ARTIFACTOR
Lithic Stone Tool Identifier
$0.99 · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Your first identification is free. Photograph a find from several angles to see if it's an artifact, a natural rock or a modern replica, with the evidence behind it.
Is it an arrowhead or just a rock? Photograph your find and ARTIFACTOR tells you whether it's a stone tool made by people, a natural rock or a modern replica, shows the evidence behind the answer, and names the closest known types from your region.
HOW IT WORKS
• Photograph your find from several angles: both faces, the edges and the base. The AI reads up to 8 photos together.
• Add where you found it from your GPS, the photo's location or a spot on the map. Analysis uses only the area around it, to about 10 km.
• ARTIFACTOR's AI looks for flake scars, pressure flaking, notches, fluting, grinding and polish, and for signs of natural breakage.
• You get a verdict with a confidence level, the tool type and each clue it checked. If the photos aren't enough, it tells you which ones to retake.
• Leave the app while it works. If you allow notifications, you'll get one when the answer is ready. Analysis needs an internet connection.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Most rocks are natural, and ARTIFACTOR says so. It tells natural breaks from deliberate stone work and names the usual look-alikes: concretions, water-worn pebbles, naturally broken chert, fossils and crystals. It can flag modern replicas too, though a well-made replica can look just like an old point in a photo. Results are AI estimates, not professional authentication or an appraisal of value.
MATCHED TO YOUR REGION
See the named types documented near where you found it, with their time period and reference photos to compare when Wikimedia Commons has them.
WHAT IT RECOGNIZES
77 types in 14 groups, natural look-alikes and replicas included: arrow, dart, spear and fluted points, knives and preforms, scrapers, drills, blades, hand axes, celts, grooved axes, hammerstones, manos, metates, pestles, bannerstones, birdstones, gorgets, stone pipes, discoidals, gunflints, cores and flakes, in flint, chert, obsidian, quartzite, basalt and other stone.
KEEP A FIELD RECORD
• Save every find with its photos, notes, site type and where you found it.
• See your collection on the Field Guide map, pinned where each piece turned up.
• The exact spot stays on your device.
WHO IT'S FOR
Arrowhead hunters, surface collectors, farmers who turn up points in plowed fields, rockhounds, college students, and any adult curious about Native American stone tools.
YOUR PHOTOS, YOUR CHOICE
ARTIFACTOR asks before it sends anything for analysis. Your photos, find details and the approximate area go through ARTIFACTOR's server to Google's Gemini AI, and the server doesn't keep them. Your finds stay on your device. Sign in with Apple or continue as a guest, and delete your account anytime in Settings. AI analysis is for people 18 and older.
COLLECT RESPONSIBLY
In the United States, collecting on federal or tribal land without a permit is illegal, and state laws protect burial sites. Get permission before you search private land, and report significant finds to your state archaeologist.
ARTIFACTOR PRO
ARTIFACTOR is free to download, and your first identification is free. After that, ARTIFACTOR Pro covers up to 100 identifications a month (30 during the free trial), billed monthly or yearly. The yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. A subscription renews automatically unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings.
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://artifactor-website-58908358973.us-central1.run.app/privacy
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
What's new in ARTIFACTOR 3.0:
• A verdict on each find you analyze: likely artifact, possible artifact, natural rock or modern replica, with each clue it checked
• 77 types in 14 groups, natural look-alikes included, from arrow and spear points to celts, bannerstones and gorgets
• The closest types for your region, with reference photos to compare where available
• The AI reads up to 8 photos of each find together
• A notification when the answer is ready, if you allow them, so you can leave the app
• Sign in with Apple, or continue as a guest
• Your finds from the previous version move over when you sign in
• Your first identification is free, then ARTIFACTOR Pro covers up to 100 a month. Bought ARTIFACTOR when it was a paid app? Pro is yours for life.
The developer, Nicholas Kelley, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Nicholas Kelley
- Size
- 4.2 MB
- Category
- Reference
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
18+
- 18+
- Infrequent
Guns or Other Weapons
- Copyright
- © 2026 MR LISTER LLC
