Bluebeam vs. Foxit PDF Editor

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Bluebeam
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
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.
$349
per seat
Foxit PDF Editor
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Foxit PDF Editor is a solution for creating, editing, organizing, and securing PDF documents. Designed for professionals and businesses of all sizes, features include editing capabilities, OCR, collaboration tools, and security options like redaction and document encryption.
$10.99
per month per user
Pricing
BluebeamFoxit PDF Editor
Editions & Modules
Revu Standard
$349
per seat
Revu CAD
$449
per seat
Revu eXtreme
$599
per seat
Foxit PDF Editor
$10.99
per month per user
Foxit PDF Editor +
$13.99
per month per user
Foxit PDF Editor
$129.99
per year per user
Foxit PDF Editor+
$159.99
per year per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BluebeamFoxit PDF Editor
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BluebeamFoxit PDF Editor
Considered Both Products
Bluebeam
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 …
Chose Bluebeam
It is just more advanced in terms of functionality. Bluebeam has far more features for collaboration, document sharing and marking up.
Chose Bluebeam
Bluebeam is targeted towards construction professional and offers features and built-in markups that I use everyday. Acrobat is a generic program that requires more training and set-up for use specific to construction and design. Bluebeam was more cost-effective than Acrobat, …
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.
Chose Bluebeam
Years ago I used Adobe which was not well suited for CAD drawings. I soon found Bluebeam which at the time was a wonderful game changer. Sadly, my recent experience has caused me to begin searching elsewhere for new software.
Chose Bluebeam
Bluebeam I believe is much better then Smartsheets because there are way more features that just make sense and are construction minded. I am able to host and share these documents with other users who do not need to have a Bluebeam license to view or download them from the …
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.
Chose Bluebeam
Much better. The features are greater, the layout is better and you can just do so much more. The features alone and what you can do with it makes it worth it. Also, it allows for you to edit and create in a much more user friendly way. All of our engineers love using it …
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 …
Chose Bluebeam
It is better than acrobat in my opinion. More features and more user-friendly.
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 …
Chose Bluebeam
Bluebeam Revu is a no-brainer in the AEC space. Stop wasting money on owning adobe and Revu. Revu can replace all of your Adobe usage. With a good change management process, Revu can meet the needs of your entire organization. The Bluebeam team will be with you every step …
Chose Bluebeam

Revu was much easier to use, more cost-effective, and is more generally used in the construction and design industry than Adobe. We found Adobe to be more of a resource hog, as well as being bloated with offers for other Adobe applications, which many times would slow down a …

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.
Chose Bluebeam
I select Bluebeam Revu when I have to as directed by the client or the owner. Otherwise, when the user does not need such a specific or robust piece of software, I usually go to one of the less expensive competitor's PDF editors. They suite our needs just fine and cost half …
Chose Bluebeam
Bluebeam definitely blows Adobe out of the water in the basic to the basic comparison. You will have to do more research on how exactly to use all the tools if you have never used the program before such as myself.
Chose Bluebeam
Bluebeam Revu has a much more sophisticated interface that allows you to mark up documents in many different ways. It can store tools for standard markup use. It provides digital signatures which can be very useful for many document types. By creating a Revu studio, multiple …
Chose Bluebeam
We've used these other products in conjunction with Bluebeam mainly because Bluebeam lacks RFI/COR/PO/Mark-up/revision tracking, and doesn't handle punch lists or tasks.
Chose Bluebeam
Adobe is good for viewing PDFs, but as far as how PDFs are utilized in construction, Bluebeam is hands-down the best program I have used.
Chose Bluebeam
The newer Adobe interfaces are poor. Adobe does not do as well with drawing markup or takeoff tools. Adobe does seem to render some drawing files more quickly though. Adobe text document markup feels a bit more polished. Bluebeam was selected for better tools specific to …
Chose Bluebeam
This is by FAR the most powerful product that I have used. I have not turned back to Adobe for modifying documents since we purchased Bluebeam. I am not sure of the cost of the program, but sure it is worth it to the company. As to doing take-offs, this is a great tool as well …
Chose Bluebeam
Procore is excellent for tracking documents and links. Bluebeam is superior at editing, scaling, and marking up documents. You can track projects of any size at a very low price point with Bluebeam.
