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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

    Tungsten Power PDF

    Score9.5 out of 10
    Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
    Tungsten Power PDF (formerly Kofax) is a solution to manage PDFs for businesses and individuals available with a one-time purchase with no subscription fees. It has a built-in eSignature integration with SignDoc and DocuSign for a complete end-to…

    $129

    one-time fee per license

    Pricing
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    Editions & Modules
    Revu Standard
    $349
    per seat
    Revu CAD
    $449
    per seat
    Revu eXtreme
    $599
    per seat
    Power PDF Standard
    $129
    one-time fee per license
    Power PDF for Mac
    $129
    one-time fee per license
    Power PDF Advanced
    $179
    one-time fee per license
    Power PDF Business
    Get a Quote
    per year per seat
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Desktop licenses are buy once, own forever. No subscription fees. Business server licenses are term-based or perpetual with optional maintenance & support contract. Volume and upgrade discounts available.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    Considered Both Products
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answer on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    I've used Acrobat and Acrobat DC, NitroPDF, SodaPDF, Bluebeam and others. Power PDF is hands down my favorite based on my experience.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    Better software and ease of use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    I don't have much experience with other specific programs. I have used Bluebeam some, but it is created for Blueprint reading/marking up/etc. Kofax is much better for my uses.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    Power PDF is comparable to Acrobat, Bluebeam is a bit different and targeted for a different workflow. Comparing to Acrobat Power PDF provides the same functionality at much lower cost.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    Nuance outclasses Foxit and Adobe Reader in most categories. It is significantly less expensive than Adobe, easier to use than both of them, and quicker than both as well. Bluebeam is the closest competitor in my opinion. The cost difference makes the difference between the two …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    I am well-versed in both Acrobat and Revu. I think that Kofax looks and feels like Revu given all its functions, buttons, and commands but is used more like Acrobat. I selected Kofax because it is by far the most cost-effective option and I wanted to learn a new tool. I really …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    Beats them all hands down. The rest of them lack tools, are difficult to navigate, do not have the thumbnail viewer that I find very important. I keep between 20 and 50 PDF's on my desktop at any time, to be able to glance and find the one I need without reading the file name …
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    Kofax Power PDF is about 1/7 the cost of these programs and offers most if not all of the same features, so why go anywhere else. we used to use Adobe but quickly realized I could buy a copy of Power PDF for everyone in the whole company for the cost of one copy of Adobe.
    Incentivized
    Chose Tungsten Power PDF
    Power PDF is easier to use and less expensive than Adobe Acrobat.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    97%
    Would buy again
    571 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    562 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    18 Answers
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    569 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    12 Answers
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    514 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    542 Answers
    Features
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Bluebeam and Tungsten Power PDF
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    8.7
    1 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Tungsten Power PDF
    -
    Ratings
    Standard reports9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data exportability9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Construction Project & Field Management
    Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Bluebeam and Tungsten Power PDF
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    8.9
    54 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Tungsten Power PDF
    -
    Ratings
    Plan distribution & viewing8.952 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plan markups & sharing9.254 Ratings00 Ratings
    Issue tracking & punchlists8.533 Ratings00 Ratings
    Photo documentation8.836 Ratings00 Ratings
    Jobsite reports9.031 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document sharing9.247 Ratings00 Ratings
    RFI tools9.035 Ratings00 Ratings
    Collaboration & approvals9.042 Ratings00 Ratings
    As-built drawings8.945 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app7.927 Ratings00 Ratings
    Submittal design and management8.921 Ratings00 Ratings
    Checklists9.53 Ratings00 Ratings
    Change orders9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Estimating
    Comparison of Estimating features of Bluebeam and Tungsten Power PDF
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    9.1
    29 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Tungsten Power PDF
    -
    Ratings
    Takeoff tools7.927 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job costing8.45 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost databases10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost calculator10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Bid creation9.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    PDF Editors
    Comparison of PDF Editors features of Bluebeam and Tungsten Power PDF
    Feature
    Bluebeam
    -
    Ratings
    Tungsten Power PDF
    7.8
    15 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Edit Text and Images00 Ratings7.614 Ratings
    Merge or Split PDFs00 Ratings8.815 Ratings
    Add Annotations00 Ratings7.814 Ratings
    Text Recognition (OCR)00 Ratings6.512 Ratings
    Page Management00 Ratings8.115 Ratings
    Form Creation and Editing00 Ratings6.511 Ratings
    Secure PDFs00 Ratings7.911 Ratings
    Convert to Different Formats00 Ratings8.314 Ratings
    Comment and Review Tools00 Ratings8.113 Ratings
    Undo and Redo Actions00 Ratings8.114 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    Small Businesses
