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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    Revit

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk’s Revit is a Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool. It enables architectural, MEP, structural, and engineering design, and provides analysis to support iterative workflows

    $350

    per month

    Pricing
    BluebeamRevit
    Editions & Modules
    Revu Standard
    $349
    per seat
    Revu CAD
    $449
    per seat
    Revu eXtreme
    $599
    per seat
    Monthly
    $350
    per month
    1-Year
    $2805
    per year
    3-Year
    $8415
    per 3 years
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    BluebeamRevit
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Pricing available for monthly, annual, or 3-year subscriptions. Longer subscriptions offer greater discounts.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    BluebeamRevit
    Considered Both Products
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    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
    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 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
    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
    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 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
    Much more complete than the competition.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam is a far superior product to Adobe. I don't even think they should be in the same category for anyone in the construction industry.
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam Revu beats DWF review hand down. Bluebeam can communicate with any program that can create a PDF while DWF is exclusive to AutoDesk products thus forcing you to use a different software when working with other programs. The features of Bluebeam Revu compared to Adobe …
    Incentivized
    Chose Bluebeam
    Bluebeam Revu is much more tailored for drafting than Acrobat (the last time I used it in an office), so it caters to architectural markup and review very gratuitously. Tools are quick to find and essential markup symbols are not missing. As a PDF viewer, Bluebeam Revu is much …
    Incentivized
    Autodesk
    Chose Revit
    Revit is great for documentation. I also use Rhino 3D for rapid prototype scenarios that can be imported in, but in the end everything should be documented in Revit because it really is easy.
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    Revit brings collaboration to projects on a whole other level never seen in AutoCAD. Revit allows not only another live perspective of projects but also a huge advantage in simultaneous user production of drawings.
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    AutoCAD, MicroStation. These are both good programs but they are limited to two dimensions for the most part and I choose to use Revit for its ease in working in 3D, annotation, and organization. If you are looking to have a consistent good-looking set of drawings in 2D or 3D, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    Revit is used primarily for creation of contract documents and documents that need to be used to build in the field. Sketch Up is great for a quick concept sketch, but lacks the details that Revit has which are needed to construct. AutoCAD is a great tool for details as well, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    AutoCAD is great but it does not create sections and elevations while designing in 2D.
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    Revit provides much more coordination between trades and the architects. Provides a better picture of how the designs are actually going to be constructed.
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    Similar, early on ArchiCAD had a faster learning curve and a bit more rendering abilities for the early design.
    Incentivized
    Chose Revit
    The difference between Revit and AutoCAD is that AutoCAD is a drafting tool while Revit is a design tool. All AutoCAD did was digitize a drafting process and it had no embedded intelligence in the product while Revit being a design tool is more than just lines and circles it is …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    22 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    20 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    18 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    22 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    12 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    14 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    BluebeamRevit
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Bluebeam and Revit
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    8.7
    1 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Revit
    8.6
    8 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Standard reports9.01 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Custom reports8.01 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Data exportability9.01 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Dashboards00 Ratings4.46 Ratings
    Construction Project & Field Management
    Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Bluebeam and Revit
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    8.9
    54 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Revit
    7.3
    47 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Plan distribution & viewing8.952 Ratings8.345 Ratings
    Plan markups & sharing9.254 Ratings7.040 Ratings
    Issue tracking & punchlists8.533 Ratings5.028 Ratings
    Photo documentation8.836 Ratings8.019 Ratings
    Jobsite reports9.031 Ratings6.015 Ratings
    Document sharing9.347 Ratings10.040 Ratings
    RFI tools9.035 Ratings7.021 Ratings
    Collaboration & approvals9.042 Ratings7.039 Ratings
    As-built drawings8.945 Ratings9.044 Ratings
    Mobile app7.927 Ratings3.816 Ratings
    Submittal design and management8.921 Ratings7.519 Ratings
    Checklists9.53 Ratings7.26 Ratings
    Change orders9.03 Ratings7.57 Ratings
    Meeting Minutes00 Ratings6.75 Ratings
    Specifications00 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Estimating
    Comparison of Estimating features of Bluebeam and Revit
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    9.1
    29 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Revit
    8.2
    34 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Takeoff tools7.927 Ratings7.734 Ratings
    Job costing8.45 Ratings5.527 Ratings
    Cost databases10.01 Ratings8.020 Ratings
    Cost calculator10.02 Ratings10.021 Ratings
    Bid creation9.08 Ratings10.015 Ratings
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Bluebeam and Revit
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    -
    Ratings
    Revit
    6.7
    5 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings6.74 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings6.74 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings6.34 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.44 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings6.95 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.13 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Bluebeam and Revit
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    -
    Ratings
    Revit
    7.2
    4 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings7.44 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.63 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Bluebeam and Revit
