Pacific Northwest · 340+ species identified

The cap matched
the book. The gills
didn't.

Sporewise gives you a second opinion in seconds — edibility rating, look-alike warnings, and the habitat notes your field book left out. Every find, logged with GPS.

340+

PNW species

94%

ID accuracy

<8s

avg. ID time

Sporewise
Analyzing
IMG_3847.jpg

Analyzing cap morphology…

Golden Chanterelle

Cantharellus cibarius

62%

confidence

Choice Edible

Habitat

Mixed Douglas fir & alder, moist soil, Aug–Oct

Look-alikes — caution

Jack-o'-lantern (toxic) — gills vs. ridges

False chanterelle — check gill attachment

Find #47 · Today 2:34 PM

47°32'N, 122°14'W · Tiger Mtn Trail

Golden Chanterelle·King Bolete·Hedgehog Mushroom·Matsutake·Morel·Oyster Mushroom·Chicken of the Woods·Lion's Mane·Lobster Mushroom·Pacific Golden Chanterelle·Shaggy Mane·Cauliflower Mushroom·Golden Chanterelle·King Bolete·Hedgehog Mushroom·Matsutake·Morel·Oyster Mushroom·Chicken of the Woods·Lion's Mane·Lobster Mushroom·Pacific Golden Chanterelle·Shaggy Mane·Cauliflower Mushroom·

How it works

From forest floor to field log in three taps.

01

Photograph it.

Point your camera at the cap, gills, or stem — wherever the distinguishing detail lives. The closer the better. Sporewise handles the blur.

Works offline in the backcountry.

02

Read the verdict.

Get the species name, edibility rating, and the two or three look-alikes most likely to trip you up in this exact habitat. Sourced from PNW-specific field data.

Look-alike warnings included free.

03

Log the find.

One tap saves the species, photo, GPS coords, and your notes to your personal find log. Review your season by trail, date, or species.

Export as CSV or share a find.

Features

Every detail your safety depends on, surfaced first.

Edibility rating

Choice edible, caution, or toxic — never ambiguous.

Sporewise gives a single clear verdict: Choice Edible, Edible with Caution, Inedible, or Toxic. No hedging. No footnotes you have to cross-reference yourself. If it's questionable, it says so.

Look-alike warnings

The species that sends people to the ER gets named.

Every ID includes the one or two most dangerous look-alikes for your region, with the specific feature difference — gills vs. ridges, ring presence, bruising color. The field guide equivalent of a second opinion.

Habitat notes

PNW-specific. Seasonal. Precise about tree associations.

The Pacific Northwest is not a generic biome. Sporewise's habitat data is built from regional records — which elevation, which tree partners, which weeks of the year. Your forest, not a global average.

Find log

Your foraging season, mapped and searchable.

Every find saves with GPS coordinates, species name, photo, and your notes. Filter by trail, date, or edibility. Track how your spots change across the season. Export your log as a CSV.

Our philosophy

A good field guide doesn't just name things. It tells you what to look twice at.

Most mushroom apps were built for the whole world, by people who have never hiked a damp second-growth alder stand in October. Sporewise was built for the Pacific Northwest — its species, its seasons, its specific hazards. We believe the line between a chanterelle and a jack-o'-lantern is exactly the kind of thing a phone should be able to clarify while you're still standing next to the log.

From the trail

“I've been foraging the Olympics for nine years. Sporewise caught a false chanterelle I would have bagged. The gills-vs-ridges callout was exactly right.”

Dana M.

Olympic Peninsula, WA

“The find log alone is worth it. I can finally see which spots produced in which weeks. Last fall I logged 23 matsutake in two visits using spots I'd been ignoring.”

Ray T.

Mt. Hood National Forest, OR

“It flagged the jack-o'-lanterns under the oak in my backyard as toxic before I even asked about edibility. I didn't know that species existed in WA.”

Kiri S.

Issaquah, WA

Pricing

Free for browsing. One purchase for the season.

Free

$0

  • 340+ species reference library
  • Habitat & edibility info
  • Look-alike warnings
  • Manual find logging with GPS
  • 5 photo IDs per month
Photo-ID unlock

One-time

$4.99

  • Everything in Free
  • Unlimited photo IDs
  • AI confidence scoring
  • Offline ID mode (no signal needed)
  • Full-season find log & export
  • Priority species database updates

One-time purchase · No subscription · Works on iOS & Android

FAQ

The questions you should ask before trusting any mushroom app.

The forest isn't waiting for you to look it up later.

Download Sporewise free. When you find something worth eating, unlock photo-ID for $4.99 — a one-time purchase for every season ahead.

Or get notified when Android launches

The Forager's Log

Stories & guides from the forest floor

Ultimate Guide

Best Mushroom Foraging Spots in the Pacific Northwest: A Region-by-Region Guide

From the old-growth forests of the Olympic Peninsula to the Cascades' volcanic slopes, the Pacific Northwest is North America's most rewarding mushroom hunting ground. This guide breaks down the top public-land spots by season, elevation, and species — so you know exactly where to walk and what to look for. Whether you're chasing chanterelles or matsutake, your next haul starts here.

Read more →9 min read
Safety & ID

Chanterelle vs. Jack-o'-Lantern Mushroom: How to Tell the Difference Before You Eat

Golden chanterelles are one of the Pacific Northwest's most prized edibles — but their toxic look-alike, the jack-o'-lantern mushroom, fools beginners every year. We walk through the five key identification features side by side, from gill structure to spore print color, so you never mix them up in the field. Get confident with your ID before anything goes in the basket.

Read more →9 min read
Beginner Guide

10 Edible Mushrooms Every Pacific Northwest Forager Should Learn First

Thousands of mushroom species grow in the Pacific Northwest, but a focused beginner only needs to master ten. We rank the most beginner-friendly edibles — from the foolproof giant puffball to the elusive king bolete — by how easy they are to identify safely and how often you'll actually find them on a casual walk. Learn these, and you'll rarely come home empty-handed.

Read more →10 min read
Comparison

How Accurate Are AI Mushroom Identification Apps? We Tested 5 Head-to-Head

AI photo-ID apps have made mushroom foraging more accessible than ever — but accuracy varies wildly, and a wrong ID can send you to the ER. We put five leading apps through 40 real-field test specimens, from common chanterelles to tricky Amanita species, and scored them on correct ID rate, look-alike warnings, and usability on the trail. Here's what we found.

Read more →10 min read
Seasonal Guide

When and Where to Find Morel Mushrooms in Washington and Oregon

Morel season in the Pacific Northwest is short, location-specific, and wildly rewarding for those who know when to show up. Spring snowmelt elevation bands, post-fire burn sites, and old apple orchards all hold different morel species at different times — and timing your trip wrong by even two weeks means missing them entirely. Here's how to read the land, track the season, and log your finds year over year.

Read more →9 min read