Mining & Resources · alternatives
Alternatives to 3DEC
20 mining & resources tools sit alongside 3DEC in this directory. Below is what separates each from 3DEC on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 0
- Cheaper to start
- -
- 3DEC starts at
- On request
Why people look past 3DEC
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the 3DEC entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
3DEC publishes a single plan, 3DEC Professional at $25000/year. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Geological interpretation and mapping software
- 2 tiers to 3DEC's 1.
Environmental monitoring and management platform
- 2 tiers to 3DEC's 1.
Cloud-based EHS and risk management platform
Priced and rated the same as 3DEC on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Comprehensive geology and mine planning solution
- 2 tiers to 3DEC's 1.
3D finite difference software for geotechnical engineering
Priced and rated the same as 3DEC on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Integrated mine planning and design software
- 3 tiers to 3DEC's 1.
Every 3DEC alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DEC (this page) | On request | Subscription | 1 | |
| IHS Markit Petra | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Envirosuite | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Cority EHS | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
| GEOVIA GEMS | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| FLAC3D | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
| Deswik Suite | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs 3DEC |
| Imago | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
| acQuire GIM Suite | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| EQuIS Enterprise | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Dassault Systemes GEOVIA | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
| GeoStudio | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
| Fusion Mining | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
| Datamine Studio RM | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Hexagon PPM Mining | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Caterpillar MineStar | On request | - | - | vs 3DEC |
| Infomine Mining Intelligence | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Enablon EHS | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Carlson Mining | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Datamine | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs 3DEC |
| Geoscience ANALYST | On request | Subscription | 1 | vs 3DEC |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the 3DEC badges page.
What you would be giving up
3DEC is most often brought in for three-dimensional analysis of jointed rock and discontinuous materials, slope stability and pillar analysis for mining, blast and earthquake dynamic analysis, groundwater flow through fractured rock, coupled thermal, mechanical and hydraulic modelling for geothermal, co2 sequestration and nuclear waste. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If 3DEC is broadly right and the question is cost, the 3DEC pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Mining & Resources category lists everything the directory holds, and best mining & resources tools ranks them.
3DEC runs on windows, linux. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about 3DEC alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to 3DEC?
- 20 other mining & resources tools are listed in this directory, led by IHS Markit Petra, Envirosuite, Cority EHS, GEOVIA GEMS. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to 3DEC?
- None of the mining & resources tools listed alongside 3DEC publish a free tier on the record we hold.
- Why do people look for an alternative to 3DEC?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from 3DEC?
- 3DEC is most often brought in for three-dimensional analysis of jointed rock and discontinuous materials, slope stability and pillar analysis for mining, blast and earthquake dynamic analysis, groundwater flow through fractured rock, coupled thermal, mechanical and hydraulic modelling for geothermal, co2 sequestration and nuclear waste. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to 3DEC?
- None of the mining & resources tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these 3DEC alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Mining & Resources, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare 3DEC against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against 3DEC covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every mining & resources tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Mining & Resources category, 20 tools beside 3DEC. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.