TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Bluebeam

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/ABluebeam Revu is a PDF management, control, and editing tool. It enables collaboration and markup within shared documents across projects’ life cycles and has takeoff and bid creation capabilities.

    $260

    per year per user

    Pricing
    Bluebeam
    Editions & Modules
    Basics
    $260
    per year per user
    Core
    $330
    per year per user
    Complete
    $440
    per year per user
    Max
    $590
    per year per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Bluebeam
    Free Trial
    Yes
    Free/Freemium Version
    No
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    Yes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Bluebeam
    Considered Both Products
    Bluebeam
    Chose Bluebeam
    I believe Bluebeam is actually easier to learn and use versus Adobe Acrobat. With it’s how to videos and great customer support, there’s basically not a problem that cannot be figured out. As far as PDF modification, I believe Bluebeam’s tools and screen configuration is very …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    It is just more advanced in terms of functionality. Bluebeam has far more features for collaboration, document sharing and marking up.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam is targeted towards construction professional and offers features and built-in markups that I use everyday. Acrobat is a generic program that requires more training and set-up for use specific to construction and design. Bluebeam was more cost-effective than Acrobat, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    I haven’t spent enough time with Revit to give a full comparison. But three architects I’ve worked with have all said they enjoy both programs and Bluebeam was highly recommended for my needs in the company.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam has more enhanced features than Adobe.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Years ago I used Adobe which was not well suited for CAD drawings. I soon found Bluebeam which at the time was a wonderful game changer. Sadly, my recent experience has caused me to begin searching elsewhere for new software.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam is a more advanced PDF editor and better suited for the engineering and construction industry. It has far more tools and better capabilities for collaborative viewing, marking up, and sharing of documents.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Much better. The features are greater, the layout is better and you can just do so much more. The features alone and what you can do with it makes it worth it. Also, it allows for you to edit and create in a much more user friendly way. All of our engineers love using it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam Revu has essentially replaced Adobe Acrobat as our default PDF viewer and editor, because its robust suite of architecturally-focused tools allow for better review of documents and creation of simple graphic diagrams. The scale and measurement tools are especially …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    It is better than Acrobat in my opinion. More features and more user-friendly.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    PDF file sharing is really easy and simple, so users can markup and others can view them in real-time. Also, editing PDF files to crop, batch, remove, or replace pages is really efficient compared to Adobe Acrobat DC. Plus, the licensing fee is pretty small compared to Adobe …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam Revu is a no-brainer in the AEC space. Stop wasting money on owning adobe and Revu. Revu can replace all of your Adobe usage. With a good change management process, Revu can meet the needs of your entire organization. The Bluebeam team will be with you every step …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam

    Revu was much easier to use, more cost-effective, and is more generally used in the construction and design industry than Adobe. We found Adobe to be more of a resource hog, as well as being bloated with offers for other Adobe applications, which many times would slow down a …

