Updated 18 January 2024 by James Ocean
Bluebeam Revu Alternatives and Competitors in 2024
Table of Contents
Introduction to Bluebeam Revu
Project management as a process is evolving on a regular basis, often using the newest technologies and methods to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and promote collaboration. Most of these changes are represented by the project management software market – the same software project managers use to visualize, organize, and execute projects.
Construction projects are getting increasingly more complex as time passes, and the demand for fast and effective project completion is at an all-time high. In this context, seamless collaboration, effective document management, and streamlined communication are more valuable than ever. Project management is the catalyst for many of these features, offering a centralized solution that allows all project participants to interact, strategize, and share information regularly.
An excellent example of a complex project management solution is Bluebeam Revu. It is a project management software that facilitates extensive collaboration in the design and construction industries. It can offer effective measurement and markup capabilities, making it easier to perform efficient revisions and document reviews. Solutions like Bluebeam Revu lead to a number of improvements for the project realization process, be it productivity enhancement, easier clash detection, lower rework count, and better communication across the board.
The main field of work for Bluebeam Revu is the AEC sector (architecture, engineering, construction), offering features such as quality control, document management, and project estimation for its users. Project management solutions also support establishing and developing BIM (building information modeling) workflows in this industry. BIM processes can operate more efficiently with the help of established document management and communication workflows.
Expanding upon the previously mentioned topic of BIM support from project management software, Bluebeam Revu has many features that can be highly effective in BIM-related tasks, such as
- BIM document management. Project management solutions such as Bluebeam Revu can act as a centralized document storage location with versioning, easy document access, and modification tracking features.
- Quantity takeoffs from BIM models. An easier and more accurate approach to quantity surveying can be achieved by acquiring quantity takeoff data directly from BIM models, aiding with tasks such as project budgeting and cost estimation.
- Collaboration in real-time via BIM models. The ability for stakeholders to work with the same document or model simultaneously significantly improves project efficiency and lowers delay time frames.
- Markup and annotation generation for BIM models. Highlighting model elements and requesting changes are some of the most basic examples of how project management software can facilitate better communication between stakeholders and team members.
- Simple integration with BIM software. Many different BIM solutions are on the market, often with their own proprietary data formats. Bluebeam’s ability to integrate with multiple BIM solutions facilitates easier information exchange while simplifying collaborative efforts.
This feature set is only a fraction of Bluebeam Revu’s capabilities. Plenty of other collaboration-centric features exist in the same solution. Bluebeam’s software is also imperfect, with its fair share of disadvantages that may be crucial for specific audiences or client bases. It can be the price of the solution, a missing feature, or any other reason.
The project management software market is impressive, and plenty of alternatives to Bluebeam Revu can be easily found. The market in question includes a variety of different solutions to choose from, including not only complex project management solutions but also collaboration software, PDF viewing and editing solutions, and even comprehensive BIM solutions.
In this case, our goal is to provide an assortment of solutions that can be an excellent alternative to some, if not all, of Bluebeam Revu’s features. Bluebeam Revu supported both Windows and Mac devices for most of its existence. Unfortunately, the official Mac version was discontinued in early 2020. It would be wise to split our list of software suggestions into two parts – Windows-oriented software and Mac-oriented solutions.
Additionally, some examples on our list may support both Windows and Mac devices simultaneously (if the software in question has a web version, for example). These solutions will be put in the “Mac” category since the primary goal of creating two different software groups is to discern what software does not support Mac devices.
Windows-based Bluebeam Revu alternatives
PlanSwift
Two of the most significant fields of interest for PlanSwift are estimating and takeoff. The software in question provides accurate generation of cost estimates based on blueprint data while also streamlining material quantification. Its interface is user-friendly and relatively simple, making it possible for even the least experienced employees to acquire precise measurements, accelerating estimations and reducing the number of manual errors in the process.
PlanSwift can be easily integrated with a number of construction management solutions, making collaboration more accessible and more convenient across different solutions and data environments. Some of the biggest reasons for PlanSwift to be considered a Bluebeam Revu alternative are extensive project management capabilities, takeoff risk automation, and estimation workflow optimization.
Customer reviews:
- Capterra – 4.3/5 points with 395 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 8.0/10 points with 27 user reviews
- G2 – 4.3/5 points with 29 user reviews
Advantages:
- Extremely convenient measurement-taking features.
