Price: Free with Pro options

AR Ruler 3D, or AR Ruler App in the Google Play Store, turns your phone’s camera into a tape measure. If you’re working on renovating a room, landscaping your yard, or setting up a new floor plan, this app can help. It can handle everything from simple line measurements to volume to distance.

The app uses LiDAR technology to measure items. Gently moving your phone based on the tutorial in the app is all it takes to start measuring your target. Choose the unit of measure (both metric and imperial), along with your measurement type, such as a line, distance, volume, etc. The app can even auto-detect shapes.

While it’s one of the easiest-to-use distance-measuring apps, you’ll likely want to upgrade if you need to use it much. You only get four free measurements every 24 hours. And there are ads, though they’re not too bad.

Pros

• Great for small distances and home objects
• Measures both distances and 3D objects
• Offers a wide variety of measurement types

Cons

• Incredibly limited free version
• Occasional full screen ad

Good to know: the iPhone 12 and up come with a built-in LiDAR sensor.

5. Best for Walking Distances: Map My Walk

Platforms: Android and iOS

Price: Free with Pro option

Want to know the walking distance from your favorite coffee shop to your house? Just use Map My Walk (Android and iOS). The Under Armour app tracks almost everything about your walks, such as the route, pace, and distance via GPS on your phone.

Unlike other distance-measuring apps on this list, this is made for fitness. But, much like any map app, it’s ideal for tracking the distance of a route. It also works well for planning routes. Or, if you want to know the distance of a path, field, road, etc., just walk and let the app measure it for you. For instance, I measured the length of a hallway using the app.

Obviously, the app needs access to your location to work properly. For basic tracking and saving your routes, the app is free. And it works extremely well. But, for customizing workouts and goals, you’ll need to upgrade.

Pros

• Perfect for measuring a walking distance
• Works for short and long distances
• Free fitness tracking app

Cons

• Many fitness features are premium only (unlimited distance measurements, though)

6. Best for Completely Free Option: Google Maps

Platforms: Android, iOS, Web

Price: Free

While all other apps on this list have a premium option, Google Maps is free. Sure, you may already use it for traveling, but did you realize there’s also a built-in distance-measuring tool? If you want to see the distance for more than just a planned route, open the Measure Distance tool to get started.

Measure as large or small of an area as you want. Zoom in to measure your own yard or how wide a local lake is. Or, check the distance between cities, states, or countries. Right-click (Web) or long-tap (app) on your first point on the map. Select Measure distance, then select your other point(s). If you don’t see the option, swipe up to view more options. It can be a line or any shape you want.

The map shows the overall distance. It’s that simple. Plus, there’s nothing to buy or any annoying ads. You don’t have to drop pins to measure distance, but you can make it easier to find your target locations.

Pros

• Free without ads
• Measure any distance on a map
• Also a route-planning tool (or try these Google Maps alternatives)

Cons

• Not for interior measurements

7. Best for Land Surveying: Mapulator GPS Field Measure

Platforms: Android, iOS

Price: Free with premium options

Mapulator GPS Field Measure (the Android version drops the “Mapulator” part) is a distance-measuring app and area calculator in one. It’s made mainly for land surveying and offers both manual and GPS measuring modes.

The map looks just like almost any other map app, but use the Area, Distance, and Circle measuring tools at the bottom right to select what you want to measure. Choose between tap, scope, draw, coordinates, and GPS live to plot your points. Once you’ve plotted your points, the distance and any other information appear at the top and on the map.

This is one of the top apps to measure distance on Android and iPhone. It’s simple and straightforward to use. I didn’t notice any ads. If you want to save more than two projects, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan.

Pros:

• Measures distance and area
• Customize measurement units
• Multiple ways to plot points

Cons:

• You can only save two projects for free

Distance Measuring Apps Do the Work for You

Whether you want to measure a few feet or a thousand miles, there’s an app to handle it. Of course, you can always ask your favorite voice assistant some distance questions. For Samsung users, find out whether Bixby or Google Assistant is better to ask. And, if you’re tired of being bombarded with ads while using Android, try these apps to reduce or eliminate them.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.