Name: Mushroom for Mac and Windows
Brand: Mushroom
Price: 9.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Thirty seconds

Which one should I buy?

Three questions, and the answer updates as you go. It is built to stop you buying the wrong one, so it will tell you when a choice closes a door later.

1. Where will you use Mushroom? One App Store purchase covers Mac and iPhone together; the Windows app comes only with a purchase from this site. Answering honestly here is what stops you paying twice.

Your Mac (always included) Also a Windows PC Also my iPhone

2. Do you want Friends messaging and Spore Storage file sharing? The two features that send things between devices. Everything else stays on the Mac it is on.

No, just the reminders Yes, run them for me Yes, on my own server

3. Do you want skins, add-ons and the dark room nudge? Ten mushroom colours, the extra add-ons, and a nudge to put a light on when the room goes dark.

Not bothered Yes, I want those

Side by side

The two places to buy it.

The App Store price is lower because Apple takes a cut of it and we do not run the checkout. The differences are small and they are all listed here.

	From this site	The App Store
Price	$9.99 once, excl. tax	$5.99, plus tax where Apple charges it
Free trial	7 days, no account, no card	None. The purchase is the licence
Licence key to enter	Yes, one key, once	None
Devices covered	5, Macs and Windows PCs together	5, Macs and iPhones together
iPhone app	Not covered. The phone app comes with the App Store purchase	Included. One purchase covers Mac and iPhone
Windows app	Included. Same licence key	Not included. Needs a licence key from this site
Updates	The app updates itself	Through the App Store
Friends and Spore Storage	Membership, $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year, or free on your own server	Membership, $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year, or free on your own server
Dark room nudge	Yes	No. The App Store sandbox has no access to the light sensor
Add-ons and skins	Work straight away	Need a licence key from this site, so a second purchase, then one line in Terminal
Your own server	Yes	Yes
iCloud sync	Yes, included	Yes, included
Refunds	Through Gumroad, who process the sale	Through Apple, who are the seller

Try free for 7 days 🍄 App Store $5.99, Mac and iPhone

The one part that is not a purchase

Two features run on servers, and only those two.

Friends messaging and Spore Storage file sharing send things between your devices, so unlike everything else in Mushroom they cannot run purely on your Mac. That makes them the only part of Mushroom that can ever cost money on a monthly basis.

Bought Mushroom already?

Both features are yours permanently, at no extra cost, on whichever version you bought. This does not change and is not something you need to act on.

Would rather run them yourself?

You can, on both versions, and it costs nothing. The server software is open source and runs on your own Cloudflare account or your own Linux box. When you do, those two features stop reaching us entirely. The guide is on GitHub.

The short answers

Everything else people ask about buying it.

What does it cost?: USD 9.99 excluding tax from this site, or USD 5.99 on the App Store, which covers your Mac and your iPhone. One payment either way.
Is it a subscription?: The app is not. It is a one-time purchase and it never stops working. Friends messaging and Spore Storage, the two features that run on servers, are an optional membership at $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year, or free on a server of your own.
How long is the trial?: 7 days on the version downloaded from this site, with no account and no card. There is no trial on the Mac App Store.
What happens when it ends?: Mushroom sleeps in the menu bar. Nothing is deleted, and entering a licence key wakes all of it back up exactly as it was.
How many devices?: Up to 5, on one purchase. From this site that is Macs and Windows PCs together; the App Store purchase covers Macs and iPhones.
Is the iPhone app included?: With the App Store purchase, yes. It is one app rather than two, so buying either platform covers the other. The $9.99 version from this site covers Mac and Windows, but not the iPhone app.
Is the Windows app included?: With a purchase from this site, one-time or membership, yes, the same licence key unlocks it. The App Store purchase does not include Windows.
Are updates free?: Yes. Every update since 1.0 has been free to everyone who already bought, on both stores.
What does it need to run?: macOS 15 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac, or Windows 11. The chat additionally needs Apple Intelligence on macOS 26, or a model you download once from inside the app on either platform.
What leaves my Mac?: Nothing, unless you switch on iCloud sync or one of the two sharing features. Reminders, notes, chats and stats are one file on your own machine.
Can I use it at work?: Yes. An organisation buys one licence per person, and each person gets the same 5 devices. Spreading one key across a team is the thing that is not allowed.
How do refunds work?: Through Gumroad if you bought here, through Apple if you bought on the App Store. Either way, write to hello@getmushroom.app first and we will try to fix it.
Is there anything else to buy?: Two optional things. The Original Skins pack is USD 1.99 excluding tax and changes the colour of your mushroom. Friends and Spore Storage are a membership, USD 2.99 a month or USD 24.99 a year, unless you run them on your own server. Neither one changes how reminders work.
Does the price go up?: It has risen as the app has grown, and it will again. Everyone who already bought keeps everything, at the price they paid.

All twenty questions › The full terms ›

You buy Mushroom once. It is yours.