# Bluebeam vs KStrong Compass™

The clearest difference is review sentiment: KStrong Compass™ at 50% against Bluebeam's 3%. KStrong Compass™ also leads on rating (3.8 vs 1.5) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Bluebeam's advantage is ratings volume (392 vs 5). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

KStrong Compass™ holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 392 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 3% of Bluebeam's written reviews are positive against 50% of KStrong Compass™'s.

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, KStrong Compass™ every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bluebeam | KStrong Compass™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.5 (392 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluebeam/id1479484276/reviews) | **[3.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kstrong-compass/id1496910925/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **392** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 3.0% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 288 MB | 148 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebeam, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/489696449) | [Arresto Solutions Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1444831394) |

## What reviewers say

### Bluebeam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluebeam/id1479484276)

Access and collaborate on PDF documents directly from your mobile device. Communicate project updates with markups and work offline by syncing files. Seamlessly join live collaboration sessions and manage document revisions from the field.

**Highlights:** Real-time PDF collaboration, Markup and annotation tools, Offline file access, Document syncing, Studio Project management, Live session joining

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✅ Automatic saving functionality works well
- 📱 Useful for viewing PDFs on the go
- 🔄 Good for accessing Studio sessions
- 📊 Desktop version is powerful and feature-rich
- 🎯 Cleaner, more modern interface design

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Massive feature loss compared to Revu for iPad
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 📉 Severely limited markup tools and capabilities
- 🖊️ Apple Pencil input is unresponsive and laggy
- 💾 Data loss and corruption issues

**Reported bugs**

- Markups fail to load or display correctly
- App deletes markups instead of saving them
- Documents wipe clean when reopened
- Files uploaded disappear from app
- Corrupted file errors when opening PDFs

**Requested features**

- Restore measurement and scaling tools
- Add custom toolsets and tool libraries
- Implement bookmarks for document navigation
- Enable image embedding in callouts
- Add undo/redo functionality


### KStrong Compass™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kstrong-compass/id1496910925)

This app helps manage fall protection equipment by tracking inspections, maintenance, and user assignments. It uses QR codes, RFID tags, and label scanning to provide critical product data and reminders for safety compliance.

**Highlights:** Automated Inspection Reminders (AIR system), Equipment issuance and user accountability, QR code, RFID, and label scanning, Access to product critical data, Knowledge Tree for industry-specific equipment selection, Cloud-based asset management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bluebeam free?

Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is KStrong Compass™ free?

KStrong Compass™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or KStrong Compass™?

KStrong Compass™ is rated higher. Bluebeam averages 1.5 out of 5 from 392 ratings, while KStrong Compass™ averages 3.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Bluebeam or KStrong Compass™ have ads?

Neither Bluebeam nor KStrong Compass™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or KStrong Compass™?

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and KStrong Compass™ every 6 weeks. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on October 15, 2026 and KStrong Compass™ on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*