Your friends already own that tool.
Borrow the drill, the ladder, or the tile saw from people you actually know. Free, private, and never public.
A pressure washer rents for $49–$104 a day. Borrowing Mike's is free.
Then invite your people. Nothing shows up publicly. Already here? Sign In
What Having Friends With Tools Gets You
Three things the rental counter and the marketplace can't do.
Skip the Rental Counter
Tiling one bathroom? Alex already owns the wet saw. It's been idle since March. Ask him instead of dropping $400 on a tool you'll use twice.
How Borrowing Works →Lend Without Losing Track
Lend Mike the pressure washer for the weekend. You approve the request, the return date is agreed up front, and your shelf shows exactly who has what.
How Lending Works →Reminders Do the Awkward Part
Jen still has your post-hole digger? The app reminds her before the weekend, so you never have to send that text.
See How It Works →How it works
Add Your People
Find friends by name or email, or send your invite link. Nothing is visible to anyone until you've both said yes.
Put a Few Tools on the Shelf
Check off what you already own with the quick-add wizard. Sixty seconds now, photos whenever. You choose who sees each tool.
Ask Like a Friend
See Sarah's circular saw, send a request with a return date, and she gets a notification. One tap to approve or decline.
Return It Like You Borrowed It
Your active loans show what's due when, reminders go out before the deadline, and marking it returned puts it back on Sarah's shelf.
Built on trust
How Invites Work
You add friends by mutual accept: you ask, they say yes, or the other way around. Groups are invite-only spaces for a street, a congregation, or a crew. Nobody sees your shelf uninvited.
Private by Default
Search engines never index it. Free to join. Nothing public. Your tools are visible only to friends you accept and groups you're invited into.
No Payments
Borrowing is free. No fees, no deposits, no checkout. If it costs money, it isn't borrowing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it free?
Yes. Creating a group, adding tools, borrowing, lending, and messaging are all free for everyone. The free plan includes up to three groups, which covers most people starting out. Paid plans add unlimited groups and features for larger or more active groups (calendar sync, maintenance tracking, advanced reservations).
Do I need an invite to join FriendsWithTools?
No. Joining is free and open. The invite-only part is what matters: nobody sees your tools unless you've accepted them as a friend or joined a group together. You bring your people; strangers never appear.
Who can see what I own?
Only friends you've accepted and members of groups you've joined. Your tools are never public, never on a marketplace, never indexed by search engines. Personal accounts have no public pages at all.
What if I break a tool I borrowed?
That's between borrower and owner, same as it would be without the app. The norm in most groups: if you break it, you fix it or replace it. The tool's message thread keeps whatever you agreed in writing.
What if I don't already know people with tools?
Turn on Nearby. FriendsWithTools suggests neighbors who've opted in too. You see a name and an approximate area, never an address, and nobody's tools are visible until you're friends. Send a request, and when they accept, your shelves open to each other. Starting a group for your street or building works too.
Take It With You
Answer a borrow request the moment it lands, check a friend's shelf from the hardware-store aisle, and add tools with your camera.
Ready to Ask a Friend?
Join free, add your people, and see what they can lend. It takes a few minutes.
Join Free