# AWC Connection Calc vs Bluebeam

The clearest difference is rating: AWC Connection Calc at 2.5 against Bluebeam's 1.5. AWC Connection Calc also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and review sentiment (17% vs 3%). Bluebeam's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (406 vs 2). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

AWC Connection Calc holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebeam has 406 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of AWC Connection Calc's written reviews are positive against 3% of Bluebeam's.

AWC Connection Calc ships an update weekly, Bluebeam monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AWC Connection Calc | Bluebeam |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/awc-connection-calc/id704968564/reviews)** | [1.5 (406 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluebeam/id1479484276/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **406** |
| Positive reviews | **16.7% of reviews** | 2.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 156 MB | 295 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.2** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [American Wood Council](https://appshunter.io/developer/380481346) | [Bluebeam, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/489696449) |

## What reviewers say

### AWC Connection Calc

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/awc-connection-calc/id704968564)

Calculate capacities for various fasteners in wood connections, including single bolts, nails, and screws. Supports lateral and withdrawal capacities for wood-to-wood, wood-to-concrete, and wood-to-steel connections based on 2024 NDS standards.

**Highlights:** Calculate single bolt, nail, lag screw, and wood screw capacities, Determine lateral (single and double shear) capacities, Calculate withdrawal capacities, Supports wood-to-wood connections, Supports wood-to-concrete connections, Supports wood-to-steel connections, Based on 2024 NDS standards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**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 AWC Connection Calc free?

AWC Connection Calc is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bluebeam free?

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

### Which has better reviews, AWC Connection Calc or Bluebeam?

AWC Connection Calc is rated higher. AWC Connection Calc averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bluebeam averages 1.5 from 406 ratings.

### Do AWC Connection Calc or Bluebeam have ads?

AWC Connection Calc shows ads; Bluebeam does not.

### Which is updated more often, AWC Connection Calc or Bluebeam?

AWC Connection Calc ships an update weekly, and Bluebeam monthly. Most recently, AWC Connection Calc was updated on October 13, 2026 and Bluebeam on October 22, 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.*