Bluebeam vs. pdfFiller

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
pdfFiller
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
pdfFiller is a cloud-based platform with a comprehensive digital toolkit used to handle PDFs, and to edit, sign, store, manage, and collaborate on documents. Documents are stored in the cloud and can be accessed anytime, anywhere, without worrying about losing data.
$8
per month (annual commitment) per user (minimum 20 users)
Pricing
BluebeampdfFiller
Editions & Modules
Revu Standard
$349
per seat
Revu CAD
$449
per seat
Revu eXtreme
$599
per seat
Basic for Enterprise
$8
per month (annual commitment) per user (minimum 20 users)
Premium for Enterprise
$10
per month (annual commitment) per user (minimum 10 users)
Basic
$20
per month single user
Plus
$30
per month single user
Premium
$40
per month single user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BluebeampdfFiller
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsUp to a 70% discount on individual plans for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BluebeampdfFiller
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 …
pdfFiller
Chose pdfFiller
Foxit Pro and Adobe, but the all-encompassing solutions available through PDFFiller and other solutions within the same brand are a tremendous value to our organization and the clients we serve.
Chose pdfFiller
There are SO many options for this category. What I will say is that I am not always in control nor am I always able to suggest going PDF. People have their rhymes and reasons foro why they use what they do.
My next most frequently used option is DocuSign, which by all means is …
Chose pdfFiller
Works great. Filling out pdfs used to be a pain in the rear. PDFfiller is a great app and defiantly makes my life a lot easier. Some of the other apps can be a real pain in the rear. It’s just east to use what can I say. I can imagin my phone without it.
Chose pdfFiller
i have never looked for a similar product. i didnt even know similar products existed!
Chose pdfFiller
I have never been sent a legal document via PDFfiller, only Docusign. We only use Docusign for legal and accounting matters because that is what our accountant, solicitor and real estate agent choose to use.
It is my understanding that Docusign is more appropriate for contracts …
Chose pdfFiller
This is my first time using a service like this. I chose this because it was what a previous coworker used to do the job i am doing now. I would not change services as PDFfiller is very easy to use and navigate.
Chose pdfFiller
I've not had to try any others. I was fortunate to stumble on PDFfiller as my first choice and I've never had to use anything else.
Chose pdfFiller
I find it much easier to use and more user friendly than Adobe Acrobat
Chose pdfFiller
They only other one I looked into (but didn't use) was the editor made by Adobe. The price was prohibitive for a small business like mine.
Chose pdfFiller
I have not used many others but in my field there are real estate specific options like Glide or Homelight that offer pdf editing but I don't think they offer as much editing features I need and is not as smooth to operate.
Chose pdfFiller
I have not used other products - PDFfiller was the first one I tried and have kept my annual subscription active since it was so easy to use.
Chose pdfFiller
I googled filling a PDF over 5 years ago, this is the first software that came up. It has been so helpful, easy to use and reasonably priced, we have not looked elsewhere.
Chose pdfFiller
Easier for a small practice and more cost effective
Chose pdfFiller
Docusign is very limited in my opinion. The software itself is also very clunky and skips around too much for my brain to handle. The UI is also confusing and looks sort of pieced together.
Chose pdfFiller
PDFfiller is much less expensive than DocuSign and you will get more for your money. Docusign charges a ton of money for their product. PDFfiller can do basically the same thing.
Chose pdfFiller
I like this better than Adobe but not as much as DocuSign mainly b/c DocuSign is more readily accepted for electronic signature and also DocuSign has better name recognition.
Chose pdfFiller
Adobe isn't user-friendly in my opinion. I can't save a pdf easily when I want to only select certain pages. PDFfiller is much faster and does everything I need and the interface makes more sense to me.
Chose pdfFiller
I have only sued PDFfiller as it met my needs at the time and the price was awesome!
Features
BluebeampdfFiller
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Bluebeam
8.7
Ratings
13% above category average
pdfFiller
-
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
pdfFiller
-
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
pdfFiller
-
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
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User Ratings
BluebeampdfFiller
Likelihood to Recommend
9.6
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BluebeampdfFiller
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
Honestly, everyone should know about PDF filler. But then again, its my little secret, lol. I love the fact that I can make edits to PDF seamlessly and professionally. I also love the fact that the documents i need to fill out, sign and return look great. Not like i printed them and then tried to use a phone scanner to send them back. PDF filler is what allows me to travel without a printer
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
  • Its user interface makes it a very easy-to-operate app. Without having adequate technical knowledge any user can operate it easily.
  • It works very fine on adding text on any part of a PDF document and It also allows users to delete pre written text from a pdf file.
  • It can also convert PDF files in other office formats with good quality.
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.
Read full review
  • Manually resending the document was a feature that seems to have been taken away.
  • Templates for Send To Sign letters. I basically have to type the same information over and over again each time. I was hoping that it would save it but it doesn't seem to have that function
  • Signer cannot save the document once it has been signed. I have to make sure that there is a note within the email that states that I will send them a copy.
  • Wish it had a way to send me a copy of the email I sent.
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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
I will always be a faithful PDFfiller customer. The product has saved me a lot of time over the years and I find a great deal of value in the platform. If I move on to another company someday, PDFfiller will be going with me wherever I go.
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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I don't fully understand all the features and I could probably be using it better, especially the templates. The organisation of exisiting files could be better (ie similar to folders on a pc/laptop). I haven't really invested much time into exploring it further than filling out forms; There possibly is an organisation solution I haven't discovered yet
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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
If you need help, you can easily search for it and find online tutorials that walk you through how to do specific things step by step. You do not have to read a 20 page manual or sit for a 10 hour training session, it is refreshing that you can take it at your own pace and learn things as you need to
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
When I was hired on by my current company I was already a paying customer, so I just brought it with me. Once I showed our President/Founder how simple it was to use for our contracts, agreements, and NDAs, it has been a staple in our company ever since. That was almost 3 years ago. We've closed quicker because of the speed at which we can turn signed docs around.
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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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There are SO many options for this category. What I will say is that I am not always in control nor am I always able to suggest going PDF. People have their rhymes and reasons foro why they use what they do. My next most frequently used option is DocuSign, which by all means is a top performer as well. The ease and universal comfort of PDF Filler resonate on a higher level of subconscious use globally so it becomes second nature like using text messages to video conferencing
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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  • Achieved significant ROI immediately, by freeing up our sales staff to actually sell (show properties, prospect new clients, list new houses), rather than spending time printing/scanning/manually completing forms, documents, and legal agreements.
  • Huge quality of life improvement immediately felt by our entire team that uses the application
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

pdfFiller Screenshots

Screenshot of the PDF editorScreenshot of fillable fields in pdfFillerScreenshot of the dashboardScreenshot of where to share documents and request eSignatures