Cabinet No. 40 vs Geology365 - Mineral Management Software Comparison
A factual side-by-side of two different approaches to mineral collection software: a deep collection-management platform versus an all-in-one platform that also
"Mineral collection software" covers a wider range of products than most collectors realize. Some platforms are pure collection-management tools. Some are marketplaces. Some are club-management systems with a catalog attached. Cabinet No. 40 and Geology365 sit in two of those categories, which is what makes the comparison useful.
This article sticks to publicly verifiable facts from both platforms' own websites, help centers, and app store listings. Where information is not public, we say so explicitly.
Why this comparison matters
Geology365 and Cabinet No. 40 share an obvious purpose - help you catalog your mineral collection - but they were clearly built for different users. Geology365 grew out of the US mineral-club ecosystem and bundles a club-management product, a free club website builder, an event calendar, and a crowdsourced identification community alongside its catalog. Cabinet No. 40 is a collection-management platform for the individual collector, with a separate optional marketplace and no club tooling.
If you are also helping to run a local mineral club, those differences matter. If you are not, they tell you which product is actually focused on your problem.
Cabinet No. 40 in a nutshell
Cabinet No. 40 (C40) is a collection-management platform for serious mineral collectors. The Collector Panel is the core product; the marketplace is a separate, optional layer. There is no club-management module, no public website builder for clubs, no event calendar.
What defines C40:
OpenMindat API sync and automation. Start typing a mineral name and the system pulls the chemical formula, hardness, crystal system, and IMA-validated classification directly from Mindat in real time. No manual lookup, no copy-paste.
Developer API - full programmatic access to your collection. A REST API that lets you query your own specimens, cabinets, and wishlist. Build your own integrations or use C40 as a headless CMS for a personal mineral website.
Advanced, fully customizable field sets per specimen. You decide which fields are visible on a card, on a label, in print, in a public share. Different field profiles for different collection types or display contexts.
Virtual cabinets (gabloty). Arrange specimens on virtual shelves the way they sit in your real cabinet, with drag and drop, multiple cabinets, and per-shelf layout.
Wishlist with public sharing. A structured "what I am looking for" list that you can share with dealers and fellow collectors.
Strict IMA nomenclature with built-in mineral knowledge base. Classes, groups, subclasses, and localities wired into autocomplete and validation.
Field Mode. Offline drafts on mobile that sync to the cloud when you are back online. Designed for field trips, mineral shows, and remote localities with no signal.
Print Layout Editor. A Figma-like editor for collection labels and catalog pages, with multiple paper sizes and per-card field selection.
Bulk Excel and CSV import with fuzzy duplicate detection.
Cross-device sync with real-time updates and panel UI preferences stored in the cloud.
Provenance and per-field sensitivity controls. Hide exact localities on public shares while keeping them in your private record.
Multi-language UI - Polish, English, Spanish, Italian.
Privacy by default. No EXIF leakage from uploaded photos, collector data isolated by Row-Level Security, separate marketplace identity.
AI assistance - auto-generated specimen descriptions, AI alt text for photos, SEO-optimized metadata for public shares.
EU data residency (Supabase EU region).
Geology365 in a nutshell
Geology365 is a US-based all-in-one platform built by Ryan Klockner, with strong ties to the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies (EFMLS). It combines a mineral and fossil collection manager, a club-management suite, a free club website generator, an event and dues system, and a crowdsourced identification community.
Publicly stated features and limits:
Web platform plus separate paid mobile app: iOS $2.99, Android EUR 2.59 (one-time purchase).
Specimen limits by tier (per the platform's own announcement to users):
Free: 365 specimens, 1 photo per specimen, condensed (lower-resolution) images.
$5 / month: 1,460 specimens, 6 photos per specimen, full-resolution images.
$10 / month: 5,000 specimens, 10 photos per specimen, full-resolution images.
Above 5,000 specimens: email [email protected] for custom access.
Customizable field display: choose which fields from a predefined list are shown by default. No public information about user-defined custom fields.
Custom-designed printable labels (one saved design, reusable).
QR code generation per specimen, scannable to a public single-specimen page.
Bulk Excel / spreadsheet import and export.
Collection statistics.
Mindat integration: species autocomplete plus a saved Mindat link and chemical formula on the specimen record.
Privacy control (keep specimens private): listed as a Premium feature.
Bulk label printing (dealer tool): listed as a Premium feature.
Mobile app: listed as a Premium feature, available as separate paid app on App Store / Google Play.
Specimen identification: crowdsourced - post a specimen, the community helps identify it.
Club tools (separate from the collection manager): member management, dues with PayPal, events, document storage, generated club website, presenter database, US club directory by state.
No public information on: user-defined custom fields, virtual cabinets, wishlist, multi-language UI, public API, AI features, server location, data residency, EU posture, or technical export formats.
