FossilCore Free
A real personal edition with structured specimen, site, taxonomy, image, map, catalogue and Collection Explorer workflows. A beginner can start simply without outgrowing the data model.
FossilCore vs other collection software
High-end fossil collection tools at an unusually accessible price.
FossilCore is designed to start comfortably with a beginner, grow with a serious collector or professional, and extend into smaller museum and university environments. This comparison emphasizes product fit and publicly posted pricing rather than pretending every system solves the same problem.
Important difference: FossilCore Free is not a 30-day demo and not a 100-specimen trial. It is the personal edition of FossilCore, with no time limit or 100-record ceiling.
Price snapshot
One of the lower-cost paths for serious collectors and small institutions.
Prices below use each vendor's current public information where available. Currencies are not converted, and quote-based or open-source products are identified as such. Checked 29 September 2026.
| Product / plan | Published entry point | Limits / pricing model | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| FossilCore Free Coming Soon | USD $0 | No 30-day limit; no 100-specimen cap | Beginner to serious personal fossil collection |
| FossilCore PRO Coming Soon | USD $49 one-time | One-time planned price | Serious collectors & professionals |
| FossilCore Institutional annual Coming Soon | USD $149/year | Annual institutional license | Smaller museums & collection teams |
| FossilCore Institutional perpetual Coming Soon | USD $499 one-time | Optional annual updates/support after year one | Smaller museums wanting a perpetual license |
| TriloBase | Free evaluation | Free use is limited to 100 items; paid registration available from the vendor | Personal fossil/mineral/rock/artifact collectors |
| PaleoTax / PalCol | Free | Free Windows database system; PalCol is the collection-oriented application library | Taxonomic research & paleontological specimen collections |
| CatalogIt Personal Small | USD $149.99/year | 2,500 entries · 3 users · cloud subscription | General personal collections |
| CatalogIt Museum Small | USD $540/year | 25,000 entries · 10 users · cloud subscription | Small museums and organizations |
| Specify 7 / SCC membership | Published membership tiers start at $0–750/year for Tiny; $1,500/year for Small | Open-source platform with consortium membership / support / hosting model | Natural-history research institutions |
| Axiell Collections | Quote-based | Pricing varies by functionality, users and hosting | Museums, archives and larger institutional environments |
Price alone does not determine product fit. Free and open-source options exist; broader museum systems may include collaboration, hosting, support and enterprise capabilities that are priced differently. FossilCore's advantage is the combination of fossil-specific depth and a low planned commercial price.
Product fit
FossilCore is deliberately broad within paleontology.
Its product line is meant to cover the path from first serious catalogue to professional collection analysis and then to a smaller institutional environment.
FossilCore PRO
Planned high-end personal tools add advanced search, analytics, richer imagery, scientific integrations and presentation workflows at USD $49 one-time.
FossilCore Institutional
Planned institutional tools add managed users, shared storage, environment administration, backup/restore and related workflows without forcing a fossil-focused collection into a broad enterprise CMS.
Capability context
Different products emphasize different strengths.
This is a positioning comparison, not a winner/loser scorecard.
| Area | FossilCore | TriloBase | PaleoTax / PalCol | CatalogIt | Specify 7 | Axiell Collections |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Fossil collections & paleontology | Fossils, minerals, rocks & artifacts | Taxonomic research + paleontological specimen collections | General collections | Natural-history & research collections | Museums & archives |
| Personal starting point | USD $0 personal edition; no 100-specimen cap | Free use limited to 100 items | Free | Free tier limited to 50 entries | Institution/research oriented; membership model | Institution-oriented; quote-based |
| Specimen catalogue | Built around fossil specimen records | Core collector workflow | PalCol provides specimen-based collection records | General item/entry records | Configurable specimen collection management | Configurable museum collection records |
| Taxonomy & geological context | Integrated taxonomy, geological age, sites and stratigraphy | Built-in fossil taxonomy and geological time; collecting-site geology | Strong taxonomic, geographic and stratigraphic orientation | General configurable relationships/fields | Paleontology and geology supported within a broad natural-history platform | Configurable within broad museum metadata |
| Images | Core images; PRO adds richer image workflows and annotations | Up to 99 photos per item with editing/annotation tools | Images/documents can be linked to records | Cloud image/media management | Institutional asset/specimen workflows | Institutional media/collection workflows |
| Visual exploration & analysis | Collection Explorer; PRO adds analytics, graphical exploration and specimen comparison | Collector-oriented search/catalogue tools | Companion Graph and Map tools; research-oriented analysis | Search, relationships and collection views | Powerful search, data management and large-scale workflows | Broad institutional search and workflow tools |
| Stratigraphy emphasis | Designed as part of the fossil workflow; advanced stratigraphic tools in PRO direction | Geological time and site geology supported | Stratigraphy is a core research data domain | General collection metadata | Geology/paleontology data configurable | General institutional metadata |
| Data quality / research exchange | PRO direction includes quality/standards-oriented scientific workflows | Collector-focused validation/workflow | Research database assessment/export tools | General export/API options by plan | Strong validation, bulk workflows, Darwin Core/GBIF publishing | Broad standards and institutional integration ecosystem |
| Physical storage & inventory | Institutional direction: managed storage and small-team administration | Room/cabinet/drawer or shelf storage fields | Collection administration through PalCol | Museum/organization collection tracking | Institutional collection-management workflows | Strong locations, movements, loans, storage and conservation workflows |
| Multi-user / institution | Institutional planned for smaller fossil-focused museums and teams | Primarily collector desktop positioning | Research-oriented desktop database system | Paid Museum plans include multiple users | Web-based institutional collaboration | Web-based institutional collaboration |
| Deployment | Local-first Windows desktop; Institutional shared environment planned | Windows desktop | Windows desktop database system | Cloud/web/mobile | Web-based open-source platform | Browser-based institutional platform |
| Price character | Free personal; PRO USD $49 one-time; Institutional USD $149/year or USD $499 perpetual | Free 100-item evaluation + paid registration | Free | Subscriptions from USD $149.99/year personal; USD $540/year museum | Open source; consortium membership/support tiers published separately | Tailored quote |
How to read the comparison: FossilCore is not the cheapest product in every category—PaleoTax/PalCol is free and TriloBase has a low-cost collector model. The point is that FossilCore combines a genuinely free personal edition with a planned USD $49 high-end PRO edition and institutional pricing that is low relative to many commercial museum-oriented offerings.
Public comparison sources
Competitor facts and pricing can change. These links are included so visitors can verify the current vendor information directly.
- TriloBase official site ↗ — Windows collector database; vendor documentation states unregistered/free use is limited to 100 items.
- PaleoTax official site ↗ — free Windows database system; PalCol is the fossil-collection application library.
- CatalogIt pricing ↗ — Personal and Museum subscription tiers.
- Specify Collections Consortium membership ↗ — published membership/support/hosting tiers.
- Axiell Collections FAQ ↗ — pricing is tailored/quote-based.
FossilCore is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the products or vendors listed above.