    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam is a good in-between of Adobe and Photoshop. If you're not looking to do photo editing, but need more capabilities than just line work, Bluebeam is perfect.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    I select Bluebeam Revu when I have to as directed by the client or the owner. Otherwise, when the user does not need such a specific or robust piece of software, I usually go to one of the less expensive competitor's PDF editors. They suite our needs just fine and cost half …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam definitely blows Adobe out of the water in the basic to the basic comparison. You will have to do more research on how exactly to use all the tools if you have never used the program before such as myself.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam Revu has a much more sophisticated interface that allows you to mark up documents in many different ways. It can store tools for standard markup use. It provides digital signatures which can be very useful for many document types. By creating a Revu studio, multiple …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    We've used these other products in conjunction with Bluebeam mainly because Bluebeam lacks RFI/COR/PO/Mark-up/revision tracking, and doesn't handle punch lists or tasks.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Adobe is good for viewing PDFs, but as far as how PDFs are utilized in construction, Bluebeam is hands-down the best program I have used.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    The newer Adobe interfaces are poor. Adobe does not do as well with drawing markup or takeoff tools. Adobe does seem to render some drawing files more quickly though. Adobe text document markup feels a bit more polished. Bluebeam was selected for better tools specific to …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    This is by FAR the most powerful product that I have used. I have not turned back to Adobe for modifying documents since we purchased Bluebeam. I am not sure of the cost of the program, but sure it is worth it to the company. As to doing take-offs, this is a great tool as well …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Procore is excellent for tracking documents and links. Bluebeam is superior at editing, scaling, and marking up documents. You can track projects of any size at a very low price point with Bluebeam.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Much more complete than the competition.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    There is no comparison. The editing tools, batch tools drafting tools, personal environment profiles, settings, printing, calibrating, direct connecting apps that links Bluebeam to AutoCAD and Revit. This is an extremely powerful program that is amazingly helpful and I probably …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam Revu is easy to use and a lot cheaper compared to other products available in the market.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    94%
    Would buy again
    17 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    17 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Features
    Bluebeam
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Bluebeam
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    26% above category average
    Dashboards10.01 Ratings
    Standard reports10.01 Ratings
    Custom reports10.01 Ratings
    Data exportability10.01 Ratings
    Construction Project & Field Management
    Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Bluebeam
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    9.8
    54 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Plan distribution & viewing9.752 Ratings
    Plan markups & sharing9.854 Ratings
    Issue tracking & punchlists9.733 Ratings
    Photo documentation9.736 Ratings
    Jobsite reports9.831 Ratings
    Document sharing9.847 Ratings
    RFI tools9.835 Ratings
    Collaboration & approvals9.842 Ratings
    As-built drawings9.845 Ratings
    Mobile app10.027 Ratings
    Submittal design and management9.821 Ratings
    Checklists9.93 Ratings
    Change orders9.93 Ratings
    Estimating
    Comparison of Estimating features of Bluebeam
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    9.6
    29 Ratings
    24% above category average
    Takeoff tools9.728 Ratings
    Job costing8.45 Ratings
    Cost databases10.01 Ratings
    Cost calculator10.02 Ratings
    Bid creation9.98 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Bluebeam
    Small Businesses
    CMiC Construction Platform
    Score7.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    InEight
    Score7.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Bluebeam
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.9
    (66 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    1.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    9.8
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (11 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Bluebeam
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Bluebeam
    The program is great for editing construction drawings, stamping/approving official documents and overlaying revised documents to see design changes. You can use it as an estimating takeoff tool, estimating database, document control, cloud document storage, the list goes on! Bluebeam poses many applications for the user to utilize for the desired needs. There may be some other software that has one specific function that can perform the specific task better, but Bluebeam is a holistic program with many tools for use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Bluebeam
    • Once you set Bluebeam Revu as your default PDF handler, it launches immediately when clicking a PDF to open. The speed with which it opens documents is impressive.
    • Creating PDF's out of other documents, such as Word, Excel, JPG's, etc. is simple.
    • Digitally signing documents is a simple, secure process. You can keep your signature password-protected, yet still access it quickly.
    • The Bluebeam Revu mobile application ( I use the iOS version on an iPad Pro), is awesome. Not only does it handle PDF's like you would expect it to, it allows for effortless digital signing of documents on the fly. Nice to be able to quickly sign a document and email right back out from the tablet no matter where I am.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Bluebeam
    • If you have several tabs open and you try to drag one out for a side by side view then you do not have all the modification options and you have to combine them back together.
    • There is a lag time when hitting the print option.
    • There is also a lag time when opening files, sometimes I think the window is frozen.
    • I wish the basic version also had basic file editing, as in editing a document as Adobe does.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Bluebeam
    Bluebeam is a powerful PDF viewer and mark-up tool. We are more familiar with it than Adobe Acrobat Pro or other viewers, and it has more features geared towards construction document managers than Acrobat Pro does.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Bluebeam
    I'm constantly finding that Bluebeam Revu does more than I knew it could. And when I find something that it can't do, I've found that Bluebeam truly listens to its user base and will work to incorporate any good suggestion when feasible.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Bluebeam
    Its hard for me to give a rating on this one as we rarely have to use the support feature for Bluebeam. However, when we have used it, they have been ultra supportive in helping us get exactly what we needed. I know another engineer was trying to figure out a feature and the rep gave a detailed tutorial on how to complete the task
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Bluebeam
    We feel there is not another program out there that would compare to Bluebeam at this current time. Some of the other programs out there do not include studio or the overlaying process which is one of our main uses. The ease of hyperlinking makes this product stand out the most.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Bluebeam
    • A major positive aspect is being able to take your computer home without taking the entire set of paper drawings. They have made it so easy to navigate a set of drawings that I can work at home using only the digital drawings.
    • Collaboration with owners and architects has been a great feature. Setting up a Bluebeam studio and having everyone get in and mark things up, then having the architect be able to go in and see what markups have been added, has made the constructability review process much much better.
    • Even when not working on drawings, Bluebeam is a very good tool for working with standard PDF documents. The markup tools are very easy to use.
    • The negative aspect is the takeoff function because some people would like estimators to use the Bluebeam takeoff because it would make their job easier down the road; however, the actual act of doing a full scale takeoff in Bluebeam would require much more time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Bluebeam Screenshots

    Screenshot of Bluebeam Cloud with Markup ListScreenshot of Bluebeam Cloud with Tool ChestScreenshot of Bluebeam Revu MarkupScreenshot of Bluebeam Revu Studio Session