A Fantastic PDF Markup & Sharing Tool
Bluebeam Revu is one of the best PDF markup softwares. It allows for quick edits with a wide range of tools to achieve your desired markup …
Bluebeam Revu
Bluebeam Revu
Starting at $349 per seat
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Reviewer Sentiment
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Popular Features
View all 16 featuresPlan markups & sharing (49)
9.9
99%
Plan distribution & viewing (47)
9.0
90%
Document sharing (43)
8.9
89%
As-built drawings (41)
8.6
86%
Reviewer Pros & Cons
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Heather MacLean
Administrative Assistant
Strategic Construction, Ltd. (Construction, 51-200 employees)Video Reviews
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Pricing
View all pricingRevu Standard
$349
On Premise
per seat
Revu CAD
$449
On Premise
per seat
Revu eXtreme
$599
On Premise
per seat
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
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Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting / Integration Services
Features Scorecard
Construction Project & Field Management
8.4
84%
Estimating
8.8
88%
Product Details
What is Bluebeam Revu?
For those who design, engineer, bid and build our world, Bluebeam Revu is how professionals get more done. Since 2002, Bluebeam has made smart and simple desktop, mobile and cloud-based solutions that utilize the construction documents themselves to share metadata, hyperlinks, bookmarks, images, attachments and 3D data downstream. More than 1.3 million AEC professionals worldwide trust Revu to elevate project efficiency and collaboration, streamlining critical processes to get more done in less time.
Bluebeam Revu Features
Construction Project & Field Management Features
- Supported: Plan distribution & viewing
- Supported: Plan markups & sharing
- Supported: Document sharing
- Supported: Issue tracking & punchlists
- Supported: Photo documentation
- Supported: Jobsite reports
- Supported: RFI tools
- Supported: Collaboration & approvals
- Supported: As-built drawings
- Supported: Mobile app
- Supported: Submittal design and management
Estimating Features
- Supported: Takeoff tools
- Supported: Bid creation
Additional Features
- Supported: Digital stamps and signatures
Bluebeam Revu Screenshots
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What Does Bluebeam Do for You?
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Bluebeam Revu Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows |
| Mobile Application | Apple iOS |
| Supported Countries | USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden |
| Supported Languages | English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Japanese, Korean |
Comparisons
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bluebeam Revu?
Bluebeam 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.
What are Bluebeam Revu's top competitors?
What is Bluebeam Revu's best feature?
Reviewers rate Plan markups & sharing highest, with a score of 9.9.
Who uses Bluebeam Revu?
The most common users of Bluebeam Revu are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees) and the Construction industry.
Reviews and Ratings
(282)
Reviews
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January 10, 2022
A Fantastic PDF Markup & Sharing Tool
Bluebeam Revu is one of the best PDF markup softwares. It allows for quick edits with a wide range of tools to achieve your desired markup and collaborative editing where multiple people can work together at the same time on the same document. It manages large document sets, such as construction drawings, exceptionally.
- PDF markup
- Multiple users of the same file
- Cloud document management
- More advanced drawing tools - the pencil is rather rudimentary
- Easier to pick up for first time users
July 23, 2021
Better bang for your buck!
I would say about 90% of the company has upgraded from Adobe to Bluebeam. I have the basic program and there are definitely some pros and cons when in comparison to Adobe.
- When I have different tabs open, it reverts back to the main or first tab which is helpful when I am moving documents around.
- There are for sure a ton of more options even on the basic version.
- Exporting to folders is super easy and separates the documents in order.
- 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.
May 06, 2021
Markup Majesty - Bluebeam Rules
Bluebeam is used across the our whole company most particularly though it is used by the project management teams. Bluebeam is our go-to PDF viewer and editor and it is used for RFIs and submittals as well as contract viewing and marking up. I have never used a PDF viewer and editor that does as much as Bluebeam or does what it does half as well.
- Clear and easy viewing of project plans.
- In depth and extremely detailed mark up tools and sketching tools.
- Excellent help and support services.
- The sketch to scale tools are minimal and could be expanded.
- The group editing and selection is not the easiest to use.
