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Bluebeam

Bluebeam

Overview

What is Bluebeam?

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.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Bluebeam Revu is a widely accessible tool for the construction industry, enabling users to transform paper-based workflows to electronic …
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TrustRadius Insights
TrustRadius Insights

Making Markups Easy

8 out of 10
January 14, 2020
Incentivized
It is utilized to put together presentation pdfs for clients, meetings, etc. We also use it to aid in space planning and laying out …
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Great for the price

9 out of 10
December 13, 2019
Incentivized
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 …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 21 features
  • Plan markups & sharing (50)
    9.1
    91%
  • Plan distribution & viewing (48)
    9.0
    90%
  • Document sharing (44)
    9.0
    90%
  • As-built drawings (42)
    9.0
    90%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

View all pros & cons
KP
Kevin Patrick
Owner
Designers Ink (Architecture & Planning, 1-10 employees)
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Pricing

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Revu 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
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.bluebeam.com/pricing

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $240 per year per user
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Product Demos

Veebinar "Bluebeam Revu 20 versiooni uued võimalused " 29. märts 2021

YouTube

Bluebeam Revu

YouTube

Bluebeam Revu Make it easy - Takeoff

YouTube

COMMERCIAL PAINTING Takeoffs demo - fast version

YouTube

ALL CAD Northwest - Bluebeam Revu 12 Feature Demo

YouTube

Bluebeam Revu AEC Demo

YouTube
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Features

Reporting & Analytics

Users can report on and analyze usage, performance, ROI, and/or other metrics of success.

8.7
Avg 8.1

Construction Project & Field Management

Features related to collaboration between construction management and project execution (e.g. the office and the job site, general contractors and subcontractors)

8.8
Avg 7.4

Estimating

A set of tools and applications that allow contractors to forecast, track, monitor, and adjust the cost of building a structure. Cost estimates are used by project owners to determine the scope and feasibility of a project, and also for budget allocation. Contractors also use cost estimates when deciding whether or not to bid on a project and for bid creation.

8.9
Avg 8.2
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Product Details

What is Bluebeam?

Bluebeam develops technology solutions that according to the vendor support project efficiency and collaboration for over two million design and construction professionals worldwide. Bluebeam Revu and Bluebeam Cloud aim to give teams the flexibility to work together anywhere through design, build and handover. And with Bluebeam's desktop and cloud collaboration solutions built on open standards, documents and data can be accessed on any web or iOS device, onsite or off.


Bluebeam Revu®

Revu offers customizable document management, markup and automation tools with a built-in collaboration space, Studio.

• Log in to any desktop with Revu installed and access projects and tool sets

• Mark up and measure together with teammates in real time using Studio

• Share the latest drawings and documents with teams in the field using Bluebeam Cloud

• Increase security and simplify user login with single sign-on (SSO)

Bluebeam Cloud (Web & Mobile)

Connect office and field and complete workflows on the go with Bluebeam Cloud, a suite of web and mobile solutions that connects with documents and tool sets in Revu.

• Work from anywhere via web or iOS device — no set-up or installation required

• Access tool sets and Studio Project files from Revu

• Invite team members to markup and collaborate in real time with the Markup Editor

• Manage punch, RFIs and submittals on the go with Field Tools

Services

Get more out of Revu and Bluebeam Cloud with Bluebeam services designed to help finish the job faster.

• Unlimited centralized cloud storage

• Access to technology partner integrations to support custom workflows

• Access to Bluebeam University training courses at no additional cost

• Technical support via email and phone

• Geolocational insights to help visualize, connect and organize data

Bluebeam 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
  • Supported: Checklists
  • Supported: Change orders

Estimating Features

  • Supported: Takeoff tools
  • Supported: Bid creation

Reporting & Analytics Features

  • Supported: Dashboards
  • Supported: Standard reports
  • Supported: Custom reports
  • Supported: Data exportability

Additional Features

  • Supported: Digital stamps and signatures

Bluebeam Screenshots

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

Bluebeam Videos

What Does Bluebeam Do?
Comparing Bluebeam Revu to Procore and e-builder by Trimble

Bluebeam Competitors

Bluebeam Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows
Mobile ApplicationApple iOS, Mobile Web
Supported CountriesUSA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Australia
Supported LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Japanese, Korean

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Bluebeam starts at $240.

Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro, Autodesk Build, and Procore are common alternatives for Bluebeam.

Reviewers rate Plan markups & sharing and Collaboration & approvals highest, with a score of 9.1.

The most common users of Bluebeam are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(359)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Bluebeam Revu is a widely accessible tool for the construction industry, enabling users to transform paper-based workflows to electronic formats. It has been widely adopted by project managers, estimators, safety managers, and accounting staff for various purposes such as takeoffs, markups, form building, electronic signatures, and stamp approvals. Users have found Bluebeam Revu to be a user-friendly tool for tasks like takeoff quantities, PDF manipulation, detail markups, phasing plans, invoice billing, change orders, and creating illustrations for presentations. The software's markup tools are highly valued for expediting the design process and building punch lists from site visits. Additionally, Bluebeam's Studio feature facilitates real-time collaboration and markups on the same document by multiple users, preventing duplication of work. Overall, Bluebeam Revu addresses the business problem of communicating issues using visual aids and provides a centralized location for updating and maintaining construction documents.

