Software · head to head
MinePlan vs PCBC
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; PCBC dassault Systemes GEOVIA PCBC has no published commercial pricing and is sold via direct contact, with a separate Academic License Program as the only named alternative tier
- They diverge on capability: MinePlan covers Life of mine planning, PCBC covers Pit optimization.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which MinePlan and PCBC actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Windows), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 MinePlan
- Life of mine planning
- Long-term scheduling
- Economic modeling
- Scenario analysis
- Feasibility assessment
- Excel
Only in PCBC
- Pit optimization
- Pushback scheduling
- Cutoff grade analysis
- NPV maximization
- Sensitivity analysis
- MineSched
Both cover
- Vulcan
- Surpac
- Whittle
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
MinePlan
- Life of mine planningnot PCBC
- Long-term schedulingnot PCBC
- Feasibility studiesnot PCBC
- Economic analysis
- Strategic planningnot PCBC
PCBC
- Pit optimizationnot MinePlan
- Pushback designnot MinePlan
- Cutoff optimizationnot MinePlan
- Economic analysis
Both are used for economic analysis, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
PCBC
- Dassault Systemes GEOVIA PCBC has no published commercial pricing and is sold via direct contact, with a separate Academic License Program as the only named alternative tier
Pricing, plan by plan
MinePlan
On request- MinePlan Standard$16000/year
- Life of mine planning
- Long-term scheduling
- Economic analysis
PCBC
On request- PCBC Standard$12000/year
- Pit optimization
- Pushback design
- Economic analysis
Which should you pick?
Choose MinePlan if
- You need life of mine planning.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want long-term scheduling.
Choose PCBC if
- You need pit optimization.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want pushback scheduling.
Questions people ask
- Is MinePlan or PCBC better?
- Neither clearly leads. MinePlan starts at On request and PCBC at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, MinePlan or PCBC?
- MinePlan starts at On request and PCBC at On request.
- Does MinePlan or PCBC run on more platforms?
- Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is MinePlan best used for?
- MinePlan is most often used for life of mine planning, long-term scheduling, feasibility studies, economic analysis. Of those, life of mine planning and long-term scheduling are not what PCBC is typically brought in for.
- What can MinePlan do that PCBC cannot?
- MinePlan covers Life of mine planning, Long-term scheduling, Economic modeling, Scenario analysis. PCBC covers Pit optimization, Pushback scheduling, Cutoff grade analysis, NPV maximization. Both handle Vulcan, Surpac, Whittle, Windows support.