- I think drawing tools could be improved in placing and editing line dimensions.
April 08, 2021
Bluebeam Revu for project QA&QC is great!
We use Bluebeam to make markups in PDFs, plot from project software to Bluebeam PDF, and most importantly use Bluebeam for quality control sessions. This facilitates collaboration and coordination between design team members.
- Ease of use
- Wide range of tools
- Clean and clear results
- Lacks PDF editing tools seen in other vector based softwares.
- Newer version changed a lot from the previous version.
- Can at times be slow.
March 09, 2021
Bluebeam in a nutshell
It's being used by a couple people within our company as an alternative to Adobe. There are many more options with Bluebeam which is used to markup submittals and is extremely easy to use. At any given time I can have up to 15 PDF files open and Bluebeam has instant access to them with the recent tab.
- Recent and recall of PDFs that you had open so you can easily flip back in forth between files all within the same window.
- Instant access to a list of tools and setting of the defaults.
- At times it is difficult to find out where a certain function is.
- Some secure files won't open in Bluebeam and must be used in Adobe.
- The comparisons feature has difficulties with scanned documents.
January 24, 2020
All the bang for the buck
Most of our whole organization uses Bluebeam Revu. Our main use is to review and edit documents such as plans for construction. It offers us much more flexibility and clarity versus other programs that we have used int the past. Additionally, its ease of sharing between users is definitely a plus because we can all be looking at the same documents in a much more timely manner.
- Ease of use.
- Speed. It allows the user to access and edit documents much faster.
- At first it might be intimidating if you have never used it.
- Sometimes too many options.
January 24, 2020
Great for scaled markups
We use Bluebeam Revu to add and track comments and markups on architectural drawing sets and other documents. We use Bluebeam Studio / Sessions to review documents with our consultants and clients. We also use Bluebeam drawing tools to create basic diagrams and other illustrations. We don't typically use more advanced features like conditional formatting, or exporting markups.
- Great fast PDF viewer with better editing tools than Adobe Acrobat.
- Useful feature set for architects, such as setting drawing scale, distance and area measurement tools.
- I wish the drawing tools had 'snapping' options.
- There should be more control over dimming backgrounds and flattening/unflattening markups so you can be sure your recipient is seeing the same thing.
January 23, 2020
Great for architects and designers
Bluebeam Revu is used widely throughout our organization. I recommended it to my boss when I started at this job about 6 years ago and we've been using it ever since. My boss loves it and is so happy I introduced it to him. We mostly use the program to "redline" or mark up drawings, either our in house drawings or outside drawings. It has great marking up features that seem much quicker and easier than Acrobat. I also use Bluebeam as my basic PDF reader. I use it to move sheets around, add or remove sheets, and fill out forms.
- Marking up drawings to communicate quick revisions.
- Moving around, adding or deleting sheets.
- Could have even more editing things, more shapes, symbols, etc.
January 23, 2020
A must-have PDF software!
Bluebeam Revu is currently used across the whole organization for viewing PDF files, marking up, and also for Bluebeam Studio file sharing and reviewing purposes. It also solves the problem of editing and marking PDF files. Bluebeam Revu is easy to open and it rarely crashes. Plus, the user interface is user-friendly and easy to understand. Creating PDF files, replacing pages, and cropping pages are additional benefits provided by Bluebeam Revu.
- Bluebeam Studio is number one for PDF sharing.
- Cropping pages and inserting PDF files is really easy.
- Making PDF sharing more faster than it is right now.
- Opening multiple PDF files and viewing them is a little difficult.
January 15, 2020
reduce risk by automating your QA\QC process
Bluebeam is used across our entire organization for many different functions. Of course, it is used daily to mark up and review plan sets. Our estimators perform take-off Revu. We utilize Studio sessions to collaborate across offices, companies, vendors, and clients. It saves us significant time and risk by allowing all parties to perform QA\QC tasks in one source of truth.
- It makes estimating take-offs a breeze by allowing for the simple creation of groups and automating counting and take off.
- Revu is the best tool in the AEC space for marking up plan sets. It is the tool that simulates pen and paper the best.
