# RCL iDirect vs Bluebeam

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RCL iDirect at 100% against Bluebeam's 3%. RCL iDirect also leads on iOS requirement (12.5.7 vs 18.0). Bluebeam's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

RCL iDirect ships an update every 5 months, Bluebeam monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RCL iDirect | Bluebeam |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[1.5 (408 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluebeam/id1479484276/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **408** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 2.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 8 MB | 295 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.5.7** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Remote Controlled Lighting Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/522003193) | [Bluebeam, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/489696449) |

## What reviewers say

### RCL iDirect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rcl-idirect/id576714796)

This application provides a user-friendly interface for managing and controlling remote-controlled spotlights. It allows for easy setup, precise adjustments of pan, tilt, and intensity, and the creation of custom lighting scenes. Designed for iPad, it offers intuitive gesture controls and centralized dimming capabilities.

**Highlights:** Intuitive gesture control for pan, tilt, and dimming, Easy setup and spotlight addition, Light Tables with customizable tiles and areas, Reflected ceiling plan integration for precise placement, Centralized dimming for individual areas and all areas, Scene recording and recall for lighting schemes

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RCL iDirect free?

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

### Is Bluebeam free?

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

### Do RCL iDirect or Bluebeam have ads?

Neither RCL iDirect nor Bluebeam shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RCL iDirect or Bluebeam?

RCL iDirect ships an update every 5 months, and Bluebeam monthly. Most recently, RCL iDirect was updated on October 6, 2026 and Bluebeam on October 24, 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.*