Bluebeam vs Drawboard: which PDF markup tool fits your team?
The short answer: Bluebeam Revu is the Windows desktop workhorse, with quantity takeoff and live Studio sessions. Drawboard Projects is pen-first on iPad, Windows and the web, made in Melbourne. At entry level they cost about the same: $451 against about A$425 a year per user.
Quick answer
Choose Bluebeam Revu ifYour team marks up at a desk, on Windows
- Your people work on Windows PCs with big screens
- You need takeoff: counts and volume come with Core ($550 a year)
- Your builders and consultants already run Studio sessions
Choose Drawboard Projects ifYour team marks up with a pen, anywhere
- Your people review drawings on iPads, or on Macs through the web app
- You want revision overlay and issue tracking on the entry plan
- You'd like an Australian-made tool: Drawboard is from Melbourne
How we make money: we don't, on this page. Neither Bluebeam nor Drawboard pays us, so both get plain links. Disclosure.
Category by category
Who comes out ahead on each thing a team weighs up. “Depends” means the answer turns on how you work.
Every fact, with its source
One user, entry plan. A tick only where the vendor's own page confirms it; “?” means not confirmed yet.
| Checked 21 Oct 2026 | BbBluebeam RevuBluebeam (Nemetschek) · PDF markupVisit site | DbDrawboard ProjectsDrawboard Pty Ltd · PDF markupVisit site |
|---|---|---|
| Price per user | ||
| Per yearAUD inc GST unless marked | $451/yrBasics, 1 user, billed annually source | US$270/yr≈ A$425Team (up to 25 users), billed yearly source |
| Billed monthly instead | – | US$29/mo≈ A$45.68 |
| Prices include GST? | Yes, inc GST | USD only, GST not stated |
| Other plans (per year) | Core $550 Complete $737 Max $979 | Growth US$370 |
| Fit | ||
| Runs on | Revu on Windows; web and mobile apps. No native Mac source | Windows, iOS and web; Mac via web app source |
| iPad or tablet app | Bluebeam iOS app (join Studio); Revu for iPad ended 2025 source | iOS app from App Store, built for iPad source |
| Measure and quantity takeoff to scale | Basic length/area in Basics; counts, volume in Core source | Calibrated length and area; takeoff not stated source |
| Overlay or compare drawing revisions | Overlay and batch compare in Core; not in Basics source | Overlay two drawings or revisions source |
| Live shared markup sessions | Studio: Basics can join, Core and up can start source | Real-time markup syncing source |
| Free trial | 14 days, on the Max plan source | 30 days source |
| Issues and tasks on drawings | Not confirmed on the pricing page source | Tasks and issues pinned to drawings, CSV export source |
| Who makes it | Bluebeam, part of the Nemetschek Group source | Drawboard, a Melbourne company (since 2011) source |
| Honesty | ||
| Do we earn from this link? | No. Plain link, no commission | No. Plain link, no commission |
| Visit Bluebeam (Nemetschek) | Visit Drawboard Pty Ltd | |
What a team pays per year
List price for the entry plan. Drawboard's US-dollar price is shown as listed, with an AUD estimate under it.
| Per year | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | 10 seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluebeam RevuBasics, 1 user, billed annually | $451 | $1,353 | $2,255 | $4,510 |
| Drawboard ProjectsTeam (up to 25 users), billed yearly | US$270≈ A$425 | US$810≈ A$1,276 | US$1,350≈ A$2,126 | US$2,700≈ A$4,253 |
List price × seats, before any volume or reseller discount (none are published). AUD prices include GST. Foreign-currency prices are shown as listed, with ≈ an AUD estimate at the RBA rate of 20 Oct 2026 plus GST. * GST not stated.
Pick the device first
The price won't decide this one: at entry level the two are only about $26 a user apart. What decides it is where your team marks up. If drawings are reviewed at a desk on Windows, and quantities matter, Bluebeam Revu is the stronger tool, and Studio sessions are what many builders and consultants already use. Budget for Core if you need takeoff or revision compare.
If your team reviews on iPads with a pen, works partly on Macs, or wants issues tracked on the drawing itself, Drawboard Projects fits better, and its Team plan already includes overlay. Remember that its price is in US dollars.
Run both trials on the same live drawing set: calibrate a sheet, measure a room, overlay two revisions and invite a consultant into a shared session.
Plain links, no commission. Also weighing up Adobe Acrobat? See the PDF markup comparison.
Teams ask
Is Drawboard cheaper than Bluebeam?
At entry level they cost about the same. Bluebeam Basics is $451 a year per user including GST. Drawboard Projects Team is US$270 a year per user, about A$425 with GST at the RBA rate of 20 Oct 2026. Drawboard's Team plan includes revision overlay, which on Bluebeam needs Core at $550 a year.
Does Bluebeam Revu work on a Mac or iPad?
Revu runs on Windows. Bluebeam lists web and mobile apps but no native Mac version, and Revu for iPad ended in 2025; the iOS app now joins Studio sessions. Drawboard Projects runs on Windows, iOS and the web, and its iOS app is built for iPad.
Is Drawboard an Australian company?
Yes. Drawboard describes itself as a PDF and collaboration company from Melbourne, working since 2011. Its prices are listed in US dollars, so the Australian cost moves with the exchange rate.