- User-friendly interface of the software, easy access to most capabilities.
- A number of customization options to choose from, including report customization.
Disadvantages:
- User reviews about customer support seem highly polarizing, ranging from terrible to excellent and vice versa.
- The software can be rather expensive, making it difficult for smaller businesses to afford it and creating a potentially massive price tag for large-scale businesses.
- Plenty of inconvenient features are built into the software with no option to change them, such as the requirement to open every single hyperlink in Microsoft Edge.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- The amount of pricing information for PlanSwift that is available to the public is relatively small.
- There is only one pricing tier for the full-featured PlanSwift Professional version of the software, $1,749 per year per person.
- This offering includes 2 hours of training, as well as software updates and customer support.
- There may be more to PlanSwift’s pricing model, but complete information is unavailable on the official website, so the potential customer must contact the company directly to learn more.
My personal opinion on PlanSwift:
PlanSwift is a valuable collaborative software with outstanding estimation capabilities, offering a significant focus on interacting with project blueprints. It is customizable, user-friendly, and can take various measurements with ease. PlanSwift has its share of issues – including the high price of the solution and a problematic customer support experience. Nevertheless, it is still a competent replacement for Bluebeam Revu regarding collaborative and document management capabilities.
Fieldwire
Fieldwire is a cloud-based construction management platform designed to streamline communication and collaboration among construction teams. It is an excellent option for sharing information and communicating in real time, making it possible for various stakeholders to access documents, plans, and task lists from practically any device.
Fieldwire manages to reduce the number of project errors while also boosting general project efficiency using a combination of features such as issue resolution, blueprint management, and task tracking. The software also makes it possible to directly create annotations on project drawings for clear communication and easier collaboration. Data centralization is something that many construction industry experts value Fieldwire for, providing access to all project data in the same place.
Customer ratings:
Advantages:
- Support for modeling operations in both 3D and 2D.
- Capability to share a multitude of information using a single centralized cloud-based storage system.
- Real-time changes and updates to files and models to facilitate collaboration and communication.
Disadvantages:
- Incapability of generating weekly reports using a combination of daily reports throughout the week.
- A limited selection of templates and ready-made forms to help with menial and time-consuming tasks.
- Limited budget tracking capabilities across the board.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Fieldwire offers four different pricing plans:
- Basic is completely free, offering some basic features such as task management, checklists, plan viewing, and more
- Pro is $54 per month per user, offering custom task statuses, reports/exports, sheet comparison, etc.
- Business is $74 per month per user, with features such as a BIM viewer, custom forms, file storage synchronization capabilities, and many others
- Business Plus is $89 per month per user, the most expensive offering from Fieldwire, with RFI creation capabilities, submittals, and a lot of upcoming features such as change orders
My personal opinion on Fieldwire:
Fieldwire is an excellent example of a standard construction management solution. It is not the most famous offering in this field, but it is popular enough to have had many clients for years now. Communication between stakeholders is one of the biggest cornerstones for Fieldwire, and there are plenty of other features to choose from, such as blueprint management, error tracking, issue resolving, and even rendering in 2D and 3D. The same software is limited in multiple areas, such as its basic budget tracking capability. However, it is far from the worst solution in this category, and many of its advantages outweigh the shortcomings for many customers.
Procore
Procore is a well-known construction management solution offering a centralized platform for various construction-adjacent features. Not only can Procore offer vast project management capabilities, but it can also assist with financial and safety-oriented tasks. This software is a great contributor towards establishing quick and efficient communication between stakeholders at different project realization stages.
Procore can be used to connect workers, devices, and applications together to improve efficiency and eliminate miscommunication between different teams. It remains a rather prominent solution in the field of project management by implementing new and improved technologies on a regular basis.
Customer ratings:
Advantages:
- Numerous learning materials are accessible and easy to digest.
- Extensive visualization capabilities for projects of all sizes.
- Efficient customer support team with a myriad of positive reviews.
- Workflow centralization for streamlined workflows and easy communication.
Disadvantages:
- Steep learning curve that training materials cannot solve in its entirety.
- Switching between subsequent RFIs or submittals is far more difficult than it should be.
- Some processes take a long time to perform, hindering overall efficiency as a result.
- Random performance drops are infrequent but appear often enough to be a nuisance.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- On their official website, Procore does not disclose pricing information. Instead, interested users need to directly request a quotation from the software provider – a common practice in the construction management software industry.
