Comparison

Bluebeam vs PlanForm

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

PlanForm

This professional-grade PDF reader is built for AEC professionals to view, measure, and annotate technical drawings and PDFs with precision. It offers advanced tools for measurement, markup, OCR, and document management across various devices.

Highlights
  • Seamless PDF viewing and browsing
  • Precise measurement tools with scale setting
  • Extensive annotation options
  • OCR for text and table extraction
  • Document management and conversion tools
  • Revision drawing comparison
Features
Read full description

PlanForm is a professional-grade PDF reader specifically designed for Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professionals. Delivering exceptional performance across all mobile devices and tablets, it ensures seamless viewing and measuring of PDFs and technical drawings with pixel-perfect precision. PlanForm Highlights for iOS/iPad: 1.Unzip&Browse PDF Drawings • Seamless browsing for drawings of any size 2.Measure PDF Drawings • Set the scale easily • Measure length and area quickly 3.Annotate PDF Drawings • Cloud/Pen/Text • Multiple annotation options to meet diverse needs 4.Search PDF Bookmarks • Too many pages?Find any instantly with bookmark search PlanForm Highlights for Windows/Mac: 1. Intelligent Measurement Tools • Set scale by length or select preset scale, supports metric and imperial systems • Length measurements, such as Linear and Aligned • Continuous length measurement • Measure square and polygon area • Auto Fill irregular area • Count Tool • Measure radius, angles, arc length etc. • Data tabulation of all measurements and markups • Automatic snapping points for better accuracy 2. Quick Markup Tools • Drawing tools such as Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Arrow, Revision Cloud • Compare Revision Drawings • Highlighter tool • Add and modify texts • Sequence labelling • Insert and paste image • Erase content 3. OCR Functions • Identify & Extract Texts/Tables (OCR) • Find texts In Scanned PDF • Auto generate bookmarks for PDF 4. Document Management & Convert • Convert image files to PDF • Combine documents • Split document • Extract Pages • Delete Pages • Insert Pages Still have questions? Feel free to contact our technical support via email, we provide 1-to-1 services for free! Email: planformservice@gmail.com Don't forget to follow our social media pages to learn more tips and tutorials! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PlanFormPDF TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@PlanFormPDF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlanFormPDF Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planformpdf/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cadreader/ Website: https://pdf.fastcadreader.com/

Screenshots

Bluebeam4 screens
PlanForm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlanForm at 100% against Bluebeam's 3%. PlanForm also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.5) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Bluebeam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (392 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads 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. PlanForm sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Bluebeam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PlanForm holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 392 ratings behind it against 2, 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 PlanForm's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, PlanForm every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bluebeam versus PlanForm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebeamPlanForm
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (392 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews3.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings392 — better2
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size288 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluebeam, Inc.Beijing Honghu Yuntu Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Bluebeam

All ratings392 ratings
Positive9.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative88.0%
Written reviews237 reviews
Positive3.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative94.1%

PlanForm

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 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

PlanForm

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bluebeam

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

PlanForm

One-time3
  • 1 Month Plan$15.00
  • 6 Month Plan$80.00
  • 1 Year Plan$100.00

Questions

Is Bluebeam free?
Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PlanForm free?
PlanForm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or PlanForm?
PlanForm is rated higher. Bluebeam averages 1.5 out of 5 from 392 ratings, while PlanForm averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Bluebeam or PlanForm have ads?
Neither Bluebeam nor PlanForm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or PlanForm?
Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and PlanForm every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on October 15, 2026 and PlanForm on October 7, 2026.

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