Core logging software is no longer a one-size-fits-all category. Cloud-native platforms now sit alongside enterprise data management suites, mobile-first field tools, and a new generation of AI-driven core imagery systems. Choosing well means matching the platform to the stage and scale of your program — not just the feature list.
This guide covers the 20 platforms exploration geologists are actually evaluating in 2026, organised by tier and use case — from cloud-native SaaS through enterprise GIM systems, mid-market specialists, borehole-adjacent tools, and the new wave of AI core-imagery platforms.
Contents
20 platformsHow the market breaks down
The drill hole data management space now segments cleanly into five tiers:
- Cloud-native exploration platforms — Blue Butterfly, MX Deposit
- Enterprise GIM systems — acQuire GIM Suite, Datamine Fusion, Micromine Geobank
- Mid-market and specialist logging tools — maxgeo LogChief + DataShed5, GeoSpark Core, Hexagon GeoSlate, 1point, ALS GeoticLog, Plexer
- Borehole-geophysics-adjacent — WellCAD + CoreCAD
- AI imagery and automated logging — Imago, KORE Spector, GeologicAI, Datarock, LithoLens, Minalyze, AutoLogger, Epiroc CorePhoto
A few corporate moves are reshaping the field in 2026: Weir Group’s acquisition of Micromine closed mid-2025, IMDEX is absorbing ALT (the makers of WellCAD), and acQuire picked up the SaaS drilling-ops platform BlackFox in late 2024. The category is consolidating, and integration across the digital mining stack is the new battleground.
Cloud-native exploration platform
01. Blue Butterfly
Best for: Junior and mid-tier exploration programs that want a modern, browser-based platform with built-in validation, real-time sync, and a clean export pipeline — without per-seat licensing, IT overhead, or specialist setup.
Blue Butterfly is a web-based core logging and geological data management platform that functions as both a data entry tool and a cloud-hosted PostgreSQL database. It runs in any browser on any device, works fully online and offline, and syncs to the cloud automatically every 30 seconds in the background. Every team member works against the same live database — so there is always one current version of the project, with no merging, no version conflicts, and no “9 copies of the data.”
What makes it different
Same-day setup. Industry-standard presets let teams begin logging immediately. Custom templates can be built in minutes with a drag-and-drop editor — no database administrator, no consultant, no week of configuration. Templates export as JSON and can be replicated across projects to standardize a program or a company.
Validation that fires at entry. Depth-interval integrity (no overlaps, no inversions), numeric bounds, dropdown constraints, required-field enforcement, and regex patterns are all checked the moment data is typed. Errors surface immediately and visibly — red for blocking issues, yellow for warnings like intervals crossing a linked lithology boundary. Bad data never reaches the model.
Real-time multi-user collaboration. Any number of geologists can log on the same project simultaneously. Records are timestamped and carry a transparent sync status — Synced, Pending, or Conflict. Role-based access (Owner, Editor, Viewer) cleanly separates field loggers, reviewers, and read-only stakeholders like auditors or clients.
Strip logs and 3D, built in. Strip logs are generated directly inside the drillhole data page as depth-scaled graphical panels, with interval-fill tracks (configurable color maps and geological hatching), numeric bar tracks (sulphide %, RQD, grade), and text label tracks. The integrated 3D viewer renders every hole in the project as a trajectory in space, colored by any interval data column, with full orbit/pan/zoom controls. No separate license, no third-party tool.
A real export pipeline. Configure a workflow once — pick the drillholes, the collar fields, the data tables, the sheet layout, and the column names — then rerun it whenever you need. Output to CSV, XLSX, or ZIP. The intermediate Excel-reformatting step that exists in most exploration workflows is gone. For technical users, the database is queryable PostgreSQL — pull data out with SQL directly if you want.
Your data is yours. Full SQL export is available at any time, including on subscription pause or cancellation. The schema is non-proprietary and fully portable. Project-level JSON backups can be downloaded from settings at any time.
Pricing that fits exploration. Per-project pricing — not per-seat — so every geologist on the team gets their own account against the same live database without the licensing math that drives teams to share logins on competing platforms.
