Can a stud finder work on plaster or tile walls?

Reviewers caution that performance drops sharply on plaster, lath, and tile. Some magnetic finders work on thinner plaster but many are explicitly not rated for it. For deep or layered walls, the Franklin ProSensor MAX advertises detection up to about 2.5 inches, and community threads confirm electronic multi-sensor scanners handle double drywall and tile-over-drywall better than basic models.