Free photo tool

Is that spot on your wall mold or mildew?

Upload one photo. We email you a clear answer in about 60 seconds. Mold, mildew, water stain, or dirt. Free, no signup.

Answer in 60 seconds Straight to your inbox 100 percent private

Upload a photo. Get your verdict in your inbox.

Send one photo. We check it and email you a clear answer in about 60 seconds. Simple report you can save or forward.

Step 1 · Pick a photo

or drag and drop a JPEG or PNG here. Your photo stays on your device until you hit scan.

Heads up: Visual screening only. Not a medical, structural, or clinical diagnosis. When in doubt, call a licensed mold inspector. The full Mold Scanner app runs a 160-point forensic scan and is free while in beta.

How to tell mold from mildew (the short version)+

Mold grows in 3D. Fuzzy, raised, dark (often black, green, or dark gray), usually on porous material like drywall, wood, fabric, and paper. Spreads in irregular patches. Smells musty. Harder to clean because it reaches into the material.

Mildew is flat. Thin layer that looks like a film. Lighter colors — gray, white, yellow. Usually on non-porous surfaces like tile, grout, caulk, plastic, and glass. Wipes off with a bathroom cleaner in one pass.

Water stain looks dry. Light brown ring, rust bleed, or white chalky efflorescence on concrete / brick. No active growth. A water-damage marker, not a living colony.

Dirt / dust / soap scum wipes off completely with water alone. No musty smell. No return after cleaning.

When in doubt: treat it as mold. The cost of assuming mildew and being wrong is spores in your lungs. The cost of assuming mold and being wrong is a bathroom cleaner.

FAQ

How accurate is the AI verdict?

This is a rough visual check, not a full inspection. If the photo is too dark, too far, or confusing, the tool will say "uncertain" and tell you to try again. For a bigger decision, use the full Mold Scanner app (160 points across 11 rooms) or call a licensed inspector.

Does my photo get uploaded anywhere?

The photo is compressed in your browser first, sent to our scan endpoint over HTTPS, and deleted as soon as the verdict comes back. We do not train on your photos. We do not store them. The origin and body of the request are tied to moldscanner.ai.

What kind of photo works best?

Good lighting, in focus, close enough that the suspicious area fills most of the frame. Flash on a phone is fine. Shoot the actual mold / mildew, not the whole wall from 10 feet away. JPEG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC up to ~15 MB on upload (compressed to about 1 MB before the scan).

Why did I get "uncertain"?

Usually one of: photo too dark, subject too far from the camera, the surface is not clearly a wall or fixture, or the photo is ambiguous between two categories. Retake closer, in better light, and try again. Or scan it in the full Mold Scanner app, which handles low-light photos better.

Is mildew dangerous?

Mildew is a less-serious cousin of mold. Surface mildew on bathroom tile grout is a cosmetic and cleaning issue, not usually a structural or health issue. Mold on drywall, ceilings, or in the HVAC is a different category and warrants a real inspection. This tool tells you which bucket your photo falls into.