    CMiC Construction Platform
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Foxit PDF Editor
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Autodesk Build
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    InEight
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Score8.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.6
    (66 ratings)
    8.7
    (587 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    1.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (111 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.8
    (46 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (13 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (13 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (11 ratings)
    9.5
    (428 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    3.6
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (33 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (9 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (10 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (12 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (7 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (7 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    BluebeamTungsten Power PDF
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    GREAT for combining documents into a single PDF. Great for working with a PDF. Not so great converting PDF to Word format. Would like to see more effort put into that development. Would like to see more effective testing of updates prior to pushing them out as well. Otherwise it is awesome.
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    • Typewriter functionality is great, although can take some time to load. This allows you to fill in text wherever applicable without turning the rest of the pdf into editable text.
    • Fast load times
    • Has autogenerated text feature so anything in the pdf can become editable
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    • I find that quickly editing text within a document or adding a line of text is clunky and can snowball into things popping out of place. I prefer to export text, and then work on it elsewhere.
    • Sometimes it seems that text recognition is trying too hard and throws me paper punches as "O"s and wrinkles as shapes, so I have to get rid of those artifacts.
    • The "Update Available" popup which is usually not an actual update announcement but rather an offer to sell me something is annoying.
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    Tungsten Power PDF is easy to use, the staff all like it, and there are no issues with it on any level. It is a more cost-effective solution to our PDF needs than other products currently available on the market. This product works as intended and it fits our business needs perfectly.
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    It is fast and easy to get the hang of. It really didn't take a lot of effort to learn how to use this program and I appreciated that it was pretty "plug and play" and there wasn't a long learning curve.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    Other that a PDF partially disappearing if left up for a long period of time - no issues. (If you close it and reopen it, it is all there. We have some PDFs that are 400-600 pages long.)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    Pages nearly always load at the expected rapid speed. Some documents that print quickly from Adobe Reader print much more slowly from Power PDF. I have never generated a report - that's a feature I didn't know existed until now and do not know what it's for
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    I have used it for 15 years and have only needed support once: a simple update that allowed me to use the software as intended. The support team was attentive and responsive, and I was on my way very quickly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    I got an overview of the product from my predecessor who was about to retire from the job I now hold. He did not go into very many of the features and probably only knew about the ones he used most frequently.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    We watched the training videos and tested out the features and functionality side by side. Some features are not used on a regular basis is it is convenient to go back and review training on that particular functionality when needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    Easy and quick, with no problems or support needed. Worked as intended right out of the box. E-signing was the only area that implementation was dificult and required support
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    There is nothing to compare it to. Tungsten Power PDF is by far an easier and more efficient option. The one advantage of CutePDF is the functionality of overlay and underlay with headers and footers. The other functions in Tungsten Power PDF are much easier to use. Pricing is also an attractive option.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Bluebeam, Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    Not really familiar since I'm the only person who uses it. But in the past it has been my understanding that Power PDF was offered only on a single-license basis, so it's been expensive for me to use it at home and at work because I had to pay for it on my own. In my current position management supports it so I at least only have to pay for it once.
    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
    Tungsten Automation (formerly Kofax)
    • Although it was expensive to get the program (just under $200), I found that it was nice that there was only that one time charge. If there were updating or annual fees, I think that would be a deal breaker. Thankfully there isn't, though!
    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

    Tungsten Power PDF Screenshots

    Screenshot of the PDF Create Assistant, which can be used to create multiple PDFs at the same time from a variety of source formats. Create individual PDFs, or combine into one PDF package.Screenshot of PDF Profiles that can be created to apply commonly desired settings to new PDF documents created in Power PDF.Screenshot of the application's color, changed from purple to blue, light gray or dark gray.Screenshot of some lightweight document automation that can also be achieved with the Watched Folder and Sequence features.Screenshot of where packages can be signed with pre built templates using Kofax Sign Doc or other integrating e-signersScreenshot of PDFs that can be navigated with a thumbnail view