The short version
VicPlan is the Victorian Government's free online planning portal. It shows planning maps, zones and overlays and generates a planning property report for any address. It's authoritative and it's the source of truth — every Victorian planner checks against it.
PlanSuite uses that same VicPlan data, and then does the part VicPlan leaves to you: its AI reads the planning scheme, works out whether a permit is required and why, and produces a council-ready report — across all 79 Victorian LGAs.
So this isn't really PlanSuite versus VicPlan — PlanSuite is built on VicPlan. The difference is interpretation: VicPlan gives you the data and links to the scheme; PlanSuite reads the scheme and gives you the answer.
Side by side
| PlanSuite | VicPlan | |
|---|---|---|
| What it gives you | A permit determination, interpretation and a council-ready report | Raw maps, zones, overlays and a property report |
| "Do I need a permit?" | Answers it — with the clauses it relied on | You read the scheme and decide yourself |
| Reads the scheme for you | Yes — the AI reads the ordinance and cites it | Links to the scheme; you read it |
| Reports | Six council-ready statutory reports — Permit, Initial Assessment, Delegate, Subdivision, Town Planning, Compliance — in editable Word, PDF & HTML | The standard planning property report (PDF) |
| Zones & overlays data | Read live and built to match the VicPlan report — then interpreted against the proposal | The authoritative source of truth |
| Cost | Paid subscription | Free |
| Coverage | All 79 Victorian LGAs | All of Victoria |
This comparison reflects our opinion, not an independent or impartial assessment. It is based on publicly available information as of May 2026. VicPlan is a service of the Victorian Government; PlanSuite is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
Where PlanSuite is different
It interprets, not just displays. VicPlan shows you the controls; PlanSuite reads the scheme and tells you whether a permit is required and why — the work you'd otherwise do by hand.
Built to agree with VicPlan. PlanSuite reads the same authoritative data and its overlay determinations are designed to match the VicPlan property report — so you get interpretation without losing the source-of-truth accuracy.
Council-ready reports. Beyond the property report, PlanSuite produces delegate assessments, permit checks, subdivisions, Clause 55 and compliance outputs in editable Word — ready to finalise.
Minimum input from you. We know you hate filling out forms. PlanSuite works the answer out from what it can already see — your address, the plans you upload, and the live planning record behind them — so you do almost nothing and the results are still thorough.
When VicPlan is all you need
VicPlan is genuinely great, it's free, and for plenty of jobs it's all you need:
- •You just want to look up the zones, overlays and controls on a property.
- •You need the official planning property report for the file.
- •You're comfortable reading the scheme yourself and reaching your own conclusion.
When you'd rather not do that interpretation by hand — and you want the permit answer and the report written for you — that's where PlanSuite saves the time. It builds on VicPlan; it doesn't replace it.
From VicPlan data to the planning answer
Run a Victorian address and see PlanSuite turn the same VicPlan data into a permit determination and a council-ready report.
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