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Mining · head to head

Caterpillar MineStar vs CorePlan

Caterpillar MineStar logo

Caterpillar MineStar

Mining

Integrated technology for mining fleet management

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: Caterpillar MineStar requires significant capital investment and integration with existing fleet infrastructure; 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: Caterpillar MineStar covers Fleet management, CorePlan covers Digital plods.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Caterpillar MineStar and CorePlan actually diverge.

Attributes where Caterpillar MineStar and CorePlan differ
AttributeCaterpillar MineStarCorePlan
Starting priceOn request$1350/month
Pricing modelUnknownPer month by shift or plod volume
PlatformsCloud-based, Remote operation stationsWeb, iOS, Android
Founded1925Unknown

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 Caterpillar MineStar

  • Fleet management
  • Real-time tracking
  • Terrain management
  • Equipment health monitoring
  • Autonomous haulage
  • Drill guidance
  • CAT Equipment
  • Third-party OEM

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.

Caterpillar MineStar

  • Fleet optimizationnot CorePlan
  • Autonomous operationsnot CorePlan
  • Equipment monitoringnot CorePlan
  • Production trackingnot CorePlan

CorePlan

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

Where each one falls short

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

Caterpillar MineStar

  • Requires significant capital investment and integration with existing fleet infrastructure
  • Complex implementation requiring specialized training for operators and management personnel
  • Primarily designed for large-scale mining operations; less suitable for smaller mines

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

Caterpillar MineStar

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Caterpillar MineStar review.

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 Caterpillar MineStar if

  • You need fleet management.
  • You work on Cloud-based, Remote operation stations.
  • You also want real-time tracking.
Caterpillar MineStar 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 Caterpillar MineStar or CorePlan better?
Neither clearly leads. Caterpillar MineStar 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, Caterpillar MineStar or CorePlan?
Caterpillar MineStar starts at On request and CorePlan at $1350/month.
Does Caterpillar MineStar or CorePlan run on more platforms?
Caterpillar MineStar runs on Cloud-based, Remote operation stations. CorePlan runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Caterpillar MineStar best used for?
Caterpillar MineStar is most often used for fleet optimization, autonomous operations, equipment monitoring, production tracking. Of those, fleet optimization and autonomous operations are not what CorePlan is typically brought in for.
What can Caterpillar MineStar do that CorePlan cannot?
Caterpillar MineStar covers Fleet management, Real-time tracking, Terrain management, Equipment health monitoring. CorePlan covers Digital plods, Rig scheduling, Contractor reconciliation, Sample and core tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Caterpillar MineStar: Does MineStar work with equipment from other manufacturers?

Yes. MineStar Solutions work with all types of assets and integrate with any brand of equipment, sharing data across existing machines, systems and technologies.

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.

Caterpillar MineStar: What are the main components of MineStar?

MineStar comprises five configurable features: Fleet for equipment tracking, Terrain for haul path optimization, Detection for safety monitoring, Health for equipment maintenance, and Command for autonomous operations.

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.

Caterpillar MineStar: Can MineStar be used for underground mining?

Yes. MineStar Solutions are available for both surface and underground mining operations, with dedicated technology offerings for underground safety and productivity.

Source
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.

Caterpillar MineStar: Is MineStar a cloud-based or on-premises solution?

MineStar is a cloud-based, subscription-managed application that reduces costs of deployment, service, and training by allowing customers to select offerings by role, function, or task.

Source
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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