Notable capabilities at a glance
- Browser-based PWA, fully offline-capable with 30-second auto-sync
- PostgreSQL backend with full SQL export at any time
- Drag-and-drop template builder with industry-standard presets
- Built-in validation engine (depth logic, bounds, dropdowns, regex, required fields, linked-lithology constraints)
- Strip log renderer with configurable color maps and hatching
- Built-in 3D drill hole viewer
- 5-step import wizard (single-domain, bulk-domain, collar, workbook) for CSV and Excel
- 5-step export wizard with reusable named workflows
- Role-based access control with Owner / Editor / Viewer permissions
- Formula columns that auto-calculate from other columns in the same row
- Per-project pricing — no per-seat licensing
Enterprise GIM systems
02. MX Deposit
Seequent (Bentley Systems)
Best for: Teams already embedded in the Seequent / Bentley ecosystem who want native integration with Leapfrog Geo, Imago, and Seequent Central.
MX Deposit is the most established cloud-native platform from a major vendor. It runs in a browser with native iOS (iPad) and Android apps for offline field capture, and is recommended on rugged tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11. Drag-and-fill shortcuts, camera integration, GPS capture, and a real-time activity-feed collaboration model make it the most modern web UX among the legacy vendors.
Within the Seequent stack, integration is seamless: Leapfrog Geo dynamic updates, Imago for core imagery, and Seequent ID single sign-on across the broader Bentley Subsurface suite. MX Deposit is also the only major player to publish list pricing — US$3,515/year named or US$4,800/year shared at the time of writing. Free onboarding and in-line walkthroughs are included. The PDAC conference presence in Canada, US, Australia, and Latin America is considerable — MX Deposit is hard to miss at major geo events.
03. acQuire GIM Suite
acQuire Technology Solutions · also GIM Essentials
Best for: Major mining companies with dedicated database administrators that need the deepest data-governance and validation framework available.
acQuire GIM Suite is the enterprise standard for geoscientific information management. Rio Tinto has been a customer since 1997. It handles the widest range of data types in the industry — coal quality, geotechnical monitoring, hydrogeological data, drilling contracts — and integrates with virtually every significant mining software vendor through 20+ named partnerships.
The Data Discovery drag-and-drop query builder is unmatched at the enterprise tier. GIM Suite 5.5 (released November 2025) added pre-built data-capture tasks for RC, diamond, face, and surface sampling. The platform is deployed in hybrid form: a desktop “Composer” client, a browser web client, and the acQuire Arena mobile app for offline field capture.
GIM Essentials, launched mid-2025, is acQuire’s lighter-weight tier aimed at smaller teams. In November 2024, acQuire also acquired BlackFox, a SaaS drilling operations platform that extends acQuire’s reach into daily drilling management.
04. Datamine Fusion
Datamine · with DHLogger, QuickLogger, Sample Station
Best for: Mid-to-large operations already running Datamine Studio RM, or multi-country programs that need centralized configuration propagation across remote sites.
Datamine Fusion’s standout feature is its “mobile-local-central” architecture: a central SQL Server database, satellite FusionRemote databases at each site, and QuickLogger for mobile field capture. A configuration change made at headquarters cascades automatically to every site worldwide — no version drift, no manual updates. For global operations, that’s genuinely valuable.
Fusion ships with built-in 3D visualization via MineMapper, supports six languages (including Russian, Indonesian, and Portuguese), and has mature workflows for sample dispatch, QA/QC, and reporting through Report Manager. The integration into Studio RM and other Datamine modelling tools is deep — for resource-modeling teams already on the Datamine stack, Fusion is the natural choice.
Fusion XI Service Pack 1 is the current release. Custom deployments by consultants like LBC Resources are common at major operations.
05. Micromine Geobank
Micromine (Weir Group, ESCO Division)
Best for: Mid-tier and major operations already running Micromine Origin for modelling, Beyond for mine design, or Pitram for fleet management.
Geobank is Micromine’s geological database for drill hole and sample data, built on SQL Server. Geobank for Field Teams is the mobile online/offline companion with GPS, camera, barcode, mag-sus, and weighing-scale integration. Geobank in the Cloud (browser-based) is the modern deployment option alongside the traditional desktop installation.
The unique strength here is the unified Micromine stack: Geobank → Origin (modelling) → Beyond (mine design) → Nexus (data management) → Pitram (fleet) is a single-vendor pipeline across the entire mining value chain. Customizable schema, full audit trail, granular permissions.
