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Mining · head to head

CorePlan vs UDEC

CorePlan logo

CorePlan

Mining

Drilling programme management for mineral exploration teams and drilling contractors

From
$1350/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
U

UDEC

Mining

Universal distinct element code for mining analysis

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.; UDEC the UDEC product page publishes no price and directs buyers to a quote request or an external software store
  • They diverge on capability: CorePlan covers Digital plods, UDEC covers Distinct element modeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CorePlan and UDEC actually diverge.

Attributes where CorePlan and UDEC differ
AttributeCorePlanUDEC
Starting price$1350/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month by shift or plod volumesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Linux
FoundedUnknown1981

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 UDEC

  • Distinct element modeling
  • Joint network modeling
  • Block interaction analysis
  • Support interaction
  • Dynamic analysis
  • FLAC3D
  • 3DEC
  • Leapfrog

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

UDEC

  • Geotechnical engineering simulationsnot CorePlan
  • Discrete element modeling and analysisnot CorePlan
  • Mining and tunneling software analysisnot 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.

UDEC

  • The UDEC product page publishes no price and directs buyers to a quote request or an external software store
  • Fluid Flow, Barton-Bandis joint analysis, Creep, Thermal and User Defined Models are optional add ons charged on top of the base licence
  • Writing custom constitutive models requires the separately licensed UDM option and C++ programming
  • Purchases through the Buy Now route are prepaid annual subscriptions rather than a permanent 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

UDEC

On request
  • UDEC Professional$19000/year
    • Distinct element analysis
    • Joint modeling
    • Block interaction

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 UDEC if

  • You need distinct element modeling.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want joint network modeling.
UDEC review

Questions people ask

Is CorePlan or UDEC better?
Neither clearly leads. CorePlan starts at $1350/month and UDEC at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CorePlan or UDEC?
CorePlan starts at $1350/month and UDEC at On request.
Does CorePlan or UDEC run on more platforms?
CorePlan runs on Web, iOS, Android. UDEC runs on Windows, Linux.
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 UDEC is typically brought in for.
What can CorePlan do that UDEC cannot?
CorePlan covers Digital plods, Rig scheduling, Contractor reconciliation, Sample and core tracking. UDEC covers Distinct element modeling, Joint network modeling, Block interaction analysis, Support interaction.

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.

UDEC: How much does UDEC cost?

UDEC pricing is not published on the product page. The vendor directs inquiries through an 'Ask an Expert' contact option at [email protected] or a 'Request a Quote' option through the itascasoftware.com store.

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.

UDEC: What is UDEC's pricing model?

UDEC is available through a subscription model rather than one-time licensing. Prepaid annual subscriptions are available through the software store, and pricing is customized based on quote requests.

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.

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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