- Bluebeam needs to integrate with more systems. The few they have are great, but they need to expand.
- Revu is lacking in PDF forms. They often do not support newer forms of technology for multiple release cycles.
January 15, 2020
Revu can handle all PDF related tasks with ease.
We use Revu in several different ways. First, it's a great tool both in the office and when on job sites to document existing conditions with both markups and photos, which are embedded in the PDF. We use it in the office for redlining progress drawings, as well as reviewing and marking up contractor drawings, submittals, RFIs, and other project-related documents. Using the studio feature, we can collaborate with other members of the design team directly inside Revu. Revu is also used to document ongoing progress site visits. We use the iPad app for the fieldwork, and the desktop application while in the office. Using Revu allows for concise and legible markups, as well as the ability to generate summary reports of markups.
- General PDF viewing: it seems to have the best PDF engine for speed and accuracy.
- Redlining PDFs: it's simple to use and can create custom stamps easily.
- REVU for ipad is not as easy to use as the desktop application.
- The recent change of the user interface when going to the 2018 version was somewhat confusing. We have users on both older and newer versions.
January 14, 2020
Making Markups Easy
It is utilized to put together presentation pdfs for clients, meetings, etc. We also use it to aid in space planning and laying out schematic floor plans at the block level.
- Marking up PDFs with preloaded stamps.
- Easy to use line/rectangle tools.
- Can't select pixels by color.
- Hard to find bookmark tool.
December 13, 2019
Great for the price
Bluebeam Revu is a PDF reader and editor tool. It also does measurements and other markups. Right now only a handful of staff has this software and this is on a specifically needed basis. This is a great software to use as it is designed specifically for the architecture, engineering, and construction industries.
- Customizing tools and interface.
- Measuring and markups.
- High price tag.
- Updates should be easier.
December 07, 2019
Bluebeam Gets It Done
Currently, we use Bluebeam as a management staff—all project managers, estimators and safety managers. It is particularly implemented in our estimating department to use for takeoffs and minor drafting. PM's use it to complete markups and sketch details. Safety uses it as a powerful PDF editor and form builder. Accounting uses it for electronic signatures and stamp approvals on invoices. Bluebeam solves a lot of needs in many departments, mainly as a drawing and PDF editor tool.
- Easy surface-level use but can become a deep and powerful tool if you invest in learning all its features.
- Perfect for editing PDFs, stamping, markups and creating templates.
- Well equipped for simple or complex take-off methods.
- Lots of customization for layout and tool ribbons.
- I would like to see better Excel integration and exporting.
- Id like to see a web app and cloud version to use on Chrome and also a Chrome preview extension
- It would be nice to see integration into Microsoft Office
October 24, 2019
Bluebeam - One stop for PDF collaboration
Bluebeam is being used across our organization to manage and edit PDF documents. Our project teams use it to edit complex payment proposals for projects. Our planning teams use it to mark up blue prints and arrange complex schedules for trades. Our finance team uses tools like stamps to provide vital data on invoices, to combine separate documents into one and to insert digital signatures.
- It is relatively easy to use - without formal instruction.
- It easily allows you to grab PDF documents and edit them.
- It allows you create canned tools, like stamps, so data editing can be standard.
- Although it is relatively easy to use, the editing tools do not exist in drop down menus. I wish the interface were more similar to other Windows programs.
July 14, 2019
Bluebeam, how construction uses PDFs
We use Bluebeam every day. It started off as being used in our BIM department, but quickly was adopted by our PMs who also do their own estimating. Bluebeam allows us to scale drawings, make accurate markups, sign documents digitally, overlay drawings to compare changes, share files with our field workers via Bluebeam studio, do takeoffs, and a host of other things that I am sure that I am forgetting.
- Scaling drawings to get accurate measurements from drawings.
- Cloud sharing via Bluebeam Studio.
- The markup tools.
- Bookmarking pages to make pages easier to find.
- Creating hyperlinks within a document.
- Comparing document changers with their compare tool.
- I would like to see Bluebeam Studio be able to see document change dates for files that are not PDFs.
- Every now and then the program gets a little glitchy.
