Comparison

Bluebeam vs AC Key

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

AC Key

This app allows you to unlock doors using your smartphone, eliminating the need for physical credentials. It offers an easy-to-use interface for quick access and enables temporary access for visitors.

Highlights
  • Unlock doors with smartphone
  • Replace physical credentials
  • Grant temporary visitor access
  • Customizable access duration and usage
  • Easy user registration
  • Visitor credentials do not require app installation
Features
Read full description

AC Key opens all the doors to your favorite places! Aiphone’s AC Key application eliminates the need to carry physical credentials and allows you to unlock doors swiftly and with ease, using your smartphone. KEY FEATURES - AC Key offers an easy to use and interactive interface that makes unlocking doors effortless. - User registration on the AC Key application is easy and takes only seconds. - Replace traditional credentials by using your smartphone. - Grant temporary access to visitors for a predetermined time frame and amount of uses. - Visitors are not required to have the AC Key application installed to use their visitor credentials. VISITOR ACCESS AC Key allows you to create, customize, and grant visitor access credentials directly in the application. Determine the time frame and amount of use for the credential then share this with the visitor. Visitors are not required to have the AC Key application installed to use their credentials. Administrators have the ability to allow or deny users from granting visitors access as well as revoking a visitor pass after it is issued. HOW IT WORKS -AC Key only works with the AC NIO software system. - Registration requires users to request credentials from their system administrator. If you’re interested in using AC Key in your company please visit www.aiphone.com to learn more about our access control system.

Screenshots

Bluebeam4 screens
AC Key3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bluebeam at 1.5 against AC Key's 1.0. Bluebeam also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 14 months) and ratings volume (392 vs 1). AC Key's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Bluebeam holds the better App Store score, 1.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 392 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, AC Key every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Bluebeam versus AC Key: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebeamAC Key
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (392 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews3.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings392 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size288 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluebeam, Inc.Aiphone Corporation

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

AC Key

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bluebeam

No in-app purchases

None

AC Key

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bluebeam free?
Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AC Key free?
AC Key is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or AC Key?
Bluebeam is rated higher. Bluebeam averages 1.5 out of 5 from 392 ratings, while AC Key averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Bluebeam or AC Key have ads?
Neither Bluebeam nor AC Key shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or AC Key?
Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and AC Key every 14 months. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on October 15, 2026 and AC Key on October 1, 2026.

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