My personal opinion on Procore:
Procore is often considered one of the more well-known brands when it comes to project management in constrution. It offers plenty of features to choose from, be it general project management capabilities, financial data management, or health-related information sharing. Procore can also centralize workflows and visualize projects, and there is also a competent customer support team that is available at all times. Working with Procore can be somewhat difficult, for multiple reasons, but its overall value when it is set up and working is far more valuable than any of its disadvantages.
Revit
Revit is a well-known BIM software from Autodesk; it is widely considered one of the best solutions in its field. Revit can offer features for practically all stages of construction project realization, from design to construction and everything in between. Other Revit capabilities include a significant focus on collaboration, data centralization capabilities, and the ability to integrate with other Autodesk products easily. It is not a direct replacement for Bluebean Revu, but Revit can offer plenty of features to rival Bluebeam in some way.
Customer ratings:
- Capterra – 4.6/5 points with 412 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 8.8/10 points with 200 user reviews
- G2 – 4.5/5 points with 824 user reviews
Advantages:
- Revit’s customer support is well-known and highly praised for being quick and efficient.
- There are plenty of features for the AEC industry professionals to choose from, including parametric design, 3D modeling, simultaneous editing, and collaborative tools.
- Capability to work and integrate with plenty of other software in the same field improves Revit’s utility and simplifies collaboration between stakeholders.
- Despite its nature as a BIM solution, Revit’s 3D modeling capabilities are versatile and efficient, offering a lot of details for every single object in a model.
Disadvantages:
- Similar to most BIM solutions, Revit’s hardware requirements are somewhat high, and having a high-end PC is practically necessary for faster renders and quick parameter recalculations.
- Revit does offer version compatibility, but it only works when upgrading an older model to a modern software version, not the other way around.
- There are plenty of features that Revit can offer, which is why it is not surprising to see that there is a learning curve for all new Revit users.
- Despite the status as one of the most prominent BIM solutions in the field, Revit’s automation capabilities are rudimentary and not particularly helpful.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Similar to most Autodesk solutions, Revit has two pricing options.
- A regular subscription that can be paid for monthly, annually, or every three years:
- $350 per month
- $2,805 per year
- $8,415 per three years
- The Autodesk Flex program offers a slightly different model for Revit – a “pay-as-you-go” option that offers a price in tokens for daily usage of some Autodesk services. Revit’s cost here is 10 tokens per day, and at least two token bundles are available for purchase:
- 100 tokens for $300
- 500 tokens for $1500
- Custom token amounts may also be ordered. The tokens themselves expire 1 year after purchase
My personal opinion on Revit:
Revit is a very well-known BIM solution from Autodesk – it may be one of the best-known solutions on the market. Revit’s most significant advantage as a BIM solution is its boundless collaborative capabilities, acting as a centralized source of information for all project participants. Other capabilities of Revit include rendering, construction management, modeling, and integration capabilities with a number of other specialized solutions. As an Autodesk product, it is relatively expensive, and it can be challenging to get into – but the software offers one of the best BIM experiences on the market to users with enough knowledge.
PDF-Xchange Editor
PDF-XChange Editor is a software with a self-explanatory name. The main purpose of PDF-XChange is to edit PDF files, be it modification, annotation, or simple viewing. The software can offer several features for easy PDF content modification, including image adding, text changing, commenting, and advanced markup. The confidentiality and integrity of PDF files with this solution are protected by data encryption and password protection. It is a great option for customers who are not looking for anything more complex than basic PDF editing capabilities.
Customer reviews:
- Capterra – 4.6/5 points with 239 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 8.6/10 points with 23 user reviews
- G2 – 4.6/5 points with 133 user reviews
Advantages:
- The wide range of features available in Adobe Reader, and plenty of additional features on top of that.
- A relatively low price for its features (comparable with Adobe and other products in the PDF management sphere).
- The general efficiency of the solution and the user-friendliness of its interface are great for the majority of users.
Disadvantages:
- Some custom settings may be lost during the version update process.
- A few features of Adobe Reader are not available in this solution.
- It lacks in some areas, including seamless collaboration, integration with other solutions, and more.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- PDF-Xchange Editor’s pricing model is not particularly difficult, but it can be confusing at times.
- The software itself is sold in packages and distributed using perpetual licensing – but customer support and regular updates are available only for a limited time after purchase.
