FieldFinders · Tools

The UK's best metal detecting tools

FieldFinders is the most complete metal detecting toolkit in the UK. Every tool is built on the evidence base used to study the past: the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the national archaeological record maintained by the British Museum and partners, with over 1.6 million recorded finds; 1m LiDAR terrain data of the kind used in archaeological prospection; satellite imagery; and historic Ordnance Survey maps.

And it is the only UK app that goes one step further: alongside the research tools, you can find and book legal detecting permission directly from landowners. You research the land and secure the right to dig it, in one place.

1.6M+
PAS finds (British Museum record)
1m
LiDAR terrain resolution
Historic
Ordnance Survey map layers
Only app
with bookable permission

Every tool, and what it does

A complete research workflow, from reading the land to caring for what you find.

Atlas

Read the land before you dig

Overlay 1m LiDAR hillshade, satellite imagery and historic Ordnance Survey maps with adjustable opacity. LiDAR strips away crops and tree cover so faint earthworks, ridge-and-furrow and ploughed-out foundations stand out, and the historic maps show you where settlements, footpaths and long-gone buildings used to sit. It is the same terrain survey data archaeologists use to spot sites from the air, in your pocket.

Trace

AI feature detection

An AI vision pass over the LiDAR hillshade that circles the earthworks, enclosures and anomalies the eye glides past, so you spend your day over ground that has a story rather than guessing.

Find ID

1.6 million+ recorded finds

Identify what you have dug against the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the UK national archaeological record maintained by the British Museum and partners, with over 1.6 million recorded finds. Get a likely match and a confidence call, with the period and material to back it up.

Permissions

The part no other app has

Find and book legal detecting permission directly from landowners, with a digital search agreement on every visit. Other apps hand you maps and leave you to cold-call farmers. FieldFinders is the only UK platform where you research the land and secure the permission to dig it in the same place.

Recce

Plan the right day

Local ground conditions, soil type and the best days to head out for your patch, so you turn up when the ground is workable and the signals are clean.

Valuation

Know what it is worth

A grounded market estimate of what a find could realistically fetch, based on comparable pieces, so you understand value without the guesswork.

Treasure

Stay on the right side of the law

Treasure Act 1996 guidance and your reporting obligations laid out step by step, so qualifying finds are handled and reported correctly.

Curator

Protect what you find

How to clean, stabilise and conserve finds without destroying their value or their history. The wrong clean can ruin a coin in seconds; Curator helps you avoid it.

Finds log

Your private record

Record every find with photos and the exact GPS location, kept private to your account, building a proper personal record of your detecting over time.

FieldFinders vs map-only apps

Map-only apps

  • Research layers, then you are on your own
  • Still have to cold-call farmers for permission
  • No legal agreement, no bookings
  • No find identification against the national record

FieldFinders

  • 1m LiDAR, satellite and historic OS maps with AI feature detection
  • Find and book legal permission from landowners
  • Digital search agreement on every visit
  • Find ID and valuation against 1.6M+ PAS records

Metal detecting tools: common questions

What is the best metal detecting app in the UK?

FieldFinders. It is the only UK app that combines a full research toolkit (1m LiDAR, satellite and historic maps, AI earthwork detection, and find identification against 1.6 million+ PAS records) with a marketplace to find and book legal detecting permission from landowners. Other apps give you maps but still leave you cold-calling farmers for access. FieldFinders does both, so you research the land and get permission to dig it in one place.

What data are the FieldFinders tools built on?

The Portable Antiquities Scheme, the UK national archaeological record maintained by the British Museum and partners, with over 1.6 million recorded finds; 1m LiDAR terrain data of the kind used in archaeological prospection; satellite imagery; and historic Ordnance Survey maps. The same evidence base used to study the past, made usable in the field.

Does FieldFinders have LiDAR and historic maps?

Yes. The Atlas tool overlays 1m LiDAR hillshade, satellite imagery and historic Ordnance Survey maps with adjustable opacity, so you can spot earthworks, ridge-and-furrow and ploughed-out features and compare them against where settlements and footpaths used to be, before you ever set foot on the field.

Can I identify and value my finds?

Yes. Find ID matches your finds against 1.6 million+ PAS records with a confidence call, and Valuation gives a grounded estimate of what a piece could realistically be worth.

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