Comparison

Bluebeam vs Planformer

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

Planformer

Measure building plans, blueprints, and maps directly from your phone. Quickly calculate distances, areas, and count items. Work offline and collaborate with teammates seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Measure distances instantly
  • Calculate areas in seconds
  • Count repetitive items
  • Work offline
  • Collaborate effortlessly
  • Simple and easy to use
Features
Read full description

Construction takeoffs on your iPhone and iPad. No laptop? No problem, no trip back to the office. Planformer lets contractors and estimators measure plans, run quantity takeoffs, and build cost estimates right from the job site. Upload a PDF plan, set the scale, and start measuring in minutes. WHAT YOU CAN DO •⁠ ⁠Area takeoffs: square footage for floors, slabs, roofs, paving, and more •⁠ ⁠Linear takeoffs: walls, trim, curbs, fencing, pipe runs •⁠ ⁠Counts: fixtures, outlets, doors, windows, drywells •⁠ ⁠Volumes: concrete, fill, and excavation •⁠ ⁠Cost sheets: add unit prices and get material and labor totals instantly •⁠ ⁠Export to Excel and share marked-up plans with your team or client •⁠ ⁠Work offline and sync later, so no signal on site is no problem BUILT FOR CONTRACTORS Made for concrete, paving, drywall, roofing, flooring, painting, framing, landscaping, and general contractors who need fast, accurate numbers without expensive desktop software. WORKS EVERYWHERE iPhone, iPad, and desktop. Start a takeoff in the field and finish it in the office. PLANS Download free and try Planformer. Premium unlocks all takeoff and estimating tools: •⁠ ⁠Monthly Premium: $49.99/month •⁠ ⁠Yearly Premium: $399/year Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://drive.google.com/file/d/19olK21fo92MjwD3_7l7jj9HYOOVZFmOi/view?usp=sharing Privacy Policy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10RxSIGufgj3w8Lir7eum5Hq6_Mag1i_C/view?usp=drive_link

Screenshots

Bluebeam4 screens
Planformer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planformer at 100% against Bluebeam's 3%. Planformer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.5) and update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). Bluebeam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Planformer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per month. Bluebeam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planformer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 408 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 100% of Planformer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, Planformer every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Bluebeam versus Planformer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebeamPlanformer
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (408 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews2.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings408 — better6
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015 — better
Further details — not scored
Size295 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluebeam, Inc.Planformer LLC

Customer experience

Bluebeam

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

Planformer

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Planformer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bluebeam

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Planformer

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium14 Days trial$399.001 Year

Questions

Is Bluebeam free?
Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planformer free?
Planformer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or Planformer?
Planformer is rated higher. Bluebeam averages 1.5 out of 5 from 408 ratings, while Planformer averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Bluebeam or Planformer have ads?
Planformer shows ads; Bluebeam does not.
Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or Planformer?
Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and Planformer every 10 days. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on October 24, 2026 and Planformer on October 24, 2026.

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