- Additionally, several versions of the software have different sets of features – PDF-Xchange Editor, PDF-Xchange Editor Plus, and PDF-Xchange Pro.
- PDF-Xchange Editor is the least feature-rich version of the solution, but it is also the least expensive – starting from $56 per user per year ($72 per 3 years).
- The biggest package for this solution with a public price is a 25-user package for $907 with 1 year of support or $1,179 for 3 years of support.
- PDF-Xchange Editor Plus offers an extended version of the previous package, with features such as watermarking, automatic bookmarking, and many more comprehensive features.
- Editor Plus costs $72 per year for a single user or $93 for 3 years.
- This software’s biggest publicly available pricing offer is $1,160 (1 year) or $1,510 (3 years) for 25 users.
- PDF-Xchange Pro is a package deal with everything the company offers – not just Editor Plus, but also PDF-Tools, PDF-Xchange Standard Printer, and more.
- The solution starts at $121 and $157 for 1 and 3 years of service, respectively (1 user).
- The biggest offering here is a 10-user pack for $1,088 for 1 year or $1,414 for 3 years.
- It should also be noted that not all possible options are listed on the official PDF-Xchange website – there is no public pricing information for user packs for 50 or more users, and the same goes for corporate licenses as a whole.
My personal opinion on PDF-Xchange Editor:
PDF-Xchange Editor is a good replacement for the part of Bluebeam’s capabilities that deal with document management as a whole – especially PDF management. Xchange Editor offers quite a few features in this department, including editing, annotation, viewing, and more. It is fast, versatile, and a great option for document review due to its extensive annotation capabilities. It is also a relatively cheap offering – although its pricing model can be confusing for newcomers.
Bluebeam Revu alternatives for Mac
Buildertrend
Buildertrend is a cloud-based construction management software application known for facilitating collaboration, enhancing efficiency, and boosting profits in the construction industry. It can offer a significant number of features to work with in multiple categories such as project management and customer management, in addition to a complex CRM system. The aforementioned CRM capability provides document sharing, lead monitoring, and proposal creation capabilities. The software’s project management offering comes with time tracking, scheduling, and budget management capabilities.
Customer reviews:
Advantages:
- Regular updates to the platform include both bug fixes and content updates.
- An impressive feature set for tasks such as project management, scheduling, and budgeting.
- A user-friendly interface.
Disadvantages:
- A steep learning curve that becomes a massive issue for most new users.
- Inability to monitor and keep track of pay rates.
- No support for synchronization between multiple tabs makes it impossible to work in multiple parts of the platform at the same time.
- Very limited customization capabilities.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Buildertrend offers a simple pricing structure that includes three subscription levels.
- The Essential tier, priced at $339 per month, provides fundamental features such as scheduling, daily logs, comments, invoices, to-do lists, and email marketing.
- The Advanced tier, priced at $599 per month, includes an expansion of capabilities such as budgeting, bills, purchase orders, estimates, lead proposals, change orders, advanced reporting, and additional functionalities.
- The top-tier subscription, Complete, is priced at $829 per month and offers a comprehensive package that includes warranties, RFIs, selections, and other advanced features.
My personal opinion on Buildertrend:
Buildertrend is a relatively popular cloud-based platform for collaboration and project management. It can offer a respectable selection of capabilities, including warranty management, budgeting, proposal management, and payment processing. Its user-friendly interface works great when it comes to presenting a multitude of project management and CRM capabilities in the same application. It does have its own share of shortcomings, as well, ranging from limited customization to a steep learning curve, making it difficult to recommend to a wide audience.
Autodesk Build (formerly PlanGrid)
Autodesk Build is a construction project management solution that was previously known as PlanGrid. It is a cloud-based collaboration platform that can offer project monitoring and document management capabilities to all its users. That way, every single stakeholder only receives the most up-to-date information about the state of the project, eliminating miscommunication and drastically reducing the number of potential reworks down the line. Autodesk Build can also be integrated with a number of well-known design tools, expanding its capabilities even further. Some of the most commonly used features of Autodesk Build are issue tracking, workflow refinement, and real-time collaboration.
Customer reviews:
- TrustRadius – 8.1/10 points and 146 user reviews
Advantages:
- Fast and efficient customer support.
- Extreme mobility that positively affects collaboration and boosts teamwork between stakeholders.