In February 2025, Weir Group entered a binding agreement to acquire Micromine for A$1.31 billion. The deal closed in the June 2025 quarter, and Weir will run Micromine independently inside its ESCO Division under MD Kristen Walsh — eventually merging with Motion Metrics and NEXT into a unified digital optimization platform.
Mid-market and specialist logging platforms
06. maxgeo
maxgeo · LogChief + LogChief Lite + DataShed5
Best for: Operations that want deep automation — automatic ingestion of pXRF, assays, downhole surveys, and drilling reports — across Australian, African, and EMEA programs.
LogChief is the tablet-based geological and geotechnical logging tool. LogChief Lite is a lighter cross-platform PWA. DataShed5 is the central browser-based database hub. Together they form a coherent capture-to-database product line with one of the strongest automation stories in the category.
What makes maxgeo distinctive is end-to-end automation of file loading: native pXRF integration with Olympus Vanta and Thermo Fisher Niton; automated assay loading from ALS, Intertek, and SGS; downhole survey ingestion from AXIS and IMDEX; and DDR/PLOD ingestion from CorePlan, Krux, Lantern, and BlackFox. Their dsCONNECT integration layer ties everything to Leapfrog, QGIS, and Micromine. Power BI dashboards and barcode scanning round out the workflow.
The footprint is strongest in APAC and EMEA, with regular user conferences. The plugin architecture is mature: CoreShed for photography, LooK for spatial viewing, SQL Reports for custom reporting.
07. GeoSpark Core
GeoSpark Consulting Inc.
Best for: Canadian junior explorers and independent consultants who want a battle-tested product with personal, founder-level support.
GeoSpark Core is an affordable relational geological database for drill hole and surface data, built on Microsoft Access or SQL Server with optional Nimbus cloud hosting. Founded in 2007 by Caroline Vallat (P.Geo) and Will Vallat (M.Sc.), the company runs a hybrid software-plus-consulting model that pairs the product with hands-on setup help.
The client list — Gold Fields Canada, NovaCopper/Trilogy, Galore Creek, Hawthorne Gold, Orsa Ventures — speaks to its standing among Canadian junior and mid-tier explorers. Features include assay compositing, QA/QC with Thompson-Howarth charts, strip logs, and drill hole locking. After 18 years of organic development, the product is mature and proven.
The suite extends beyond logging: GeoSpark Assure handles assay quality services, GeoSpark Landlord covers tenure management. Customers span over a dozen countries, with the strongest presence in BC, Yukon, and Nunavut.
08. Hexagon GeoSlate
Hexagon Mining · HxGN MinePlan GeoSlate
Best for: Existing Hexagon MinePlan customers running 3D geological modelling, block modelling, and reserves on the MinePlan stack.
GeoSlate is Hexagon’s mobile Android tablet app for drill hole logging, syncing via Wi-Fi to MinePlan Drillhole Manager. Released at SME 2022, it’s built specifically for operations already invested in MinePlan 3D, Sigma, and GeoLogic implicit modelling.
The tight end-to-end pipeline from field capture to implicit model is the value here — preconfigured logging templates, instant Wi-Fi publication, automatic data validation, and a drill hole design module with deviation simulation. GeoSlate also imports from acQuire and ASCII/ODBC sources.
Sold as part of the MinePlan Exploration Geo package.
09. 1point
Flout Software
Best for: Australian coal explorers and Australian hard-rock juniors needing CoalLog and JORC-aligned workflows.
1point (formerly Task Manager 2014) is purpose-built around CoalLog, the Australian coal borehole standard, and dominates the Australian coal exploration niche. It runs as 1point Desktop (Windows) and a cloud edition with offline live logging. Flout Software is one of the few vendors that publishes a per-licence pricing calculator on its website.
Features include graphic log + brightness profile + cross sections from a single rendering engine, bespoke geological dictionaries (West Cumbria Mining built northern-hemisphere coal definitions in the platform), DotSpatial mapping integration, and PDF reporting. Exports cleanly to Vulcan, Minescape, and Leapfrog.
Australian data sovereignty by default — a real consideration for teams operating under EPBC and WA DMPE regimes.
10. ALS GeoticLog
ALS Geoanalytics
Best for: Quebec, Canadian, and Latin American juniors operating in multiple languages and benefiting from tight integration with the ALS lab network.
