Cabinet No. 40 vs EarthWonders: Collection Manager vs Marketplace (2026)
Cabinet No. 40 is built as the system of record for a private collection. EarthWonders is a marketplace with a lighter catalog layer - useful for selling, diffe
TL;DR (updated 3 August 2026). Pick by job. Marketplace and community sharing with a lighter catalog layer points to EarthWonders. A deep private mineral catalog - virtual cabinets, printable labels, Care, Exhibition, Excel import, provenance and privacy by default - points to Cabinet No. 40. EarthWonders' own 2026 software roundup discusses MineralDex and NM Collector and does not list Cabinet No. 40.
Facts below come from both platforms' public sites and help centers. Undocumented capabilities are noted as such. Where Cabinet No. 40 gates a feature by plan, we say so.
How to read this comparison
Cabinet No. 40 is the system of record for a private collection. EarthWonders is a sales and community channel with catalog features attached. Many collectors reasonably use both: C40 for ownership of the data, EarthWonders (or another marketplace) to sell.
Two jobs under one keyword
"Mineral collection software" can mean marketplace listing tools or lasting private records. EarthWonders optimizes for offers, messaging, market activity and one-link sharing. Cabinet No. 40 optimizes for IMA names, cabinets that mirror shelves, printable labels, Care, exhibition pages, sold lifecycle that closes provenance, and Excel migration.
If you mainly need buyers in a specific network, EarthWonders is built for that. If you mainly need to know what sits in drawer three and print labels for it, a catalog-first tool is the natural primary system for that job.
Cabinet No. 40 - catalog first
Core catalog (including free Hobby, with plan limits on slots/photos): virtual cabinets, Care center, Exhibitions from subcollections, provenance + Complete sale, Excel/CSV import with duplicate detection, PDF labels, wishlist, public profile, Mindat assist (BYOK), privacy by default, EU hosting, multi-language UI.
Paid plans unlock: more slots and photos, custom fields, visual label template saving, Field Mode, financial/lab stats, insurance PDF, marketplace listing, and on Curator+ a public REST API.
EarthWonders - marketplace first
EarthWonders presents itself as a home for mineral collecting online: marketplace, community and a collection manager that supports that social and sales layer.
Publicly stated: free cataloging with no advertised specimen cap; main species + up to three associated; up to ten photos/videos; provenance with community "historical collection" assist; one-link sharing and QR; in-app messaging and offers; live market data from platform sales; private by default; export stated as "Yes" without technical detail.
No public information we found on: PDF/print label editor, virtual cabinets, wishlist as a first-class shareable entity, Care/exhibition workspace, multi-language UI, Excel/CSV import with duplicate detection, or EU data residency.
Priorities that differ
Schema focus. EarthWonders is shaped for listings; Cabinet No. 40 is shaped for cabinets, labels and exhibitions.
Physical storage map. Virtual cabinets are a first-class Cabinet No. 40 workflow; not documented on EarthWonders.
Label and import tooling. Museum-oriented PDF labels and Excel migration with duplicate detection are core to Cabinet No. 40; not documented on EarthWonders.
Care and exhibitions. Conservation ops and curated public tours are part of Cabinet No. 40; not documented on EarthWonders.
Product focus. EarthWonders centers selling and community; Cabinet No. 40 centers the private catalog (with marketplace listing on paid Curator plans).
Data residency. Cabinet No. 40 hosts in the EU; EarthWonders does not publish an equivalent posture in the materials we reviewed.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Cabinet No. 40 | EarthWonders |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Collector specimen database (marketplace listing on paid Curator) | Marketplace + community (catalog supports sales) |
| Virtual cabinets / Care / Exhibitions | Yes (all plans) | Not publicly documented |
| Mindat assist | BYOK live fill | Not publicly documented |
| Custom fields | Paid plans | Fixed schema (main + up to 3 associated) |
| Print labels / PDF | Yes (all plans; custom templates on paid) | Not publicly documented |
| Excel/CSV import | Yes + duplicate detection | Not publicly documented |
| Provenance | Yes + sold lifecycle | Yes (marketplace-oriented) |
| In-app offers / messaging | Marketplace flow on paid Curator plans | Yes - core product |
| Live platform market data | No | Yes |
| Developer API | Curator+ | Not publicly documented |
| UI languages | PL, EN, ES, IT (+ more) | Not publicly documented |
| Data residency | EU | Not publicly documented |
Pricing
EarthWonders: cataloging free; selling takes about 5% commission plus card fees. No listing fees, no subscription for the light catalog.
Cabinet No. 40: free Hobby tier; Curator / Curator+ for scale and advanced catalog features. Marketplace listing on paid Curator plans. You pay for collection depth and optional sales tooling - not for basic privacy of your records.
Who each product fits
EarthWonders - primary need is selling and messaging inside their community.
Cabinet No. 40 - primary need is owning a lasting collection; sales are a channel, not the database.
Both - C40 as system of record, EarthWonders as one storefront.
Bottom line
Marketplace tools and collection managers solve different problems. Cabinet No. 40 is built as the collection manager; EarthWonders as the marketplace. Pick the primary job first - or run both with clear roles.
Try the Collector Panel free.
Related
Sources
earthwonders.com (about, mineral-collection-manager, help, 2026 best-software article)
cabinetno40.com Collector Panel, pricing, help center, changelog