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 …
Foxit PDF Editor
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit PDF Editor meets all of our business needs in terms of a PDF editor software. The price for Adobe Acrobat Pro was cost-prohibitive.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Adobe Analytics and Microsoft 365
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
In our case Cost was the deciding factor. We don't have a need for any advanced tools or features. Our use cases involve merging or splitting up documents, e-signatures and simple markups.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit PDF Editor had the most tools that I frequently use and it had them right where I expected them. All of the others that I demoed either lacked tools I use often or were not nearly as intuitive to use.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit PDF Editor (FoxitPhantom) is cheaper and easier to purchase and renew. It's layout is easier to navigate. They have used the same type of layout as Microsoft Office products so it is easier for Team Members to find what they need. It also has a few more features than …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
1. In Kofax the functionality of the component is limited in that it cannot process PDF files larger than 2 GB due to the technological constraints of LeadTools. To process large PDF documents, it is advisable to use
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit PDF Editor is much more intuitive than Adobe and Apple Preview and some other PDF editors. The interface and UI are easier to manage and collaborate with, and export cleanly. It is also a good tool for more simple design projects. It's easier to merge multiple PDFs and …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit comes with an offline solution that can be deployed across the company. The price is good, compared with Adobe but a bit less competitive than Kofax. The interface compared to other mentioned tools is easy to deal with and seems to be intuitive for the users who uses …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
I have used Adobe is the past, and it worked just fine. However, I felt that in order to complete the tasks I needed to, I was having to take 4-5 steps just to do one thing. With Foxit PDF Editor (FoxitPhantom), most of the issues I ran into with Adobe were one simple click …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
FoxitPhantom contains all the functionalities that you want from Adobe such as creating PDFs, editing PDFs, sharing PDFs, encrypting PDFs, and being a cheaper alternative. The user interface is very intuitive and matches up well with other common software like Microsoft Word …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Foxit has its own use. Compared to Bluebeam, Foxit is a way more affordable option. Foxit is a great and affordable solution for most users. The program doesn’t quite stack up against Bluebeam as far as features go. But that’s also why Bluebeam costs $350 and Foxit only costs …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Can't beat the cost and quality when compared to the more well known competitor software suites. Also much better than the random, not so well made and supported similar software out there. FoxitPhantom PDF is a solid tool to have on your computer, you will not be disappointed.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
FoxitPhantom PDF does everything Adobe does and much quicker from the program opening to saving files.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
FoxitPhantom PDF is a no-brainer when compared to Adobe Acrobat. It is extremely cheaper for virtually the same product. It has all of the features that I loved about Adobe Acrobat, but for a fraction of the price. I would say FoxitPhantom PDF isn't just competitive - it's the …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
We were looking at ways to help reduce our license costs, and that is what made us look into alternatives to Adobe Acrobat. The license costs about half of what we were spending for Adobe, so it was a straightforward choice for us to make. Aside from a learning curve associated …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Simpler to use, just as functional if not more so. Better, smoother integration. We went with it because of its wide functionality and client support. Overall, for the money, it is better and more reliable software.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
Our main reason to review Foxit was due to the many challenges that we incurred with Adobe conversions. Additionally, trying to get Adobe to answer our inquiries was trying at best. Foxit is simply better at what they do. Another nice benefit is that Foxit is a fraction of …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
FoxitPhantom PDF is a cheaper alternative to Adobe Acrobat. It can get the job done with basic PDF needs, but the user experience is not a slick as the Adobe products with the recent updates. Foxit was ultimately selected to reduce the costs for a basic PDF reader and editing …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
FoxitPhantom PDF has all the same basic features that Adobe Acrobat carries, except I have personally found the editing and annotating features to be superior with FoxitPhantom. Not to mention it feels like Adobe Acrobat comes with more bloated software, whereas FoxitPhantom …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
In my experience, Foxit Phantom PDF offers the exact same functions and abilities that Adobe Acrobat does. Our company chose Foxit because it was significantly less expensive.
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
I would say that when you want to get a bigger share of the market and take business from long time consolidated applications like Acrobat, you really need to try harder and give something more to the user to be able to change their mind and switch to Foxit.
In our case …
Chose Foxit PDF Editor
I have used Adobe pdf reader before I discovered FoxitPhantom PDF. Compared to Foxit Adobe have fewer features and a less appealing user interface.