June 05, 2019
Powerful tool for A-E-C industry
Bluebeam Revu is used by certain individuals who need the additional CAD drawing/review components offered by Bluebeam. It is more powerful and streamlined than the traditional Adobe PDF products and geared towards the A-E-C industry.
- Markups
- Takeoffs
- Drawing comparisons
- Rendering speed is a bit slow at times
- View and scrolling preferences (e.g. full page vs. scrolling view vs. zoom w/ scroll wheel) could be executed better
- Multi-document or side by side viewing
- Cost
May 15, 2019
Bluebeam leaves Adobe in the dust!
We use Bluebeam as an alternative to an Adobe product. Our joint venture company was using it and had noted the simplicity of marking up documents. We bought the program and most people use it as their default program to modify/edit documents. In addition to modifying documents, it allows you to almost create a document with all of the tools at its disposal.
- Adding text
- Marking up a document
- Doing take-offs for estimating purposes
- It launches slowly (which is why I personally don't have it as my default launcher for PDFs that I view only).
May 15, 2019
Bluebeam rocks
We have used project as document control for projects and used studio for collaboration and submittal review. I also use the markup tools almost daily. Colorado state university has adopted our processes for document control for all their construction projects.
- Dimensioning scaled PDF documents is one of the things I use the most. I can get an accurate measurement where one has not been provided
- Editing PDF documents- there are documents that are automatically created through systems software that may need to be edited to me to the specific needs of a particular project. With Bluebeam, you could do this with ease.
- Document control is a major strength of Bluebeam. I have used Bluebeam on a project that had over 18,000 drawings. We also used the link feature to hyperlink each page that had a fallout.
- The iPad is where Bluebeam has the most room to improve upon. I have used Bluebeam to record punch list as it is easy to create punch items but is not as simple to update the punch list status.
- Creating reports is also not a strength of Bluebeam. You cannot create a report to tell you what items are linked to each other.
- Storage, editing, and navigation are strengths of Bluebeam. But tracking document status is not a strength of Bluebeam.
Bluebeam is being used by parts of my organization. Certain users prefer to use Adobe Acrobat, but I think Bluebeam is much easier at manipulating sheets. It enables me to mark-up drawings from the architect, stamp invoices with my approval, and prepare documents for submitting. It's a fast way of drawing on top of PDFs, editing PDFs when necessary, and including relevant information before submitting to other parties (in our case, that is usually subcontractors).
- Draw on PDFs. No other software I've ever used is better at this, and I've used Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe Acrobat. Revu molds together the best features in CAD (powerful drawing capabilities, point snap abilities, extreme accuracy) with a great PDF viewer. Very much worth it.
- Mark up / annotate PDFs. Typing on Revu is very easy via the text box tool or the typewriter tool. You can choose from a variety of fonts, opaque or transparent backgrounds, any color--the possibilities are endless.
- Combining and rearranging PDFs. You can easily move pages around, combine separate files, and flatten files.
- A feature I would add -- a command line. The shortcuts are good, and in the latest version of Revu you can create your own which makes things easier. But I have used CAD and I find the command line much faster than dropdown menus.
- Something that could be better -- PDF compression. Revu files, when marked-up, can be massive, and there's not a clear enough way to shrink the file down by reducing clarity, etc. I understand this is a vector program--not rasterized--and vectors can be far more complex, especially with patterns and such. But compression would be nice.
- Features I'd like--enhanced vector abilities. Feathering lines, precise arc drawing, etc. Similar to Illustrator.
April 07, 2019
Bluebeam: Best PDF Document Management tool.
Our company has fully adopted Bluebeam as our document management systems (DMS) for all construction document related files used on the job site and in the home office. We particularly utilize the Studio Project feature, to allow file access with various permission levels for different user types. It is a great way to always have the latest set of drawings.
- Drawing markup. There are multiple ways to markup files from revision clouds, hyperlink tools, various shapes, and lines. All of these markups can also be counted and sorted for estimating takeoff style markups.
