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Mining · head to head

Carlson Mining vs MinePlan

Carlson Mining logo

Carlson Mining

Mining

Mining and surveying software solution

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
M

MinePlan

Mining

Life of mine planning and scheduling

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Carlson Mining no pricing published on primary domain; MinePlan the Internet Archive's capture of mineplan.com.au on 4 March 2020 already showed only a generic 'Website Coming Soon' hosting placeholder rather than a product page, indicating the domain has not hosted a live MinePlan site for at least several years.
  • They diverge on capability: Carlson Mining covers Pit design, MinePlan covers Life of mine planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carlson Mining and MinePlan actually diverge.

Attributes where Carlson Mining and MinePlan differ
AttributeCarlson MiningMinePlan
Founded19832008

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Windows), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Mining).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Carlson Mining

  • Pit design
  • Grade control
  • Production planning
  • Survey integration
  • Mapping
  • AutoCAD
  • ArcGIS
  • GPS

Only in MinePlan

  • Life of mine planning
  • Long-term scheduling
  • Economic modeling
  • Scenario analysis
  • Feasibility assessment
  • Vulcan
  • Surpac
  • Whittle

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Carlson Mining

  • Pit designnot MinePlan
  • Grade controlnot MinePlan
  • Mine planningnot MinePlan
  • Surveyingnot MinePlan
  • Mappingnot MinePlan

MinePlan

  • Life of mine planningnot Carlson Mining
  • Long-term schedulingnot Carlson Mining
  • Feasibility studiesnot Carlson Mining
  • Economic analysisnot Carlson Mining
  • Strategic planningnot Carlson Mining

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Carlson Mining

  • No pricing published on primary domain
  • No pricing page accessible via /pricing or /plans
  • Vendor contact required to obtain cost information

MinePlan

  • The Internet Archive's capture of mineplan.com.au on 4 March 2020 already showed only a generic 'Website Coming Soon' hosting placeholder rather than a product page, indicating the domain has not hosted a live MinePlan site for at least several years.

Pricing, plan by plan

Carlson Mining

On request
  • Carlson Mining Standard$7000/year
    • Mining design
    • Pit design
    • Grade control
  • Carlson Mining Professional$15000/year
    • Advanced mine planning
    • Production scheduling
    • Equipment management

MinePlan

On request
  • MinePlan Standard$16000/year
    • Life of mine planning
    • Long-term scheduling
    • Economic analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose Carlson Mining if

  • You need pit design.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want grade control.
Carlson Mining review

Choose MinePlan if

  • You need life of mine planning.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want long-term scheduling.
MinePlan review

Questions people ask

Is Carlson Mining or MinePlan better?
Neither clearly leads. Carlson Mining starts at On request and MinePlan at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carlson Mining or MinePlan?
Carlson Mining starts at On request and MinePlan at On request.
Does Carlson Mining or MinePlan run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Carlson Mining best used for?
Carlson Mining is most often used for pit design, grade control, mine planning, surveying. Of those, pit design and grade control are not what MinePlan is typically brought in for.
What can Carlson Mining do that MinePlan cannot?
Carlson Mining covers Pit design, Grade control, Production planning, Survey integration. MinePlan covers Life of mine planning, Long-term scheduling, Economic modeling, Scenario analysis. Both handle Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Carlson Mining: How much does Carlson Software cost?

Carlson Software does not publish pricing. No pricing page is available on carlsonsw.com. Contact the vendor directly for quotes and licensing terms.

Source
Carlson Mining: What is Carlson Software's pricing model?

Carlson Software's pricing model is not published online. The vendor appears to use a custom quote or contact-sales model. Reach out to their sales team to discuss your specific project needs.

Source
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