Comparison

Bluebeam vs CAD

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bluebeam

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
Read full description

Bluebeam for iOS keeps you connected to your teams and documents, so you can quickly access the information you need in the field and capture what matters for the office. - Communicate with markups using tools like callouts, text, clouds, and status indicators - Import your team's custom Tool Sets from Revu, so your standardized markups are ready to go in the field, even offline - Attach photos captured in the field directly to a markup, so supporting documentation stays organized without cluttering your drawings - Open your files stored on your device, Studio Projects, or Studio Sessions - Join Studio Sessions for live collaboration. If your connection drops, your changes sync when you're back online - Check out files in Studio Projects to make edits, then check them back in when you're ready - Work offline by syncing Project files ahead of time or opening PDFs stored on your device Whether you’re reviewing submittals, placing markups in the field, or tracking revisions with your team, Bluebeam gives you the flexibility to get the job done from anywhere.

About

CAD

Visualize .dxf files on your phone or tablet without complex calibration. Upload your design files to see lot lines, detention areas, and more, aiding contractors, developers, engineers, and surveyors in planning and execution.

Highlights
  • Visualize .dxf files on a map
  • View in State Plane or Lat/Long
  • Layer management
  • Surface to Grid corrections
  • Unlimited uploads (10MB limit)
  • TXT formatted point sets (PNEZD)
Read full description

Only requirements are a .dxf file and the known state plane projection of the file. No benchmarks, no localizations, no site calibrations. Take any .dxf, upload, and then GO! Expect virtually no learning curve for contractors using Trimble, Topcon, Leica, Sokkia, or Carlson GNSS systems with data collectors. Upload your file and go. Provides a similar user experience as a base and rover setup; from your mobile phone or tablet. Not a contractor, no problem. With CAD-Locator developers can visualize designs from engineers and architects before breaking ground. Load a .dxf and see where the lot lines are, see where the detention will be, see the intersection, see the cul-de-sac, where should the tool trailer be set up, where is the best location for your base pole…. Engineers and Architects can visualize their design without staking. Surveyors can find pins quicker. Technicians can document test locations. The applications are almost unlimited. For best results; explode blocks prior to upload, reduce files to the critical layers, use files formatted for field data collectors, avoid files with xrefs, avoid files drawn in architectural units. CAD-Locator is 100% American Designed/Owned/Maintained! You can receive a Premium subscription to CAD Locator™ for $50/month or $500/year. You can receive a Basic subscription to CAD Locator™ for $2/month or $20/year. Features and Benefits include: - Unlimited uploads (10Mb limit for each upload) - Surface to Grid corrections - Ability to view .dxf files on a map - View location in State Plane Coordinates or Latitude & Longitude - Utilize different map types - Layer Management - txt formatted point sets (PNEZD) Your subscription will automatically renew each month or year. Your credit card will be charged automatically for renewals through your iTunes account. You may turn the auto renew feature off at any time prior to the end of the then-current term and you can continue using your subscription through the end of the period in which you canceled. If you have any questions, please refer to our terms and privacy policy, watch our tutorial videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkKpwiOiFaYBMAwH7hRumw, or email us (techsupport@cad-locator.com). For our terms and conditions, https://cad-locator.com/#/terms. For our privacy policy, https://cad-locator.com/#/privacy-policy.

Screenshots

Bluebeam4 screens
CAD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CAD at 50% against Bluebeam's 3%. CAD also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.5) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Bluebeam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (409 vs 6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CAD sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Bluebeam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CAD holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 409 ratings behind it against 6, 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 CAD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, CAD every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Bluebeam versus CAD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebeamCAD
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (409 ratings)4.3 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews2.9% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings409 — better6
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size295 MB141 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluebeam, Inc.KPR Publishing LLC

Customer experience

Bluebeam

All ratings406 ratings
Positive9.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative88.2%
Written reviews240 reviews
Positive2.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative94.2%

CAD

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Bluebeam

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • 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
Show 23 more
  • Keyboard disappears during login
  • Selection boundaries too large, preventing precise markup selection
  • Apple Pencil input stops working intermittently
  • Pen tool produces no line output despite input
  • App crashes when opening large file sets
  • Session documents fail to load
  • Blank PDF pages displayed
  • Scaling doesn't work properly
  • Blue screen errors
  • Markups missing after checkout and checkin
  • Incomplete markups syncing between devices
  • App freezes during document checkin
  • Unable to add users to sessions
  • Projects not showing up in app
  • App crashes when opening Studio sessions
  • Drawings won't load or open
  • Markup placement doesn't correspond to tap location
  • PDF goes blank when inserting callouts
  • Constant logout requiring re-authentication
  • Links to details don't work
  • App crashes on older iOS versions
  • Audio communication issues
  • File synchronization failures

Requested features

25 requests
  • 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
Show 20 more
  • Support multiple PDF tabs simultaneously
  • Create stamp library with standardized markups
  • Add dimension markup capabilities
  • Allow local PDF file access and import
  • Full Studio session integration
  • Improve Apple Pencil responsiveness and precision
  • Add eraser tool for pen markups
  • Enable photo capture and attachment to markups
  • Support Dropbox and cloud storage integration
  • Add form field editing capabilities
  • Implement punch list and defect tracking
  • Add RFI creation functionality
  • Support for custom columns and data fields
  • Reset viewpoints feature
  • Pen width and cloud shape customization
  • Settings menu for preferences
  • Better pen and drawing mechanics like Notability
  • Ability to download session documents to device
  • Support for opening PDF attachments from desktop
  • Batch file upload capability

CAD

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bluebeam

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

CAD

Subscriptions4
  • CAD-Locator Basic Membership$1.991 Month
  • CAD-Locator Basic Membership$19.991 Year
  • CAD-Locator Monthly Membership$49.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • CAD-Locator Membership$499.991 Year

Questions

Is Bluebeam free?
Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CAD free?
CAD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or CAD?
CAD is rated higher. Bluebeam averages 1.5 out of 5 from 409 ratings, while CAD averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Bluebeam or CAD have ads?
Neither Bluebeam nor CAD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or CAD?
Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and CAD every 2 months. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on October 29, 2026 and CAD on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons