Mushroom Foraging Map App: Forayz vs. GeoForager 2026 Comparison
An honest look at the two main mushroom foraging map tools — from someone who built one of them
I built Forayz, so take this comparison with that context. But I also used GeoForager before building my own tool, and I've tried to be fair about what each one does well. If you're trying to decide between the two for the 2026 season, here's what I think actually matters.
What Both Apps Do
Forayz and GeoForager solve the same core problem: they put wildfire burn data, soil conditions, and environmental layers on a map so mushroom foragers — especially morel hunters — can scout instead of driving blind.
Both apps have 2026 burn maps to help foragers discover where to find burn morels. Both offer burn perimeters, soil temperature and moisture, precipitation data, timber harvests, offline map downloads, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. On the core data side, these tools cover a lot of the same ground.
The differences come down to price, what you get for free versus what's behind a paywall, and a handful of features that are unique to each tool.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Forayz | GeoForager |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 burn maps | Yes | Yes |
| Burn severity layers | Not yet (planned) | Yes |
| Morel predictions | Town-by-town fruiting predictions (OR & WA) | Morel probability layer (burn-based) |
| Active burns | Yes | No |
| Soil moisture & temperature | Yes (free) | Yes (paid) |
| Precipitation & snowcover | Yes (free) | Yes (paid) |
| Tree / forest type layers | Ecoregions + basic forest types | USFS National Forest Type Dataset (~28 forest types + ~25 tree species) |
| Timber harvest maps | Yes | Yes |
| Burn condition updates | Regular curated updates throughout season | Seasonal |
| Public access lands | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| USFS trails & motor vehicle routes | Yes | Yes |
| Serpentine soils | No | Yes |
| Offline map downloads | Yes | Yes |
| Base map options | Outdoor, Terrain, Satellite | Google Terrain, Street, Satellite + CalTopo |
| Web app | Yes | Yes |
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes — soil, precip, snowcover, ecoregions included | Limited |
| Price (paid tier) | $15–$20 (1-year, no auto-renewal) | $49.99/year |
See It In Action
Forayz on mobile — environmental layers, burn maps, and forest types.
Where Forayz Has an Edge
Price
This is the biggest difference. Forayz Pro runs $15–20 depending on the plan, with no auto-renewal — that's 60–70% less than GeoForager's $49.99 annual subscription.
Both tools give you burn maps, soil data, precipitation, public access lands, offline downloads, and timber harvests at their paid tiers. The question is whether GeoForager's extra layers — burn severity, USFS trails, and a deeper forest type dataset — are worth paying more than double for how you forage.
Free Tier That Includes the Fundamentals
This is where the value gap is clearest. Forayz gives you soil moisture, soil temperature, precipitation, snowcover, ecoregions, and rainfall normals for free. No account required. You can open the Forayz map right now and start checking conditions.
GeoForager paywalls soil temperature, soil moisture, and precipitation — the data most foragers check before deciding whether to make a trip. If you want to see whether soil temps have crossed 50°F at a burn site before you drive three hours, Forayz lets you do that without spending a dollar.
The Forayz free tier is still useful without a Pro plan. Plenty of foragers use it without ever upgrading. Pro adds burn maps, timber harvests, and offline downloads, which matter most if you're hunting burn morels specifically.
Morel Fruiting Predictions
Forayz generates town-by-town morel fruiting predictions for Oregon and Washington based on soil temperature trends, precipitation, and elevation. It's not a guarantee — nothing in foraging is — but it gives you a data-driven starting point for timing your trips instead of guessing or relying on Facebook group reports that are always a week late.
GeoForager takes a different approach with a morel probability layer based on burn data, tree cover, and topology. That tells you where conditions are structurally favorable for morels — good for identifying promising areas. The Forayz predictions focus more on timing: when conditions are right in specific places right now. Both approaches have value, and they answer different questions. You can see what the Forayz predictions look like on the 2026 morel maps page.
Curated Burn Condition Updates
Throughout the morel season, I publish regular updates on conditions at 2025 burns and cities across Oregon and Washington. These aren't just raw data — they're write-ups with context about what's happening on (and under) the ground: which burns are likely producing, where soil temps are crossing the threshold, which areas are drying out, and what the coming week looks like.
This is a one-person operation, and I'm out foraging the same burns I'm writing about. The updates come from a combination of the data on the map and what I'm hearing from the foraging community on the ground. It's the kind of context that a data layer alone can't give you.
Check soil temperature and snowcover before your next trip
Forayz includes soil moisture, soil temperature, precipitation, and snowcover for free — no account, no credit card.
Where GeoForager Has an Edge
GeoForager has more total layers than Forayz, and several of them are genuinely useful. The per-burn analysis can help take some of the guesswork out of choosing specific burns to forage.
Tree and Forest Type Data
This is GeoForager's strongest unique feature. Their tree layer uses the USFS National Forest Type Dataset, mapping roughly 28 forest types and 25 individual tree species. For those scouting by tree association, GeoForager's forest data is significantly more detailed than what Forayz currently offers. Forayz has ecoregion layers and basic forest types, but it's not as granular.
Burn Severity Layers
GeoForager shows burn severity data — how intensely different areas within a fire burned. This is genuinely useful because moderate-severity burns tend to produce better morel conditions than areas that burned extremely hot. Forayz doesn't have this yet, though it's on the roadmap.
USFS Trails and Motor Vehicle Routes
GeoForager includes USFS trails and motor vehicle route data. If you're planning backcountry trips and want to see trail access overlaid on your burn maps, that's a useful planning layer. Both apps show public access land boundaries, but GeoForager adds the trail detail on top.
More Base Map Options
GeoForager offers Google Terrain, Google Street, Google Satellite, and CalTopo as base layers. Forayz has outdoor and satellite views. If you use CalTopo for your other outdoor planning or prefer Google's terrain rendering, GeoForager gives you more flexibility.
Serpentine Soils
A niche layer, but relevant if you're foraging in areas with serpentine geology — these soils support distinct plant and mushroom communities. Worth noting if that applies to your region.
Who Should Use What
Choose Forayz if…
- Price matters — you want comparable core features for 60–70% less
- You want soil data, precipitation, and snowcover without paying for them
- You hunt morels in Oregon or Washington and want real-time fruiting timing predictions
- You want curated burn condition updates throughout the season
- You want to try before you buy with a genuinely useful free tier
Choose GeoForager if…
- You want the deepest available feature set and are willing to pay for it
- Detailed tree species and forest type mapping matters to your scouting
- Burn severity data is important to how you evaluate burns
- You want USFS trail data and more base map options (Google layers, CalTopo)
- You're already comfortable with their platform
Use both: Forayz's free tier means there's no reason not to try it alongside whatever else you're using. Open the map, check conditions in an area you know, and see if it fits how you scout.
Forayz Pro: burn maps, morel predictions, offline downloads
$15–20 for the season, no auto-renewal. Available on iOS, Android, and web.