GeoticLog is a customizable desktop core-logging platform, part of the broader Geotic suite (GeoticMine, GeoticSection, GeoticGraph, GeoticCAD, GeoticField). Founded as Géotic Inc. in 2002, acquired by GoldSpot Discoveries in 2021, and now part of ALS Geoanalytics, the platform now integrates with ALS QC Pro, CoreViewer, and the new LithoLens AI core-imaging cloud.
Multilingual support (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese) is genuinely useful for Latin American programs. Strong drill-photo handling with linearisation, QA/QC, and standard plus custom dictionaries. Subscription model (monthly or annual) since the GoldSpot transition.
Direct export to GEMS and a tight pipeline into ALS’s broader digital product portfolio.
11. Plexer
Plexer
Best for: Australian juniors and mid-tier teams who want a lightweight cloud platform with a strong field-photo workflow.
Plexer is a cloud-based geological data management platform with a georeferenced field photo app, positioned as a single source of truth between field and office. Its photo workflow specifically targets reducing time from data collection to database integration “from days to minutes,” and the API access keeps it open to third-party tools.
Quick to deploy and lightweight, with a growing footprint in the Australian junior market.
Borehole-geophysics-adjacent
12. WellCAD + CoreCAD
Advanced Logic Technology (ALT) / Mount Sopris Instruments
Best for: Geotechnical, hydrogeological, and detailed sedimentological core description workflows — typically as a complement to a primary database platform.
WellCAD has been the industry-standard borehole-log composite software since 1993. CoreCAD is the dedicated core-description add-on with workflow templates for clastic, carbonate, and outcrop descriptions. WellCAD 6.0 (2025) added a Geomechanics module and color-classification AI for core-box images, plus CT-scan and optical-televiewer support.
In 2025, IMDEX announced the acquisition of ALT — meaning WellCAD will become part of IMDEX’s digital stack and integrate with the broader downhole survey instrumentation ecosystem through HUB-IQ.
Licensing is modular — Basic, Image & Structure Interpretation, FWS Sonic, Multiwell, Deviation, CoreCAD, LIS/DLIS, Automation, Browser. The file format has 25+ years of release history and is universally recognized in borehole geophysics.
AI imagery and automated core logging
A new category — adjacent to traditional logging but increasingly the front-end to whichever database a company uses. These vendors don’t replace your geological database; they automate the logging task itself or layer imagery and AI on top.
13. Imago
Seequent (Bentley)
Best for: Any team that wants a best-in-class cloud catalogue for core and chip photography.
Imago is the most established cloud-based core/chip photography platform. Auto-cropping, depth referencing, labelling, and a sophisticated viewer come standard. Deep integration with MX Deposit (for logging) and Leapfrog (for modelling) makes it the default imagery layer in the Seequent stack.
14. KORE Spector
KORE GeoSystems · Spector Optics, Spector Geo, Spector.AI, Spector Vue, BoxNet
Best for: Mid-tier and major operations digitizing core-shed workflows with imaging-as-a-service at the rig.
KORE combines Spector Optics (high-resolution imaging hardware that scans ~1,000 m of core/day), Spector Geo (cloud + desktop digital logging UI), Spector.AI (auto-cropping, RQD, fracture count, lithology/alteration predictions), and BoxNet (legacy data import engine). A May 2024 partnership with Major Drilling Group and DGI Geoscience delivers Starlink-connected imaging directly at the rig. Co-founded by University of Toronto Prof. Sebastian Goodfellow.
15. GeologicAI
GeologicAI (formerly Enersoft)
Best for: Mid-tier and major operations adopting trailer-mounted multi-sensor core scanning.
GeologicAI operates a trailer-based scanning service combining hyperspectral, XRF, RGB, LiDAR, and magnetic susceptibility sensors with AI interpretation. Its “Digital Core Table” replaces or augments manual logging. Client base includes Agnico Eagle, with ~18 trailers deployed across Canada, US, Australia, Bolivia, and Finland. Raised US$20M from Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Bill Gates–backed) in June 2024.
16. Datarock
Datarock
Best for: Computer-vision interpretation of drill-core images for lithology, alteration, structure, and geotech.