Feature comparison
Feature | Cabinet No. 40 | Geology365 |
|---|---|---|
Primary purpose | Collection management for individual collectors (marketplace optional) | All-in-one: collection manager + club management + club websites + community |
Specimen capacity (free tier) | Free Hobby tier: up to 50 specimens | Free tier: up to 365 specimens |
Specimen capacity (paid tiers) | Kustosz / Kustosz+ raise the limit; see pricing page | $5/mo = 1,460; $10/mo = 5,000; above that, email contact |
Photos per specimen | Configurable: main + gallery + macro | Free = 1 (condensed); $5 = 6; $10 = 10 |
Photo resolution | Original-resolution storage | Free = condensed; paid = full-resolution |
Custom fields per specimen | Fully customizable field sets, per-card, per-label, per-share | Display preferences over a predefined list; no public info about user-defined custom fields |
OpenMindat / Mindat integration | OpenMindat API sync - formula, hardness, crystal system, classification in real time | Mindat autocomplete + saved Mindat link and formula (link not clickable from specimen view) |
Developer API | Yes - REST API for your entire collection | No public information |
Virtual cabinets / shelves | Yes - multi-cabinet, drag-and-drop layout | No public information |
Wishlist (public, shareable) | Yes - structured, filterable, shareable | No public information |
Print labels | Print Layout Editor (Figma-like), multiple sizes, per-card field selection | One saved label, reusable; bulk label printing is Premium |
Offline / field use | Field Mode - offline drafts on mobile web with IndexedDB sync | Separate paid mobile app; offline capability not publicly documented |
Bulk Excel / CSV import | Yes - fuzzy duplicate detection | Yes - bulk import from spreadsheets |
QR codes per specimen | Public share links per specimen, per cabinet, per wishlist; field-level sensitivity | Yes - unique QR per specimen, scannable to public page |
Privacy / public visibility | Private by default; per-field sensitivity controls | "Privacy Control" (keeping specimens private) is a Premium feature |
Languages (UI) | PL, EN, ES, IT | No public information |
Mobile app | No native app; mobile-optimized web with PWA-style Field Mode | Native iOS ($2.99) and Android (EUR 2.59), separate one-time purchase; app access is Premium |
AI assistance | Yes - descriptions, alt text, SEO metadata | No public information |
Club / community tooling | None | Full club-management suite, free club website builder, event calendar, dues, presenter db, US club directory, crowdsourced ID |
Data residency / RODO | EU (Supabase EU region) | No public information; platform and contact are US-based |
Pricing
Cabinet No. 40: Free Hobby tier (50 specimens), paid Kustosz / Kustosz+ for advanced features and larger collections. Marketplace sales are billed separately.
Geology365: Free tier (365 specimens, 1 photo per specimen, condensed images). $5 / month for 1,460 specimens with 6 photos. $10 / month for 5,000 specimens with 10 photos. Above 5,000: email contact. Mobile app: $2.99 (iOS) or EUR 2.59 (Android) one-time. Platform also accepts donations via PayPal.
Who is it for?
Geology365 is a strong fit if you want:
To run or be active in a US mineral or fossil club and want one tool for the club website, events, dues, and member directory.
A free entry with a relatively high specimen count (up to 365) and you are comfortable with one photo per specimen and condensed images.
Crowdsourced identification help from a club-oriented community.
QR-coded labels and a one-design label template.
Cabinet No. 40 is a strong fit if you want:
A collection-management system, not a club platform: customizable field sets, virtual cabinets, wishlist, print-layout editor.
OpenMindat API automation that fills mineral data as you type.
Developer API access to build your own integrations or frontends.
Strict IMA nomenclature wired into autocomplete and validation.
Offline Field Mode for shows, expeditions, and field trips, on the web (no app store install).
Multi-language UI for international correspondents and dealers.
EU data residency and per-field privacy controls (privacy is not a paid upsell).
A clean separation between "my private collection" and "what I have for sale".
The two products solve different problems. A US club officer cataloging a few hundred personal specimens will get more from Geology365's bundled tools. An individual collector with a growing, internationally sourced collection - and an interest in customizable fields, virtual cabinets, OpenMindat sync, API access, and museum-grade labels - will get more from Cabinet No. 40.
Shared strengths
Free entry tier - both let you start cataloging without paying.
Bulk import from spreadsheets.
Public single-specimen sharing.
Mindat-aware species data (depth differs).
Printable labels (capability and depth differ).
Honest limitations
Cabinet No. 40:
No club-management tools, no club website builder, no event or dues system.
No native iOS or Android app; Field Mode is a web-based offline experience.
No crowdsourced identification community on the cataloging side.
Geology365:
Free tier is capped at 1 photo per specimen and uses condensed images; the catalog experience scales with paid tiers.
Privacy (keeping a collection private) is listed as a Premium feature.
Mobile app is a separate paid purchase on top of the Premium plan.
No public information about user-defined custom fields, virtual cabinets, wishlist, multi-language UI, public API, AI features, or data residency.
US-centric structure (state-by-state club directory, USD pricing, EFMLS roots).
Bottom line
Geology365 is built around the US mineral-club ecosystem and bundles a lot of community and club-administration tooling. Cabinet No. 40 is built around the individual collector and goes deep on cataloging, labels, and integrations. Pick by the job you actually need done.
If you want a serious collection-management system with customizable field sets, virtual cabinets, wishlist, OpenMindat API automation, developer API access, multi-language UI, and EU data residency - C40 was built for exactly that. You can try the Collector Panel for free and see if it fits your collection.
Sources
geology365.com (homepage, /collection-management, /club-management, /mobile-app)
Geology365 in-app announcement to users on tier limits (free 365 / $5 1,460 / $10 5,000; photos per tier; condensed vs full-resolution images)
App Store and Google Play listings for the Geology365 mobile app
EFMLS article on Geology365 (efmls.org/a-management-system-for-your-mineral-collection)
cabinetno40.com (Collector Panel, /en/mineral-collection-manager, public changelog and help center)