- The software is packed in a user-friendly interface that is easy and accessible to users of all skill levels.
Disadvantages:
- Some elements of the software’s document management feature seem to be difficult to work with, especially when it comes to organizing attachments.
- There is very little that Autodesk Build can offer in terms of adaptability and customization, making it somewhat inconvenient for some users.
- Similar to most Autodesk products, Autodesk Build is a relatively expensive software, far more expensive than most of its competition.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Autodesk Build follows a straightforward pricing model, which involves a subscription-based system that considers the number of users while calculating the charges.
- You can acquire Autodesk Build at $145 per month per user, which comes down to $135 per month when paid annually. Additionally, you may also request personalized quotations from Autodesk, depending on the number of potential users your company has.
My personal opinion on Autodesk Build:
Autodesk Build (formerly known as PlanGrid) is an interesting project management software that combines a user-friendly interface with a number of features – seamless communication, effortless project monitoring, and efficient customer support. It is also a great addition to other Autodesk products, creating something of a connection between Build and other solutions for easy information exchange. It fits the niche of Bluebeam Revu completely, and its relation to Autodesk makes it a rather significant threat to Revu within the limits of the same target audience.
STACK
STACK is an all-encompassing construction project software solution with a primary emphasis on the preconstruction phase. It is a well-known cloud-based collaboration solution that acts as a centralized information hub for all project-related data in the same place. Some of the more popular features of the software include material takeoff calculation, project report generation, planning management, and seamless communication between different teams. STACK is a comprehensive yet versatile collaboration tool that primarily targets preconstruction processes in order to streamline and improve them.
Customer reviews:
Advantages:
- A vast and varied archive that includes items and assemblies.
- Setting up STACK for the first time is not particularly difficult.
- The cloud-based nature of the solution offers significant improvements in collaboration across the board.
Disadvantages:
- Navigating the platform’s interface is not easy, and it can confuse newcomers.
- STACK does allow for scalability for larger project groups, but it also comes with a steep price tag.
- The overall price of the solution is significantly higher than the market average.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- STACK offers three different pricing plans for its software, catering to different construction needs.
- The Takeoff & Estimating plan is focused on preconstruction processes and starts at $2,499 per user annually.
- The Field Productivity plan is tailored for construction-related requirements and starts at $599 per user annually.
- Finally, the Project Management plan is designed for the construction phase and starts at $3,588 per company annually.
My personal opinion on STACK:
STACK is not a complete construction project management solution – all of its marketing clearly states that it is a solution for the pre-construction phase, first and foremost. It can offer a number of valuable features, including data centralization, material takeoff calculation, and document management. This last feature is also something that Bluebeam Revu excels at – making STACK a partial competitor to Bluebeam. It cannot act as a complete replacement for all of Bluebeam’s capabilities, but its document management features alone are at the same level or better, making it a compelling alternative to a specific audience.
Nitro
Another example of a small-scale solution focused primarily on interacting with PDF documents is Nitro. It can view, edit, and share PDF files while also providing a user-friendly interface for all of its capabilities. These capabilities cover annotations, markups, and other features useful for document review processes. Nitro can easily convert PDF documents to other formats, including popular data formats such as Word or Excel. It is not the most feature-rich software on the market, yet it excels in its own narrow field of work – interacting with PDF documents in some way.
Customer reviews:
- Capterra – 4.5/5 points with 517 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 8.7/10 points with 68 user reviews
- G2 – 4.3/5 points with 270 user reviews
Advantages:
- It has the ability to convert scanned text into text that can be edited or formatted.
- It includes a built-in system for signing PDF files that can store multiple signatures at once.
- It has a relatively low price for its feature set compared to other solutions on the market.
Disadvantages:
- It has regular issues when documents are converted from one format to another.
- The user interface as a whole can be a bit unfriendly when you need access to a particular feature or tool.
- The overall collaboration capabilities of the solution are somewhat limited.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- The pricing model of Nitro is relatively basic and consists of three different pricing tiers.
- Nitro Pro – $16.79 per month per user (billed annually) for Nitro’s basic feature set, with most features included in this package.
- Nitro Pro (for 21+ users) – $11.19 per month per user (billed annually) with the same feature set as the regular Pro offering but explicitly created for larger orders (more than 21 users at once).
- Nitro Pro Business – $16.79 per month per user (billed annually) for the complete Nitro offering for enterprises, with all of its capabilities, including SSO support, 2FA support, advanced eSignature integrations, etc.