- Compiling and organizing. Bluebeam Revu also is a PDF authoring tool. You can create and export PDFs from anywhere there is a 'print' feature, or even convert filetypes directly to PDF. Multiple different PDFs can easily be combined, split apart, or rearranged.
- File distribution. The Studio Project and Studio Session feature allow for teams to have a cloud storage resource to share files with various permission and viewing abilities.
- It really is a great product and there really isn't a con that I can think of. Sometimes very large files struggle to refresh on a screen, but that is to be expected.
Bluebeam Revu is being used by 5+ users at our office. It is used to edit and modify PDFs produced from Revit and AutoCAD. We also used it to organize/re-organize and edit PDF specifications. One of the features that is very useful in my line of work is the overlay feature to show the difference between two like or updated PDFs.
- The drawing editing tools are more advanced than those of similar products.
- Batch tools make processes like plotting, file rotation, or reduction of file size save countless hours.
- Being able to calibrate PDFs to a scale allows me to quickly show missing dimensions in the field without opening a model editing it printing it and sending out the file.
- Sometimes when I'm plotting multiple files to PDF, Bluebeam will start rotating them 90 degrees during the plot process. Not sure why.
- As you select text to highlight for some reason it will sometimes automatically select all the text in the drawing which will have to be undone if that was not your intention.
February 26, 2019
TIME SAVER!
I'm a quantity surveyor and I used to do takeoff quantities using AutoCAD. I used AutoCAD for almost two years and I realized it was time for a change. I've used different software such as Planswiftm AutoCAD, Quantity Takeoff, Bluebeam Revu, etc. After giving them all a try, I decided to go with Bluebeam Revu. I suggested that my manager purchase Bluebeam Revu. It is very easy to use with no complications. You can do takeoff quantities of each item by assigning a name under the subject. I've been using Bluebeam Revu for the past year and would past recommend Bluebeam Revu to everyone.
- Easy to use. No need to convert files. You can work on a PDF file directly.
- You can directly export the quantity to MS Excel.
- You can write comments in the drawings.
- I want a Keyboard shortcut to reuse the previous command as I use the same few commands repeatedly. I didn't find any shortcuts online. In AutoCAD, by pressing enter or space bar you are allowed to use the previous command.
February 22, 2019
Bluebeam Review
As general contractors in construction, my organization utilizes Bluebeam for multiple facets. The user-friendly program allows us to quickly and easily create visual sketches and diagrams for communicating information. We markup drawings with notes, colored areas, callouts, etc. The possibilities are endless. We also are able to scale the drawings and takeoff quantities and measurements within the program. Our field staff utilizes the app to access and markup documents onsite in real time. This is key to conveying information for RFIs, COR, submittals, etc.
- It is excellent for compiling, organizing, reviewing, and marking up documents.
- For large documents, the bookmarking tab, hyperlinks, and highlights make it easy to quickly navigate large documents.
- There are many different functions such as takeoff, document creation, markups, etc.
- It is easy to share .pdf files with others.
- It is cheaper than alternative takeoff software.
- Software updates can cause a learning curve adjustment for navigating through the tools which can get overwhelming.
- For extremely large files, the program has sometimes glitched, been slow to load the images and files have been corrupt.
- There are many tools and options, but through use and practice, the program is easy to understand.
February 22, 2019
Bluebeam makes documents easy
Our company uses Bluebeam extensively. We use it to manage all of our PDF sets of construction documents, sketches, submittals, etc. We are able to link Bluebeam with the design programs we use to print all of our PDFs.
Bluebeam also has good markup tools allowing you to markup drawings or sketches to send back and forth with clients in order to easily convey what we're trying to depict, without having to print new documents.
Bluebeam also has good markup tools allowing you to markup drawings or sketches to send back and forth with clients in order to easily convey what we're trying to depict, without having to print new documents.
- Applying stamps or any other markup to multiple pages in a document set is very easy.
- Having the ability to "flatten" all markups in a document so the user who you're sending the document to can't edit what you've added is very helpful.
- Bluebeam does a good job of providing add-ins to the popular design tools.
- Working with many pieces of small text can be tedious.
- Creating and using spaces can be confusing at times.
- There should be more generic markup options in the tool bin.