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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe Acrobat Reader

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AAcrobat Reader is a PDF viewer and converter, available as a free download from Adobe. Users can view, sign, collaborate on and annotate PDF files, or edit and convert PDFs into file formats like Excel and Word.N/A

    Bluebeam

    Score9.1 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.

    $240

    per year per user

    Pricing
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Revu Standard
    $349
    per seat
    Revu CAD
    $449
    per seat
    Revu eXtreme
    $599
    per seat
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Considered Both Products
    Adobe
    No answer on this topic
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    69 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    65 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    71 Answers
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    18 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    44 Answers
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    12 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    47 Answers
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    Features
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Bluebeam
    Feature
    Adobe Acrobat Reader
    -
    Ratings
    Bluebeam
    8.7
    1 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Standard reports00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Data exportability00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Construction Project & Field Management
    Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Bluebeam
    Feature
    Adobe Acrobat Reader
    -
    Ratings
    Bluebeam
    8.9
    54 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Plan distribution & viewing00 Ratings8.952 Ratings
    Plan markups & sharing00 Ratings9.254 Ratings
    Issue tracking & punchlists00 Ratings8.533 Ratings
    Photo documentation00 Ratings8.736 Ratings
    Jobsite reports00 Ratings9.031 Ratings
    Document sharing00 Ratings9.347 Ratings
    RFI tools00 Ratings9.035 Ratings
    Collaboration & approvals00 Ratings9.042 Ratings
    As-built drawings00 Ratings8.945 Ratings
    Mobile app00 Ratings7.927 Ratings
    Submittal design and management00 Ratings8.921 Ratings
    Checklists00 Ratings9.53 Ratings
    Change orders00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Estimating
    Comparison of Estimating features of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Bluebeam
    Feature
    Adobe Acrobat Reader
    -
    Ratings
    Bluebeam
    9.1
    29 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Takeoff tools00 Ratings7.927 Ratings
    Job costing00 Ratings8.45 Ratings
    Cost databases00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Cost calculator00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Bid creation00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Small Businesses
    Foxit PDF Editor
    Score8.7 out of 10
    CMiC Construction Platform
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Foxit PDF Editor
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Email to PDF for Outlook
    Score8.1 out of 10
    InEight
    Score8.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (74 ratings)
    9.6
    (66 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.2
    (2 ratings)
    1.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (11 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe Acrobat ReaderBluebeam
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    After creating a document, converting it into Adobe Acrobat Reader is usually very easy for storage in my computer, sending/sharing via emails, etc. This also saves a significant amount of unnecessary printing and paper waste, which is great for reducing waste. I don't have to worry about not having the right software/app to view, edit, and share with anyone.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
    Adobe
    • It has all the tools that individuals need for reading/doing light editing of PDF files.
    • It is the most secure PDF reader on the market, and it tends to get patched with timely updates on a regular basis.
    • It usually works very well, as far as the software itself. It doesn't crash a lot, or is particularly an error prone software platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    • 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
    Adobe
    • Being able to add image "stamps" to a document is a little tricky as the stamp has to already be in PDF format (at least on Mac) to work. This mean you have to convert the image to PDF before you can use it as a stamp.
    • Being only able to save one signature and one set of initials is a bit of a pain but you can actually use stamps if you need different versions frequently used scribbles for various reasons. The stamp won't secure the document and prevent future changes the same way the signature would though.
    • All of the other features you might want to use are only included with Acrobat Pro but the options are all displayed in the Reader app. When clicked they will offer the free trial that leads to a paid subscription. This is more of an annoyance but you can't fault Adobe for trying to make a sale.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    • 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
    Adobe
    To be honest, I do not have any say in the renewal of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. It is managed at an enterprise level, and the decision to renew or not renew is handled well above my pay grade as an external consultant.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
    Adobe
    Again, Adobe Creative Suite is widely used and backed by an industry leader, making the experience very familiar and common for anyone who has used a PDF and wants more features to interact with it. It also makes copy text a lot easier than just previewing the file.
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
    Implementation Rating
    Adobe
    The application is pretty much "plug and play"
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    We have reviewed DocuSign in comparison to [Adobe] Acrobat Reader [DC's] e-sign capabilities. We found that DocuSign has more robust options when creating contracts and consent capabilities. DocuSign's online UI is much more suited to this type of task as well. However, we decided to stick with [Adobe] Acrobat Reader DC because of the price (DocuSign is more expensive) and we felt we didn't need all of the bells and whistles for contract signature and consent.
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
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    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • It's available for free, so there is no excuse to not install
    • Contains features that you would normally have to pay for in competitor software, so it has a positive impact on ROI
    • Reduces the amount of printing
    • Decreases the amount of time spent on regulatory and governance documentation
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    • 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