- All three pricing tiers also include volume-based discounts on a case-by-case basis.
My personal opinion on Nitro:
Nitro serves as an excellent alternative to Bluebeam Revu in the department of PDF management. It can view, edit, and convert PDF files in many ways while enabling digital signatures using a mouse or trackpad. It has a dedicated mobile version with a separate price tag, and the overall price of the solution is considered relatively cheap. It is not a powerhouse on the level of Adobe Acrobat Pro, but it is also several times cheaper, so it is an excellent option for customers with limited budgets who do not need some of the more case-specific capabilities of Adobe.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is a comprehensive PDF solution that goes beyond rudimentary viewing to offer advanced tools for creating, editing, and managing PDF documents. With an intuitive and user-friendly interface, Acrobat Pro DC allows users to easily edit text, images, and other elements in PDF files, providing precise control over document content. Its powerful commenting and markup features facilitate collaboration, making it a preferred choice for team-based document reviews. The solution excels in data collection and form creation tasks, which is an excellent addition to the overarching PDF editor feature set. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC can also be easily integrated with other Adobe products as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud offering.
Customer reviews:
- Capterra – 4.7/5 points with 2,314 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 8.7/10 points with 2,738 user reviews
- G2 – 4.5/5 points with 3,260 user reviews
Advantages:
- The interface is relatively easy to work with, unless you need less standard and more technical features.
- Plenty of praise goes to the customer support team as a whole.
- It can convert many different document types and file formats into PDF.
Disadvantages:
- Even though the basic version of the solution is free, the Pro version with additional features is often considered significantly above average for the market.
- The interface is not exactly complicated, but it has a rather specific style, making it somewhat challenging to get into if the user in question is unfamiliar with how Adobe structures the interfaces of its other solutions.
- The desktop version of the solution can be rather resource-consuming for no apparent reason.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Adobe has plenty of different products, with most products having a dedicated pricing approach and different versions of the software.
- Adobe Acrobat Pro costs $19.99 per month per user in its base form.
- Adobe Acrobat Standard costs $12.99 – however, this version of the solution does not include a large part of Adobe Acrobat’s capabilities, such as the native Mac application.
- Adobe Creative Cloud for $59.99 monthly is also an option, offering access to various Adobe products on top of being given access to Acrobat Pro.
My personal opinion on Adobe Acrobat Pro DC:
Adobe is a company that was the original creator of the PDF format in the first place. To this day, Adobe Acrobat Pro remains one of the best PDF editors on the market. It is fast and feature-rich, with a long history of success in this particular field. There is also the Adobe Creative Cloud offering, which puts Acrobat Pro together with a number of other solutions from Adobe, including Photoshop – one of the world’s most popular image editing solutions. Acrobat Pro has its share of issues, from its high price to its steep learning curve, but its feature set is still one of the best on the market – a worthwhile tradeoff for many users.
Revizto
Revizto is a multifunctional BIM platform that improves collaborative experiences and enhances general efficiency. It can cover many fields of work, including issue tracking, data centralization, and clash detection. Revizto can also offer a number of unconventional capabilities, such as the ability to integrate Virtual Reality in some of the tasks and operations (project walkthroughs, shareholder visualizations). It is an impressive collaboration platform with various BIM capabilities, offering a versatile foundation for cooperation and workflow optimization across the entire project realization process.
Customer ratings:
Advantages:
- Centralized access to all project data in the exact location for better collaboration.
- Plenty of integrations with other industry-specific software, including BIM and CAD solutions.
- Ability to assign specific issues or clashes to teams or individuals when necessary.
Disadvantages:
- Limited customization for logs and reports.
- An unusual UI design approach may be complex for some users to get familiar with.
- Managing large and detailed projects may slow down the solution, negatively affecting project efficiency.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- It seems that Revizto does not publicly disclose its pricing information, as the company follows a non-disclosure approach.
- In order to obtain details on pricing, interested parties are advised to request a quotation from the company directly.
- Furthermore, scheduling a demo with Revizto would be an excellent way to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the solution’s capabilities as well as its associated costs.
My personal opinion on Revizto:
Revizto is an excellent collaboration software that puts clash detection and issue management at the forefront of its capabilities. It can offer a list of relatively standard features for this type of software and a number of unusual capabilities, such as VR support. Revizto is fast, easy to work with, and scalable – although some bias may be involved here. This software offers a great alternative to most of the capabilities of Bluebeam Revu while adding several valuable features.