Efficiency in Batch Processes: Several users have praised Bluebeam Revu for its efficiency in batch processes, saving significant time compared to manual alternatives. This has been highlighted by reviewers who found the software to be a powerful tool for streamlining tasks and improving productivity.

Seamless Collaboration with Bluebeam Studio: Many reviewers have commended Bluebeam Revu's cloud-based collaboration feature, Bluebeam Studio, for its ease of use and effectiveness in facilitating collaboration among team members. Users appreciate the seamless collaboration capabilities provided by Bluebeam Revu, which enhance teamwork even when working from different locations or offices.

User-Friendly Markup Tools: The intuitive markup tools in Bluebeam Revu have received positive feedback from multiple users. They find it easy to annotate and mark up PDF documents using the software's user-friendly interface. This feature allows for efficient document editing and enhances the overall user experience.

Difficulties with Typewriter and Textbox Tools: Some users have found the typewriter and textbox tools in Bluebeam to be functional but not user-friendly, stating that they could be easier to use and more precise. Aligning text with specific areas on a form using the typewriter tool can be frustrating for some users.

Laborious Flattening Process: Users have expressed frustration with the process of flattening documents before sharing them in Bluebeam. They believe it could benefit from a default setting that automates this process, as manually flattening documents is time-consuming.

Complexity of Stamp Creation: The creation of stamps in Bluebeam involves several steps and can be confusing for some users. They feel that the process could be streamlined or macro automated to save time, creating a bottleneck for stamp creation.

Users recommend reaching out to other users and utilizing the support team for tricks and tips. They also suggest customizing the interface and exploring tutorials to fully utilize Bluebeam Revu's capabilities. Users highly recommend taking training to learn how to use the software effectively. Additionally, users recommend trying the free trial before purchasing to determine if Bluebeam Revu meets their needs.

Overall, these recommendations highlight the importance of seeking assistance from other users and the support team, as well as investing time in learning how to customize and optimize Bluebeam Revu through tutorials and training. The free trial option is also suggested as a way to evaluate the software before making a purchase decision.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 62)
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November 20, 2023

Save Bluebeam!

KP
Kevin Patrick
Owner
Designers Ink (Architecture & Planning, 1-10 employees)
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
My subscription was renewed and, in my opinion, the renewal software was less useful than the original. I paid additional money and agreed to a subscription system I do not feel comfortable with, and have now lost 4 days worth of productivity and progress trying to get the matter resolved.
November 22, 2022

Simple and easy to use Project Management Software

Verified User
Executive in Corporate
Security & Investigations Company, 51-200 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
We run multiple projects at the same time. Often times a single project manager may be responsible for 5-7 of these large projects at any given time. Bluebeam allows us to manage our jobs more productively without needing to hire more Project Managers. This saves our overhead and allows us to be more competitive on price.
January 10, 2022

A Fantastic PDF Markup & Sharing Tool

Verified User
Consultant in Engineering
Architecture & Planning Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam is great when a project team needs to review documents and mark them up for everyone to see everyone's edits. It allows multiple people to edit the file at the same time and allows users to designate comments as accepted/rejected/completed/canceled.
May 06, 2021

Markup Majesty - Bluebeam Rules

Christian Maxwell | TrustRadius Reviewer
Christian Maxwell
Project Engineer
Okland Construction (Construction, 501-1000 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I think that Bluebeam is best suited to the scenarios where documents need to be reviewed, marked up or edited. The capacity of things that Bluebeam can do in these situations is vast. Bluebeam is not as well suited to quickly or super accurately drawing and creating sketches. It can be used in this capacity but it definitely is not the program's strength.
March 09, 2021

Bluebeam in a nutshell

Verified User
Manager in Other
Construction Company, 11-50 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
It is well suited when marking up and comparing documents such as submittals. It's well suited for dual screens when reviewing submittals to specs and or drawings. I can't think of a time where it is less suited in my day to day use of Bluebeam.
January 24, 2020

All the bang for the buck

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Construction Company, 201-500 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Well Suited:
1. For everything we do in our takeoff engineering department.
2. Ease of access to view and edit plans and documents.
3. Ease of sharing between our office and field staff.
4. Inviting to sessions - meaning that we can all teleconference and view the same exact document in real time with each other.
I cannot think of a scenario where it would not be useful in my situation.
January 24, 2020

Great for scaled markups

Verified User
Professional in Other
Architecture & Planning Company, 11-50 employees
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam Revu is great for quickly viewing PDFs. Its more advanced features such as collaborative sessions make it our go-to PDF viewer and editor, over Adobe Acrobat. The scale drawing and measurement tools make it a great program for reviewing and commenting on architectural drawings. It is less useful for documents that are primarily text, as the text editing features are somewhat lacking.
January 23, 2020

A must-have PDF software!

