Softwr

Mining · head to head

Datamine vs MinePlan

D

Datamine

Mining

Integrated mining software for resource estimation and planning

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
M

MinePlan

Mining

Life of mine planning and scheduling

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Datamine datamine publishes no price, no licence term and no named cost driver; the planning pages route buyers to a consultation or a sales contact form; MinePlan the Internet Archive's capture of mineplan.com.au on 4 March 2020 already showed only a generic 'Website Coming Soon' hosting placeholder rather than a product page, indicating the domain has not hosted a live MinePlan site for at least several years.
  • They diverge on capability: Datamine covers Resource estimation, MinePlan covers Life of mine planning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Datamine and MinePlan actually diverge.

Attributes where Datamine and MinePlan differ
AttributeDatamineMinePlan
Founded19862008

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Windows), 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 Datamine

  • Resource estimation
  • Geostatistical analysis
  • Geological modeling
  • Block modeling
  • Grade control
  • MineSight
  • Leapfrog
  • SAP

Only in MinePlan

  • Life of mine planning
  • Long-term scheduling
  • Economic modeling
  • Scenario analysis
  • Feasibility assessment
  • Whittle
  • Excel

Both cover

  • Vulcan
  • Surpac
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Datamine

  • Geological modelling and resource estimation for mining projectsnot MinePlan
  • Open pit and underground mine design and schedulingnot MinePlan
  • Drill and blast design, survey and production reconciliationnot MinePlan

MinePlan

  • Life of mine planningnot Datamine
  • Long-term schedulingnot Datamine
  • Feasibility studiesnot Datamine
  • Economic analysisnot Datamine
  • Strategic planningnot Datamine

Where each one falls short

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

Datamine

  • Datamine publishes no price, no licence term and no named cost driver; the planning pages route buyers to a consultation or a sales contact form
  • The portfolio is split into many separate products across strategy, design, scheduling, blasting, survey and production, so a complete workflow requires assembling several licences
  • Products acquired from other vendors, including Minemax Scheduler and Minemax Tempo, are now sold inside Datamine bundles rather than standalone

MinePlan

  • The Internet Archive's capture of mineplan.com.au on 4 March 2020 already showed only a generic 'Website Coming Soon' hosting placeholder rather than a product page, indicating the domain has not hosted a live MinePlan site for at least several years.

Pricing, plan by plan

Datamine

On request
  • Datamine Studio$14000/year
    • Resource estimation
    • Geostatistics
    • Geological modeling
  • Datamine Advanced$24000/year
    • Advanced optimization
    • Strategic planning
    • Risk analysis

MinePlan

On request
  • MinePlan Standard$16000/year
    • Life of mine planning
    • Long-term scheduling
    • Economic analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose Datamine if

  • You need resource estimation.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want geostatistical analysis.
Datamine review

Choose MinePlan if

  • You need life of mine planning.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want long-term scheduling.
MinePlan review

Questions people ask

Is Datamine or MinePlan better?
Neither clearly leads. Datamine starts at On request and MinePlan at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Datamine or MinePlan?
Datamine starts at On request and MinePlan at On request.
Does Datamine or MinePlan run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Datamine best used for?
Datamine is most often used for geological modelling and resource estimation for mining projects, open pit and underground mine design and scheduling, drill and blast design, survey and production reconciliation. Of those, geological modelling and resource estimation for mining projects and open pit and underground mine design and scheduling are not what MinePlan is typically brought in for.
What can Datamine do that MinePlan cannot?
Datamine covers Resource estimation, Geostatistical analysis, Geological modeling, Block modeling. MinePlan covers Life of mine planning, Long-term scheduling, Economic modeling, Scenario analysis. Both handle Vulcan, Surpac, Windows support.
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