ProEst
ProEst presents a slightly different part of construction management solutions – estimation. It is a comprehensive construction estimation tool that offers a feature-rich and detailed approach to the estimation process in the construction industry. The solution can offer accurate estimates, detailed breakdowns, and a user-friendly interface. More specifically, ProEst can offer cost tracking, bid management, and takeoff capabilities – everything that deals with estimating in the first place. It can also integrate with other solutions and tools, offering a user-friendly and seamless data-sharing experience for all project participants.
Customer reviews:
- Capterra – 3.6/5 points with 51 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 5.0/10 points with 8 user reviews
- G2 – 4.3/5 points with 62 user reviews
Advantages:
- Many valuable features to work with, such as budgeting, RFI management, vendor management, and document management.
- Extensive customization capabilities for many aspects of the solution.
- A helpful and efficient customer support service.
Disadvantages:
- Creating assemblies from scratch can be very challenging.
- ProEst relies a lot on the stability of the Internet connection for both the client and the company.
- Scheduling with ProEst is not an easy task.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- There is no actual pricing information available on the official ProEst website. The only possible way to obtain such information is to request a personalized quotation from the company directly.
My personal opinion on ProEst:
ProEst is another excellent example of a solution that covers a part of what Bluebeam is capable of – it is a well-known construction estimating software with various features for this specific niche. The estimating process is one of many parts of a construction process, but it is imperative to everyone involved, and ProEst ensures everything is correct. It can manage documents, vendors, RFIs, and many other aspects of a construction process that may not come immediately to mind. It has its issues, but none of the issues of ProEst take away from the fact that it is one of the most competent options in its field.
Oracle Aconex
Oracle Aconex acts as a great collaboration platform for engineering and construction professionals. Its cloud-based nature allows for easy communication between departments and streamlined project management simultaneously. Oracle Aconex can manage and automate workflows, manage risks, and handle documentation, among other features. It earned its reputation among some of the biggest construction companies on the planet, acting as a convenient centralized data repository with a variety of features and functions.
Customer reviews:
- Capterra – 4.4/5 points with 209 user reviews
- TrustRadius – 7.4/10 points with 33 user reviews
- G2 – 4.5/5 points with 218 user reviews
Advantages:
- Centralized access to all project information for convenience and easier collaboration.
- Extremely effective document management capabilities.
- No limitations on the number of users that can be registered within a single system once an organization has been established.
Disadvantages:
- There are plenty of unfavorable reviews of the customer support experience.
- Synchronization between different machines is somewhat inconsistent and relies greatly on a strong connection.
- The search system is not particularly flexible and is very register-specific.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Oracle Aconex does not have any public pricing information on its official website, but this information can be obtained by requesting a personalized quotation.
My personal opinion on Oracle Aconex:
Oracle Aconex is a rather well-known collaboration platform based in the cloud. It offers practically anything a customer may need regarding collaboration features – document management, simple communication, a centralized single source of truth for all project participants, etc. It has quite a few issues, ranging from the problematic synchronization process to the large number of negative reviews when it comes to customer support, but the existing clientele of Oracle as a whole should be enough to convince plenty of companies that this alternative to Bluebeam Revu is worth considering.
Preview
Preview is a built-in application on macOS that serves as a versatile tool for viewing and editing PDFs and various image file formats. With an intuitive interface, Preview allows users to open, browse, and annotate PDFs, making it a handy solution for document review and markup. Preview offers basic image editing functionalities, enabling users to crop, resize, and adjust images effortlessly. Its ease of use and seamless integration with the macOS environment make Preview a go-to application for quick document and image viewing and lightweight editing tasks on Mac computers.
Advantages:
- It is an entirely free PDF viewer.
- It is updated regularly with the OS as a whole.
- It has an extremely easy-to-navigate, user-friendly interface.
Disadvantages:
- It is a very basic PDF viewer application at its core.
- It cannot be a long-term replacement for a solution as complex as Bluebeam Revu, but it works fine as a temporary replacement.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Preview for Mac is completely free and is pre-installed on every Mac device.
