A laser is the right tool for one wall. The question is what happens to the other thirty, the corners, the notepad and the hour at the desk afterwards. Measure the same room both ways below — then see where the laser still wins.
Keep the laser. Stop using it for whole houses.
For a single wall, no — a laser reads to the millimetre, the scanner to a couple of centimetres. For a whole room the scan is usually more reliable, because every wall is measured and the corners are where you are, with no transcription errors.
When should I still use a laser?Checking one critical dimension, long outdoor runs, very dark or mirrored rooms the scanner struggles with, and anywhere you need a millimetre figure. Inkaroom's camera measure covers most of the odd jobs; keep the laser in the bag for the rest.
How long does a house take each way?Laser and notepad: typically 20–30 minutes for a three-bed, plus drawing it up later. Scan: about a minute a room, with the plan drawn and the areas worked out before you leave.
Does the app need the laser's readings at all?No. If you want a laser figure on a particular wall, set that wall to the known length by hand and the areas update.
Which phones can scan?iPhone Pro and Pro Max from the 12 Pro onwards, and iPad Pro. Other iPhones can draw the plan by hand in the app and still use the camera measure.
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