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Mining · head to head

Minemax Planner vs MinePlan

Minemax Planner logo

Minemax Planner

Mining

Strategic mine planning and optimization software

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: 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; 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: Minemax Planner covers Schedule optimization, 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 Minemax Planner and MinePlan actually diverge.

Attributes where Minemax Planner and MinePlan differ
AttributeMinemax PlannerMinePlan
Founded19972008

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 Minemax Planner

  • Schedule optimization
  • NPV maximization
  • Cutoff grade optimization
  • Pushback scheduling
  • Multi-scenario analysis
  • Deswik

Only in MinePlan

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

Both cover

  • Vulcan
  • Surpac
  • Whittle
  • Excel
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Minemax Planner

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

MinePlan

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

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

MinePlan

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Minemax Planner if

  • You need schedule optimization.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want npv maximization.
Minemax Planner 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 Minemax Planner or MinePlan better?
Neither clearly leads. Minemax Planner 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, Minemax Planner or MinePlan?
Minemax Planner starts at On request and MinePlan at On request.
Does Minemax Planner or MinePlan run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Minemax Planner best used for?
Minemax Planner is most often used for mine production scheduling and plan tracking, comparing life of mine scenarios against a base plan. Of those, mine production scheduling and plan tracking and comparing life of mine scenarios against a base plan are not what MinePlan is typically brought in for.
What can Minemax Planner do that MinePlan cannot?
Minemax Planner covers Schedule optimization, NPV maximization, Cutoff grade optimization, Pushback scheduling. MinePlan covers Life of mine planning, Long-term scheduling, Economic modeling, Scenario analysis. Both handle Vulcan, Surpac, Whittle, Excel.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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

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

Source
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
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