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    -
    Ratings
    Revit
    6.6
    4 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    BluebeamRevit
    Small Businesses
    CMiC Construction Platform
    Score7.2 out of 10
    CMiC Construction Platform
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    InEight
    Score8.3 out of 10
    InEight
    Score8.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    BluebeamRevit
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.6
    (66 ratings)
    8.7
    (49 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    1.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (11 ratings)
    7.0
    (8 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    BluebeamRevit
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Autodesk
    Revit is very well suited to creating designs and construction documents for standard buildings. Buildings that need to utilize phasing in their construction process are also well suited to this software. Revit is not as well suited to buildings that have irregular shapes or components that need to be highly detailed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    Autodesk
    • Revit allows users to create real buildings and is very much rooted in making functional buildings.
    • Revit allows users to collaborate both within their own firms and with other types of firms as well. This is particularly useful for coordinating buildings between architecture and engineering firms.
    • Revit integrates fairly well with other programs such as AutoCAD and Sketchup. This allows us to bring in elements modeled in other programs into our revit models.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Autodesk
    • Versioning - Revit is not backwards compatible. This creates issues if you are working with people who are using older versions as you cannot save to a previous version. I understand why this is and I do not see this ever changing, however, Its very annoying.
    • Autodesk - They are the 800 pound gorilla in the industry. The lack of competition inhibits development and it seems Autodesk has put more effort into its BIM 360 platform and Revit development has suffered because of it. I would like to see better competition so Autodesk would step up its game.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    Autodesk
    We will almost certainly be renewing all of our current seats of Revit and will likely be adding seats as we look to get more and more of our staff trained and using Revit. The software is starting to become the standard for our projects as we move forward as more and more of our clients are requesting or accepting use of it
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    Autodesk
    It is a professional environment, but far from easy and overly complex in many places. The system is often too deep in settings and overrides (see Visibility/Graphics in combination with linked files, filters, color overrides and view templates). I don't really like the dialog-in-dialog interface and its spartan looks. But it works well overall if you know what you are doing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Autodesk
    Revit seems to always be available when I need it. I have not experiences an outage. There are occasions where we need our internal IT department to trouble shoot a file on our Revit dedicated server and that sometimes causes a delay however that is not a software access issue
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Autodesk
    Revit is a fairly graphics heavy piece of software. It is powerful in its capabilities but as a result it takes a lot of the graphics card, the memory, etc. For all that it can do and the specs of my computer I find it pretty good from a performance standpoint
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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
    Autodesk
    Autodesk has always had a good support system in place. There is a massive user base for Revit, and there are thousands of forum threads and other discussions online about any and every problem that you could ever run into. For being such a large program with so many different options, there aren't many roadblocks or pitfalls that users can fall into.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Autodesk
    The training was Revit Essentials and it was very beneficial. I would say that it is best to get the training right before you know you will be using Revit as learning the basis then applying what you learned immediately is the most effective and best value for your money.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Autodesk
    The online training is hit or miss. I feel that its better to be live to be able to pace and ask questions to a live person as you are learning hwo to do things. Its not natural to learn Revit especially if you know AutoCAD so my suggestion is the live training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Autodesk
    Implementing Revit as your main drafting software (i.e. moving to BIM from CAD) may be a tough decision if you have learned drafting. It is a different way to approach and think about developing a project. However, if you are able to adapt to a new way of thinking and get used to it by working through a few projects than it is as efficient as CAD in most areas in general and will also be both better/worse in some areas
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    Revit is used primarily for creation of contract documents and documents that need to be used to build in the field. Sketch Up is great for a quick concept sketch, but lacks the details that Revit has which are needed to construct. AutoCAD is a great tool for details as well, but does not have as many building capabilities as Revit.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Autodesk
    While I am not directly involved with the deployment of Revit, it seems that our internal IT department has appreciated the ability to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have never had an issue with the deployment if and when needed, especially regarding the availability of a set
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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
    Autodesk
    • Though implementation of Revit is usually front heavy which means a lot of effort is put in at the front end of the project, the return of investment towards the remainder of the project is really good. All the effort in decisions made at the beginning of the project pays off with Revit incorporating all the building information in the model so the team can glean from this throughout the life of the project is a major plus.
    • A major negative is the many false assumptions that comes with using Revit on a project. Just like any other computer application, Revit is only a tool. It's only as good as the operators who implement this tool. Revit is not a cureall for fixing all the problems that still can come out throughout the life of a design & construction project.
    • A major positive for our office involving the use of Revit is the ability for our staff from multiple offices to work on the same project central file. We don't need to maintain an expensive server. With the addition of Collaboration for Revit the entire project can be stored in the cloud for our staff to access and complete the project faster than ever.
    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