Comparison

Bluebeam vs BLK Live

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

BLK Live

This application allows users to connect to and control Leica 3D imaging laser scanners. It provides real-time visualization of scan paths, 3D viewing for data inspection, and direct export options to common file formats or cloud platforms.

Highlights
  • Connect to BLK scanners
  • Control scanner settings
  • Organize data in jobs
  • Real-time scan path visualization
  • 3D data inspection
  • Export scans to e57
  • Upload to Reality Cloud Studio
Read full description

Take control with BLK Live. Leica Geosystems introduces BLK Live, together with the ALL-NEW Leica BLK360 imaging laser scanner, BLK2GO and BLK2GO PULSE. BLK Live is optimized to offer the simplest and most effortless path to your data. Connect to your BLK, control scanner settings and organize your data in jobs. 3D viewing options allow you to inspect what was scanned, so you can make sure that you captured everything you need. BLK360 keeps track of its motion between two setups using its built in cameras and the VIS system. BLK Live shows you this path in real time so you always know where the device is, relative to the previous setup. When your Job is done, simply export your scans to e57, or upload to Reality Cloud Studio - directly from BLK Live.

Screenshots

Bluebeam4 screens
BLK Live4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bluebeam at 392 against BLK Live's 11. Bluebeam also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). BLK Live's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 1.5 for Bluebeam against 1.5 for BLK Live. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 392 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 3% of Bluebeam's written reviews are positive against 0% of BLK Live's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, BLK Live every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Bluebeam versus BLK Live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebeamBLK Live
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (392 ratings)1.5 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews2.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings392 — better11
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size288 MB145 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluebeam, Inc.Leica Geosystems AG

Customer experience

Bluebeam

All ratings392 ratings
Positive9.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative88.0%
Written reviews229 reviews
Positive2.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative94.3%

BLK Live

All ratings11 ratings
Positive9.1%
Neutral9.1%
Negative81.8%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral28.6%
Negative71.4%

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

BLK Live

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bluebeam

No in-app purchases

None

BLK Live

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bluebeam free?
Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BLK Live free?
BLK Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or BLK Live?
Bluebeam and BLK Live are both rated 1.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 392 and 11 ratings respectively.
Do Bluebeam or BLK Live have ads?
Neither Bluebeam nor BLK Live shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or BLK Live?
Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and BLK Live every 2 months. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on September 26, 2026 and BLK Live on September 21, 2026.

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