# Bluebeam vs QL Local

The clearest difference is rating: QL Local at 3.0 against Bluebeam's 1.5. QL Local also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Bluebeam's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (410 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

QL Local holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 410 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 3% of Bluebeam's written reviews are positive against 0% of QL Local's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, QL Local every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bluebeam | QL Local |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.5 (410 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluebeam/id1479484276/reviews) | **[3.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ql-local/id6754659465/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **410** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **2.9% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 295 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebeam, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/489696449) | [APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1849453110) |

## What reviewers say

### Bluebeam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluebeam/id1479484276)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✅ Automatic saving functionality works well
- 📱 Useful for viewing PDFs on the go
- 🔄 Good for accessing Studio sessions
- 📊 Desktop version is powerful and feature-rich
- 🎯 Cleaner, more modern interface design

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Massive feature loss compared to Revu for iPad
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 📉 Severely limited markup tools and capabilities
- 🖊️ Apple Pencil input is unresponsive and laggy
- 💾 Data loss and corruption issues

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### QL Local

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ql-local/id6754659465)

This app provides field technicians with precise control over HFC network devices. It enables on-site diagnostics, firmware management, and troubleshooting without disrupting network operations. Technicians can securely access device data, push updates, and monitor network performance through a user-friendly mobile interface.

**Highlights:** Localized device access, Real-time diagnostics, Firmware updates, Configuration management, Ingress and power monitoring, Asset validation

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bluebeam free?

Bluebeam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is QL Local free?

QL Local is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bluebeam or QL Local?

QL Local is rated higher. Bluebeam averages 1.5 out of 5 from 410 ratings, while QL Local averages 3.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Bluebeam or QL Local have ads?

Neither Bluebeam nor QL Local shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bluebeam or QL Local?

Bluebeam ships an update monthly, and QL Local every 7 months. Most recently, Bluebeam was updated on November 3, 2026 and QL Local on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*