My personal opinion on Preview:
Preview is one of the most arguable choices when it comes to finding a free alternative to Bluebeam Revu. It is a rather basic PDF viewing solution with a number of editing capabilities, which covers one of the more prominent use cases of Revu – PDF management. It is nowhere near as feature-rich as any of its competitors on this list – but it is also completely free and available on Mac devices, pre-installed on every Mac device out there. As such, it can be quite useful as a temporary free alternative to Bluebeam if there are no complex actions that have to be done with PDF files immediately.
Bluebeam Cloud
Bluebeam Cloud, a relatively recent addition to Bluebeam’s product lineup, represents an online version of Revu designed to function across various web browsers. While it has certain limitations in terms of capabilities, it offers the convenience of accessibility from practically any web browser, eliminating the need for a dedicated Windows device. It is worth noting that a constant internet connection is a prerequisite for its operation. It is particularly advantageous for users who may not have constant access to a Windows device, especially considering that the Mac version of Bluebeam Revu has been discontinued for several years. An added benefit is the ability to access Bluebeam Cloud on mobile devices, further emphasizing its mobility and user-friendly features with no hardware restrictions.
Advantages:
- The majority of Bluebeam Revu’s capabilities are available from any device with a web browser.
- No prior installation or setup is required for the solution to work on any device.
Disadvantages:
- It is critically reliant on an Internet connection.
- It is a subscription-based service with absolutely no perpetual licensing.
- The lack of an app, mobile or desktop, may be a disadvantage in a specific range of use cases.
Pricing (at time of writing):
- Bluebeam does not differentiate between its solutions when it comes to pricing – there is a single pricing model that includes everything at once.
- There are three pricing plans to choose from here – Basics, Core, and Complete.
- Basics, at $240 per year per user, is a basic package with PDF modification capabilities, measurement capabilities, project drawing viewing capabilities, etc.
- Core, at $300 per year per user, expands upon the previous version’s capabilities with CAD plugins, Studio collaborations, enriched drawings, and so on.
- Complete, at $400 per year per user, is a complete package with everything Bluebeam has to offer, including advanced markup reporting, scripting commands for custom automation tasks, dynamic fill measurements, and more.
My personal opinion on Bluebeam Cloud:
Bluebeam Cloud would probably be first on the list of possible alternatives to Bluebeam Revu if it were not so limited in terms of its feature set. Bluebeam Cloud is not limited by hardware type, but it is also not as feature-rich as its desktop counterpart, and the overall subscription-based licensing model is also not for everyone. As such, choosing Bluebeam Cloud as your Bluebeam Revu alternative is a decision that should not come lightly – careful consideration is necessary to make sure that you do not lose any important functionality in the process.
Bluebeam Revu on Mac using a virtual machine
There is one more potential alternative we have to go over – the ability to run Windows software on Mac devices with the help of virtual machine software (with Parallels being the most famous example). This approach is not recommended to most users since the overall user experience is not the same as native Windows software. Bluebeam Revu can be a resource-intensive solution, and running such software via a virtual machine often leads to performance drops and even software errors.
It is always recommended to run native applications on respective operating systems in order to receive optimal performance. Bluebeam Revu is no exception to this rule, and it is our recommendation for Mac users to look into alternative markup and PDF editing solutions if there is a need for such software.
Conclusion
When it comes to project management, Bluebeam Revu is a good solution with a variety of features. It is also not irreplaceable, and this article can be used as a reference for solutions that can replace either some or all of Revu’s capabilities to a certain degree. Our list of Bluebeam Revu competitors includes comprehensive software with project management capabilities and small-scale software with a narrow feature set that can only cover a part of Bluebeam’s capabilities.
The issue of hardware compatibility that Bluebeam suffers from is not present in most of our examples. Solutions such as Revizto can act as a competent Bluebeam Revu alternative that can easily operate with both Windows and Mac devices. There is also the fact that a number of our examples use either a web-based or a cloud-based structure, making it accessible from practically any device that has a web browser.
Finding an alternative to Bluebeam is not a difficult task by itself, and a large part of this confidence comes from understanding what features and capabilities your company needs. If the company knows what it wants from project management software, then figuring out which software fits its needs the most would be much easier.
About the author
BIM/VDC Specialist. James Ocean is Head of BIMspiration at Revizto and keeps everything moving onwards and upwards. From supporting and teaching our internal team as well as our clients, James shows us the ins-and-outs and how to best leverage Revizto to maximize workflows, cut costs, and get all types of projects through the finish line.