Features
BluebeamFoxit PDF Editor
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Bluebeam
8.7
Ratings
13% above category average
Foxit PDF Editor
-
Ratings
Standard reports9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Data exportability9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
Bluebeam
8.9
Ratings
16% above category average
Foxit PDF Editor
-
Ratings
Plan distribution & viewing8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Photo documentation8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Jobsite reports9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Document sharing9.30 Ratings00 Ratings
RFI tools9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
As-built drawings8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Submittal design and management8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Checklists9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Change orders9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
Bluebeam
9.1
Ratings
13% above category average
Foxit PDF Editor
-
Ratings
Takeoff tools7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Job costing8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost databases10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost calculator10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Bid creation9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
PDF Editors
Comparison of PDF Editors features of Product A and Product B
Bluebeam
-
Ratings
Foxit PDF Editor
8.8
Ratings
5% above category average
Edit Text and Images00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Merge or Split PDFs00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Add Annotations00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Text Recognition (OCR)00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Page Management00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Form Creation and Editing00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Secure PDFs00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Convert to Different Formats00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Comment and Review Tools00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Undo and Redo Actions00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
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All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BluebeamFoxit PDF Editor
Likelihood to Recommend
9.6
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.0
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BluebeamFoxit PDF Editor
Likelihood to Recommend
As stated before, the mobile application is a great companion to the desktop version. Either one works great in viewing, editing and saving documents. While the measurement tool is handy to have, we have found the precision to be lacking when measuring scaled drawings (construction design drawings). While it is a good rough place to start for measurements, we wouldn't recommend relying on the precision of the measurements taken on something with a very large scale.
Read full review
Great for marking up depositions or pleadings with highlights, comments, and notes during case review.
Supports Bates stamping, password protection, and other features often required for electronic filing.

Built-in tools allow for quick and secure redaction of privileged or confidential information before sharing or filing. Less appropriate if you needed to work on real time collaboration or building complex form templates from scratch.
Read full review
Pros
  • Overlaying pdf drawings to identify changes made by architects.
  • Scaling dimensions when the architect has not provided required dimensions to proceed with work in the field.
  • Hyperlinking construction documents with required information makes it much easier to look through multiple sheets in less time.
Read full review
  • FoxitPhantom carries superior editing tools over Adobe Acrobat and similar products. It allows you to modify text, images, & objects in a more robust fashion
  • Integrates well with Microsoft Office products such as Word, PPT, & Excel
  • Allows you to work in a nearly paperless environment
Read full review
Cons
  • 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.
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  • I have a dual monitor setup at work and there are times when I wish that I could view pdf documents on both monitors at the same time. I have not yet figured out how to do that with FoxitPhantom as it appears to limit the user to displaying multiple pdf documents as separate tabs on the same screen. If dual screen is an option in the software, it needs to be more apparent.
  • I can't think of any other desired improvements. This software really does everything that I need it to do.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
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.
Read full review
Because very few editors are so easy to use and deploy backed by speed and performance. Foxit PDF is known for its speed and performance, allowing users to open and work with PDF files quickly and efficiently
Foxit's user-friendly interface is easy to navigate and use, making it a popular choice for users who are new to PDF software.
Read full review
Usability
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.
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Functionality and features it has as well as being quiet user friendly. It would be nice though if it wasn't laggy as often and had better page organizational tools. It often bogs down when this is being done or doesn't work properly when moving pages around and needed
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
FoxitPhantom PDF integrates very well with the Microsoft Office products, which is where I found I use this the most. It performs about as well as can be expected, without any out of place latency. Whether it be merging, deleting, editing or rearranging pages, its performance holds up even with larger documents.
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Support Rating
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
Read full review
I haven't personally had interaction with the customer support from FoxitPhantom, however based on conversations I have had with members in the organization, I was given positive feedback. Their website has a lot of information and tutorials. If you need to contact them, they are quick to respond. User manuals are readily available.
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Alternatives Considered
Bluebeam is a diverse program with many functions and tools, whereas competitive programs only specialize in one or few tasks. Although there are many tools within the program, users can still quickly learn how to use the program to best fit their needs. There is always a help tab for any assistance needed.
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1. In Kofax the functionality of the component is limited in that it cannot process
PDF files larger than 2 GB due to the technological constraints of
LeadTools. To process large PDF documents, it is advisable to use
compression as a workaround. 2. In Kofax the black and white images must be created with at least 200 dpi resolution for reading new item number barcodes as we deploy in our news room.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • 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.
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  • For a PDF software in a our company is difficult to translate the software performance into financial results. With a PDF software is a lot less obvious than an ERP of a Payroll System, but one advantage could be the savings that a lower cost of licensing would bring when it is used by a bigger number of users.
  • A positive impact is the ease of use when creating and filing new hired employees, but once again, it is hard to say that it is faster than a different PDF software and even if that was the case the savings in time would be probably unnoticeable. At least one would be having a process with no hassles when creating and saving your PDF documents for your employees.
  • So far no crashes. I have never heard a complain about Foxit crashing even when you have dozens of documents opened at the same time. We can't say the same when using other applications like Excel... This brings peace of mind and less frustrated users.
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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