Datarock runs a cloud SaaS, geologist-in-the-loop model with strategic integrations into IMDEX and ELEMISSION. Outputs are structured for direct use in 3D modelling pipelines.
17. LithoLens
EarthLabs (formerly GoldSpot Discoveries)
Best for: Image analysis from core photos, televiewer images, and borehole videos — lithology logs and alteration zones.
Now part of EarthLabs’ modular SaaS platform after consolidation in 2024-25.
18. Minalyze + StratumAI
Minalyze AB (Sweden) · StratumAI (Toronto)
Best for: XRF-based continuous core scanning (Minalyze) and AI-driven exploration analytics (StratumAI).
Minalyze offers XRF-based continuous core scanning with associated logging software. StratumAI runs AI-driven exploration analytics including core imagery interpretation. Both compete with KORE, Datarock, and GeologicAI at the imagery+AI tier.
19. Epiroc CorePhoto
Epiroc
Best for: Operations evaluating new-generation core imaging hardware.
Announced in 2025, Epiroc CorePhoto combines high-resolution imaging, 3D laser profiling, AI-assisted analysis, and planned pXRF integration. Rugged (-50°C to +55°C) and under 400 kg — pitched as removing physical core-shed dependencies.
20. AutoLogger
Veracio (Boart Longyear spin-off)
Best for: Automated core logging in conjunction with TrueScan core scanning.
Veracio operates AutoLogger alongside its TrueScan core-scanning platform, targeting the same automated-logging niche as KORE and Datarock.
Drilling-operations software encroaching on the category
These are not core logging tools, but the convergence is real and worth knowing about:
- CorePlan — SaaS for drilling program planning, PLOD/DDR capture, contractor management, sample dispatch, and lab turnaround. Publishes pricing publicly.
- BlackFox — SaaS drilling-management platform, acquired by acQuire in November 2024. Root-cause analysis and multi-rig PLOD workflows.
- Krux — Australian/Canadian drilling-operations SaaS, the main competitor to CorePlan and BlackFox.
How to choose
Junior exploration company (≤20 users, single project, modest budget): Blue Butterfly is purpose-built for this audience — same-day setup, per-project pricing, built-in strip logs and 3D, and a real export pipeline to Leapfrog. MX Deposit is the established alternative if you’re already on the Seequent stack. 1point if you’re Australian coal. GeoSpark Core for the consulting-bundled relationship model.
Mid-tier producer with multiple sites: Blue Butterfly scales cleanly across projects with role-based access and per-project pricing. maxgeo LogChief + DataShed5 offers the best automation story for pXRF and assay ingestion. acQuire GIM Suite if you have a dedicated database manager and need enterprise-grade governance.
Major or enterprise operation: acQuire GIM Suite remains the deepest governance and validation platform in the category. Datamine Fusion is the equivalent if you’re already in the Studio RM ecosystem. Micromine Geobank if you’re on Origin/Beyond/Pitram. Hexagon GeoSlate if MinePlan is your corporate standard.
Core imagery and AI layer: Imago (best-known catalogue), KORE Spector (imaging + AI + at-rig service), GeologicAI (multi-sensor trailer scanning), Datarock (cloud SaaS computer vision). These layer on top of whichever database you choose.
Borehole geophysics and detailed sedimentology: WellCAD + CoreCAD complements your primary database for specialist borehole-log composites.
What’s next for the category
The shifts worth watching through 2026 are structural:
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Cloud-native is becoming the default. The fastest-growing segment is browser-based SaaS — Blue Butterfly, MX Deposit, Plexer, Imago, BlackFox — and even traditional desktop vendors are migrating (LogChief Lite, Geobank in the Cloud, GIM Essentials).
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AI imagery is now a distinct adjacent category, not a feature. Expect any serious database to integrate with imaging+AI platforms rather than try to build them in-house.
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Consolidation is accelerating. Weir Group (Micromine), IMDEX (ALT/WellCAD), acQuire (BlackFox), and Bentley (Seequent) are all aggregating. The independent specialist tier — Blue Butterfly, GeoSpark, maxgeo, Plexer, KORE — is where the most rapid product innovation is happening.
The best logging software is still the one your team will actually use consistently — the one that produces clean, complete, conflict-free data at the end of every shift. Pick for the next two years of your program, not the last ten of the industry.