BP
Brij Purohit
Technology Design Engineer
P2S Inc. (Construction, 51-200 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam Revu is suitable in an environment where editing and sharing PDF files is on a heavy scale. The construction industry and civil engineering field should definitely use this software. Marking documents using a user-defined symbol is another pro feature that is offered by Bluebeam Revu and makes it a great tool for the overall engineering field.
January 15, 2020

reduce risk by automating your QA\QC process

Verified User
Consultant in Information Technology
Oil & Energy Company, 5001-10,000 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Any organization that completes work across multiple locations Revu and Studio are the only way to go. With Studio you will save massive amounts of time and reduce risk by having all parties complete qa\qc in the same environment at the same time. You can organize comments by company, discipline etc... You can then track and build a audit trail of the QA\QC process.
January 15, 2020

Revu can handle all PDF related tasks with ease.

Bob Kramer, RCDD, LEED AP | TrustRadius Reviewer
Bob Kramer, RCDD, LEED AP
Principal
CR2 Engineering (Design, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend

General PDF creation and editing, as well as markup and combining of various PDFs, are great daily use features. We also use stamps quite often when marking up contractor submittals and related documents.

It's a much faster and easier application to use and master than the Adobe products, which seem to be very bloated and slow. I don't have any scenarios where Revu is less appropriate. It's our go-to application for anything using a PDF file format.

December 13, 2019

Great for the price

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Civil Engineering Company, 11-50 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam Revu is very well suited to the building industries. I get requests for this software all the time for its ability to take accurate measurements and easily markup PDFs. The interface is easy to use and has a nice dark theme for those who like that. This is a very decent product that performs well.
October 24, 2019

Bluebeam - One stop for PDF collaboration

Jill Liegghio | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jill Liegghio
Accounts Payable Manager
Barton Malow Company (Construction, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam Revu works well to combine separate PDFs into one document. This is something that would have had to be done at a scanner - Bluebeam Revu allows you to do it easily from your desktop. This is something we cannot easily do through Adobe. However, I do feel that simple annotations like adding text or adding a non-digital signature are easier through Adobe.
July 14, 2019

Bluebeam, how construction uses PDFs

Verified User
Supervisor in Other
Construction Company, 51-200 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Anyone in construction that needs to look at drawings would benefit from Bluebeam. If you are not in construction it may be a little overkill for what most people need from a PDF program, but there are a ton of tools that are still very handy, regardless of what industry you are in.
May 15, 2019

Bluebeam leaves Adobe in the dust!

TS
Trevor Smith
Project Manager
Platinum Builders, LLC (Construction, 1-10 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Best suited for generating quantities and doing take-offs. I use it regularly to quantify items on a drawing that I couldn't do with an Adobe program. I love the feature of saving the info so that you know if it was an area, perimeter, or simply a quantity take-off performed. A negative is that it takes a bit longer to load a PDF. This is the reason I have to default to Adobe, but manually open Bluebeam when I want to edit a file.
May 07, 2019

Revu is Essential for my use and plays nice with other software.

Michael Savala | TrustRadius Reviewer
Michael Savala
Assistant Account Manager
CNR Group Inc. (Construction, 11-50 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Revu is very good for marking up already created PDFs, such as annotating architectural drawings, marking-up invoices, etc. for approval or denial, creating documents from a variety of file times, such as tables, photos, and text into one comprehensive file. Something it is less appropriate for is content creation; while it can combine architectural drawings, photos, tables, and text very well, it's not great for creating content on its own. I.e., its drawing capabilities aren't as robust as AutoCAD or Rhino, jpegs are not native to Revu, it can't produce spreadsheets or tables at all, and word processing abilities are lacking compared to Microsoft Word or the like.
April 07, 2019

Bluebeam: Best PDF Document Management tool.

Nick Tanner | TrustRadius Reviewer
Nick Tanner
BIM Specialist
Jacobsen Construction (Construction, 501-1000 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam is an excellent choice for anyone in the Architecture, Engineering or Construction industry. The mobile app is a lightweight tool to allow remote drawing viewing when in the field or on the job site, so the user doesn't have to continually return to the job trailer and print a drawing or view on a computer there.
March 05, 2019

If you can convince your company to buy Bluebeam Revu... Do it.

Verified User
Project Manager in Professional Services
Civil Engineering Company, 51-200 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
When you have a drawing that was edited by someone else but the person didn't create a list of what had been changed, you can simply overlay the original on top of the new and Bluebeam will show the changes in a different color.

I haven't found a scenario where Bluebeam is less appropriate than similar products.
February 26, 2019

TIME SAVER!

M.A ADIL ANSARI | TrustRadius Reviewer
M.A ADIL ANSARI
Quantity Surveyor
Al habbai Contracting llc (Construction, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Bluebeam Revu is most suitable for those who deal with take-off related works such as construction projects where quantities are taken from drawings for estimation. Users can also create bookmarks and PDF files using Bluebeam. There is a provision for creating custom markups in the tool chest and project files can be uploaded to the cloud.
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