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Mining · head to head

CorePlan vs Minemax Planner

CorePlan logo

CorePlan

Mining

Drilling programme management for mineral exploration teams and drilling contractors

From
$1350/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Minemax Planner logo

Minemax Planner

Mining

Strategic mine planning and optimization 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.; Minemax Planner minemax.com/products returns a 301 redirect to dataminesoftware.com and no product named Planner is listed on the Datamine planning solutions page
  • They diverge on capability: CorePlan covers Digital plods, Minemax Planner covers Schedule optimization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CorePlan and Minemax Planner actually diverge.

Attributes where CorePlan and Minemax Planner differ
AttributeCorePlanMinemax Planner
Starting price$1350/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month by shift or plod volumesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows
FoundedUnknown1997

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 Minemax Planner

  • Schedule optimization
  • NPV maximization
  • Cutoff grade optimization
  • Pushback scheduling
  • Multi-scenario analysis
  • Vulcan
  • Surpac
  • Whittle

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 Minemax Planner
  • A drilling contractor with crews across several client sites submitting plods digitally to cut invoice disputesnot Minemax Planner
  • An exploration manager reconciling contractor billing against recorded shift hours before approving paymentnot Minemax Planner
  • A multi project mid tier miner consolidating hole planning and sample dispatch across sites that currently each run their own spreadsheetnot Minemax Planner

Minemax Planner

  • Mine production scheduling and plan trackingnot CorePlan
  • Comparing life of mine scenarios against a base plannot 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.

Minemax Planner

  • minemax.com/products returns a 301 redirect to dataminesoftware.com and no product named Planner is listed on the Datamine planning solutions page
  • No pricing is published; licences require contacting the Datamine sales team
  • Planning capability is sold in role based bundles rather than as a single named planner licence

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

Minemax Planner

On request
  • Minemax Planner$20000/year
    • Schedule optimization
    • NPV maximization
    • Cutoff grade analysis
  • Minemax Enterprise$40000/year
    • Multi-mine planning
    • Advanced optimization
    • Integration APIs

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 Minemax Planner if

  • You need schedule optimization.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want npv maximization.
Minemax Planner review

Questions people ask

Is CorePlan or Minemax Planner better?
Neither clearly leads. CorePlan starts at $1350/month and Minemax Planner at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CorePlan or Minemax Planner?
CorePlan starts at $1350/month and Minemax Planner at On request.
Does CorePlan or Minemax Planner run on more platforms?
CorePlan runs on Web, iOS, Android. Minemax Planner runs on Windows.
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 Minemax Planner is typically brought in for.
What can CorePlan do that Minemax Planner cannot?
CorePlan covers Digital plods, Rig scheduling, Contractor reconciliation, Sample and core tracking. Minemax Planner covers Schedule optimization, NPV maximization, Cutoff grade optimization, Pushback scheduling.

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.

Minemax Planner: What discount do planning bundles offer compared to standalone Minemax licenses?

Minemax planning bundles save up to 33% versus purchasing standalone licenses.

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.

Minemax Planner: What are the three Minemax planning subscription tiers?

Strategic Mine Planner, Operations Planner, and Surveyor/Technician bundles.

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.

Minemax Planner: How do I find pricing for Minemax Planner?

Specific pricing is not published on Minemax's website. You must contact the sales team directly via their contact form or book a consultation to discuss tailored solutions.

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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