A face shape detector compares four things: how long your face is against how wide, and how your forehead, cheekbones and jaw compare in width. From those it assigns one of six or seven labels — oval, round, square, heart, oblong, diamond, and sometimes triangle. There is no scientific standard behind the labels. They are a stylists’ convention for choosing haircuts, beards and glasses, which is exactly what they are useful for and nothing more.
That matters for how you use a detector. Two honest tools can disagree about a borderline face because the cut-offs are arbitrary, and most real faces sit between two shapes. This page explains the four comparisons, how to check them yourself, which free tools run privately in your browser, and how SoftMaxx treats face shape (as a styling label that does not affect your score).
Part of the SoftMaxx facial anatomy glossary — every term, one definition each.
1. The six shapes, by the proportions that define them
| Shape | Length vs width | Widest point | Jaw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oval | Clearly longer than wide | Cheekbones | Narrower than forehead, rounded |
| Round | About equal | Cheeks | Soft, no corners |
| Square | About equal | Forehead, cheekbones and jaw similar | Wide and angular |
| Oblong | Much longer than wide | Forehead, cheekbones and jaw similar | Straight sides |
| Heart | Longer than wide | Forehead | Narrow, pointed chin |
| Diamond | Longer than wide | Cheekbones | Narrow forehead and narrow jaw |
These are the conventions stylists and detectors use, not a clinical classification. Some tools add a seventh, triangle (jaw wider than forehead). Expect borderline results: the cut-offs between "about equal" and "longer" differ from tool to tool.
2. How a detector decides
There are two approaches. Landmark tools find points on your face, measure the four proportions and apply cut-offs. faceshapedetector.app describes itself as "Powered by Google’s MediaPipe" and returns one of seven shapes with hairstyle, glasses and makeup suggestions. Vision-model tools show the photo to an AI model that names the shape from the overall outline, the way a stylist would.
SoftMaxx (ours) currently uses the second approach for the shape label: the vision model assigns one of six shapes and a sentence on why. We say so because it is a meaningful limit — the label is a judgement, not a calculation, and it carries zero weight in your score. What the score is built on are the ratios measured from 478 landmarks in your browser, including width-to-height ratio and facial thirds, which are the same proportions a face shape summarises.
3. Check any detector in two minutes
- Take a straight-on photo with hair off your face, or stand square to a mirror.
- Measure four distances: hairline to chin; forehead at its widest; cheekbone to cheekbone; jaw corner to jaw corner.
- Length within about 10% of cheekbone width: round or square (soft jaw vs angular). Length around one and a half times the width: oval, heart or diamond. Much more: oblong.
- Then ask which width is largest: forehead (heart), cheekbones (oval or diamond), all similar (square or oblong).
If a tool’s label disagrees with your ruler, trust the ruler. Camera angle and lens distance change apparent proportions: a phone held close widens the centre of the face, so shoot from arm’s length or further.
4. Free face shape detectors, and what each does with your photo
- faceshapedetector.app: free, no sign-up; states that "all tools run in your browser. Photos are never uploaded." Seven shapes plus style suggestions (read 18 September 2026).
- thefacereport.com: a free in-browser scan — "no upload, no account, no payment" — with face shape and hairstyle and frame guidance; full report $17.49 once (read 17 September 2026).
- SoftMaxx (ours): free front scan, no signup; face-shape label plus an overall score and 11 category scores. Landmarks are computed in your browser; the photo is analysed once and not retained. See methodology.
If face shape for a haircut is all you want, a dedicated in-browser detector is the simplest choice. If you want the proportions and what to do about them, that is what a measurement tool adds. See also free AI face analysis tools compared.
5. What the label is good for
Haircuts, beard shapes, brows and glasses: the working rule is to add width where a face is narrow and height where it is round, and to contrast frame shape with face shape. That is styling advice, not science, and a good barber or stylist looking at you in three dimensions will do better than any photo tool.
6. What face shape cannot tell you
It is not a measure of attractiveness and no shape is better; claims that one shape is "ideal" are fashion, not evidence. It says nothing about health. It changes with weight, age, hairline and the photo itself. And it is not a basis for any medical or surgical decision — those belong with a qualified clinician who can examine you in person.
7. Common questions
How does a face shape detector work?
It compares face length with width, and the widths of the forehead, cheekbones and jaw with each other, then applies cut-offs to assign a label such as oval, round or square. Some tools measure landmarks; others have an AI model judge the outline.
What is my face shape?
Measure hairline to chin, forehead width, cheekbone width and jaw width. Length about equal to width means round or square; length about one and a half times the width means oval, heart or diamond; much longer means oblong. The widest of the three widths settles the rest.
Is there a free face shape detector?
Yes. faceshapedetector.app runs in your browser with no sign-up and states photos are never uploaded. The Face Report's in-browser scan is free. SoftMaxx's front scan is free with no signup and adds a face-shape label to its scores.
Are face shape detectors accurate?
They are consistent on clear cases and unreliable on borderline ones, because the cut-offs between shapes are conventions that differ between tools. Most real faces sit between two shapes. Check the result with a ruler.
What is the most attractive face shape?
There is no evidence-based answer. Face shape is a styling category, not an attractiveness measure, and preferences for it are fashion. Measured proportions such as symmetry and averageness have research behind them; shape labels do not.
Does SoftMaxx detect face shape?
Yes. The free scan returns one of six shapes with a short reason. It is assigned by the AI vision model rather than computed from landmarks, and it has zero weight in your score; the score is built on measured ratios.
Can my face shape change?
The label can. Weight change, age, hairline, facial hair and even camera distance shift the proportions a detector sees. The underlying bone structure does not change without surgery.