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Mining · head to head

CorePlan vs GeoStudio

CorePlan logo

CorePlan

Mining

Drilling programme management for mineral exploration teams and drilling contractors

From
$1350/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GeoStudio logo

GeoStudio

Mining

Geotechnical analysis and modeling software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; GeoStudio the GeoStudio product page publishes no price and offers only a contact sales route or a link out to the Virtuosity reseller
  • They diverge on capability: CorePlan covers Digital plods, GeoStudio covers Slope stability analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CorePlan and GeoStudio actually diverge.

Attributes where CorePlan and GeoStudio differ
AttributeCorePlanGeoStudio
Starting price$1350/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month by shift or plod volumesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Macos
FoundedUnknown1989

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 CorePlan

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

Only in GeoStudio

  • Slope stability analysis
  • Seepage and groundwater modeling
  • Stress-strain analysis
  • Probabilistic analysis
  • Geotechnical visualization
  • AutoCAD
  • ArcGIS
  • CAD tools

What people use each for

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

CorePlan

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

GeoStudio

  • Slope stability analysis for embankments, dams and open pit wallsnot CorePlan
  • Groundwater seepage and contaminant transport modellingnot CorePlan
  • Stress, deformation and thermal analysis of geotechnical structuresnot CorePlan

Where each one falls short

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

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.

GeoStudio

  • The GeoStudio product page publishes no price and offers only a contact sales route or a link out to the Virtuosity reseller
  • Capability is split across separately purchased plans: three product plans for GeoStudio 2D, two for GeoStudio 3D, and GeoStudio Flow sold apart from both
  • Three dimensional analysis requires a different product plan from the 2D one

Pricing, plan by plan

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

GeoStudio

On request
  • GeoStudio Suite$14000/year
    • Slope stability analysis
    • Seepage modeling
    • Stress analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose CorePlan if

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

Choose GeoStudio if

  • You need slope stability analysis.
  • You work on Windows, Macos.
  • You also want seepage and groundwater modeling.
GeoStudio review

Questions people ask

Is CorePlan or GeoStudio better?
Neither clearly leads. CorePlan starts at $1350/month and GeoStudio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CorePlan or GeoStudio?
CorePlan starts at $1350/month and GeoStudio at On request.
Does CorePlan or GeoStudio run on more platforms?
CorePlan runs on Web, iOS, Android. GeoStudio runs on Windows, Macos.
What is CorePlan best used for?
CorePlan is most often used for a junior explorer running a two rig programme that wants cost per metre visible weekly instead of when the contractor invoice arrives, a drilling contractor with crews across several client sites submitting plods digitally to cut invoice disputes, an exploration manager reconciling contractor billing against recorded shift hours before approving payment, a multi project mid tier miner consolidating hole planning and sample dispatch across sites that currently each run their own spreadsheet. Of those, a junior explorer running a two rig programme that wants cost per metre visible weekly instead of when the contractor invoice arrives and a drilling contractor with crews across several client sites submitting plods digitally to cut invoice disputes are not what GeoStudio is typically brought in for.
What can CorePlan do that GeoStudio cannot?
CorePlan covers Digital plods, Rig scheduling, Contractor reconciliation, Sample and core tracking. GeoStudio covers Slope stability analysis, Seepage and groundwater modeling, Stress-strain analysis, Probabilistic analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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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