How the Foot Scanner Works
How our Foot Scanner Works. Two photos, seven measurements, 400+ shoes ranked over 30 attributes. Here's what actually happens when you scan your foot.
What you need
A phone with a camera. That's it. No app, no account, no special paper. Open the scanner in your mobile browser, take a photo of the sole of your foot and one from the side. The whole thing takes about 60 seconds.
- Photos needed: 2 (sole + side view)
- Measurements: 7 extracted automatically
- Shoes compared: 400+ across 30 attributes
How to get a good scan
Photo quality is the single biggest factor in scan accuracy. Straight camera angle and good lighting matters more than camera resolution. Stand on a flat, contrasting surface (light floor works best). For the sole photo, point the camera straight down at your foot. For the side photo, place the camera on the floor, level with your foot so your full profile is visible from heel to toes.
The scanner will guide you through each step with an overlay outline. Try to fill the outline with your foot. After each photo, you'll see a review screen with a checklist: does the outline match? Is the full foot visible? Is the image sharp? If not, retake it. A retake costs 10 seconds; a bad scan wastes the whole result.
Tip: Avoid backlighting (no window behind your foot). The scanner needs contrast between your foot and the background to isolate the outline.
What gets measured
From the sole photo, the scanner extracts five measurements: forefoot width, heel width, arch length, toe shape (Egyptian, Greek, or Roman), and hallux valgus tendency. From the side photo, it measures instep height and heel depth. These seven values are expressed as ratios relative to your foot length, so the actual size of the photo doesn't matter.
Each measurement is classified into a range (narrow, medium, wide for width; low, medium, high for instep) and combined into an overall foot profile. This profile is what gets matched against the shoe database.
What you tell it
After the photos, the scanner asks a few questions: your street shoe size and your current climbing shoe (brand, model, size, and how it fits in three zones: toes, forefoot, and heel). This fit feedback is critical because it tells the system what works and what doesn't in a shoe you already know. If your heel feels empty but the forefoot is perfect, the scanner considers this on top to the measurements to find shoes with a fitting heel cup but keep the forefoot geometry.
Related reading: Climbing shoe heel fit: narrow vs. shallow heels - why the same "empty heel" complaint has two completely different causes.
What you get back
The result page has two parts. First, three interpretation sections that explain your foot shape in plain language, what your current shoe fit tells us, and what to look for in your next shoe. Second, 12 shoe recommendations split into four tiers of three shoes each: baseline (matching your current shoe's stiffness), softer, stiffer, and budget options.
Each recommended shoe comes with a description of why it was selected for your foot and any tradeoffs to consider. Recommendations include a suggested size based on your street size, brand-specific sizing patterns, and the downsize of your current shoe.
A real scan, start to finish
Here's what a real scan looks like. The foot belongs to a male climber, street size EU 44.5, currently wearing La Sportiva Solutions in EU 43 with squeezed toes but empty heels.
The scanner detected an Egyptian toe shape, narrow forefoot (width ratio 0.343), narrow heel (0.213), low instep (0.242), and long arch. The foot has a consistently slim profile front to back, pointing toward low-volume shoes.
The fit feedback from the Solutions was key: the squeezed toes despite generous sizing (only 1.5 sizes down vs the typical 2.5 for La Sportiva) flagged a toe box shape mismatch, not a width problem. The empty heel confirmed the narrow, shallow heel profile from the scan. The scanner adjusted its targets accordingly: medium-width shoes (one step wider than the raw scan suggests) to avoid repeating the toe squeeze, while looking for a narrow heel volume to fix the empty heel.
Top recommendations included the Drone 2.1 HV, Unparallel Souped Up, and Red Chili Voltage Lace in the baseline tier, with the La Sportiva Mantra and Evolv Zenist as softer alternatives. Budget picks included the Black Diamond Shadow and Boreal Ninja.
The fit feedback loop: Every scan with shoe fit data makes the system smarter. The more climbers scan their feet and rate how their current shoes fit, the better the recommendations become for everyone. If you scan, tell it about your shoes.
What it can't do (yet)
The scanner is good at matching foot geometry to shoe geometry and selecting models from our database. But for now the database relies mostly on manufacturer inputs and selected reviews which are often not accurate and not based on an underlying foot geometry - however, this will improve with every scan and fit input.
Processing is sequential right now. If many people scan at the same time, you'll wait in a short queue. It won't break, but it might take a minute instead of ten seconds.
And nothing replaces trying shoes on. If you have access to a shop with good stock, go try shoes. This tool is built for the many climbers who order online and want to narrow down the options before committing.
Ready to find your shoe? 60 seconds, no account, free. Start Scanning.