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Mining · head to head

Carlson Mining vs CorePlan

Carlson Mining logo

Carlson Mining

Mining

Mining and surveying software solution

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CorePlan logo

CorePlan

Mining

Drilling programme management for mineral exploration teams and drilling contractors

From
$1350/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Carlson Mining no pricing published on primary domain; CorePlan pricing is usage based on plods or shifts and billed annually with overage calculated monthly, so an intense drilling quarter generates an unbudgeted overage invoice, and finance teams that need a fixed annual number will struggle to get one.
  • They diverge on capability: Carlson Mining covers Pit design, CorePlan covers Digital plods.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Carlson Mining and CorePlan differ
AttributeCarlson MiningCorePlan
Starting priceOn request$1350/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by shift or plod volume
PlatformsWindowsWeb, iOS, Android
Founded1983Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 CorePlan

  • Digital plods
  • Rig scheduling
  • Contractor reconciliation
  • Sample and core tracking
  • Field Operations module
  • Advanced Analytics
  • Forms subscription
  • Interoperability service

What people use each for

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

Carlson Mining

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

CorePlan

  • A junior explorer running a two rig programme that wants cost per metre visible weekly instead of when the contractor invoice arrivesnot Carlson Mining
  • A drilling contractor with crews across several client sites submitting plods digitally to cut invoice disputesnot Carlson Mining
  • An exploration manager reconciling contractor billing against recorded shift hours before approving paymentnot Carlson Mining
  • A multi project mid tier miner consolidating hole planning and sample dispatch across sites that currently each run their own spreadsheetnot 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

CorePlan

  • Pricing is usage based on plods or shifts and billed annually with overage calculated monthly, so an intense drilling quarter generates an unbudgeted overage invoice, and finance teams that need a fixed annual number will struggle to get one.
  • Only the Starter tier price is published; Professional, Enterprise and Corporate are all quote only, so comparing CorePlan against a competitor requires entering a sales process before you know the number.
  • Core modules are unbundled: field operations, advanced analytics and custom forms are separately priced add-ons that each start in the hundreds of dollars per month, so the realistic monthly cost is well above the advertised entry price.
  • It is a drilling operations system, not a geological database or modelling package, so it must sit alongside acQuire, Datashed or equivalent and the integration between them is a project rather than a switch.
  • The customer base and support depth are concentrated in Australia and the company is small and venture funded, which means teams in the Americas or Africa get thinner local implementation support and carry the usual supplier concentration risk on a system that sits in the middle of drilling spend.

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

CorePlan

$1350/month
  • Starter$1350/month
    • One project
    • Up to two rigs
    • Digital plods and rig scheduling
  • Professional$undefined/month
    • Multi-project management for mid-tier explorers
    • Higher rig and shift allowances
    • Priced on quotation
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Large-scale operations
    • Complex data integration
    • Priced on quotation
  • Field Operations add-on$800/month
    • Pre-starts and inspections
    • Field compliance forms
    • From this price

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 CorePlan if

  • You need digital plods.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want rig scheduling.
CorePlan review

Questions people ask

Is Carlson Mining or CorePlan better?
Neither clearly leads. Carlson Mining starts at On request and CorePlan at $1350/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carlson Mining or CorePlan?
Carlson Mining starts at On request and CorePlan at $1350/month.
Does Carlson Mining or CorePlan run on more platforms?
Carlson Mining runs on Windows. CorePlan runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 CorePlan is typically brought in for.
What can Carlson Mining do that CorePlan cannot?
Carlson Mining covers Pit design, Grade control, Production planning, Survey integration. CorePlan covers Digital plods, Rig scheduling, Contractor reconciliation, Sample and core tracking.

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
CorePlan: Is CorePlan a geological database?

No. It manages drilling operations, plods, scheduling and sample dispatch. Geological data still lives in acQuire, Datashed or similar.

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
CorePlan: Can drilling contractors use it too?

Yes, and that is the point. Contractors submit plods on the same platform their client uses, which removes the invoice reconciliation argument.

CorePlan: What does it actually cost?

Starter is 1,350 US dollars a month for one project and two rigs, billed annually. Everything above that is quoted, and the analytics and field modules add several hundred dollars a month each.

CorePlan: Does it work without mobile signal?

Yes, field capture works offline and syncs when the rig comes back into coverage.

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