Bluebeam licensing covers how Bluebeam licenses its construction-focused PDF markup, measurement and collaboration software: the Revu desktop application for Windows, Bluebeam on web and mobile, and the Studio cloud collaboration service. Bluebeam is part of the Nemetschek Group.[3] Two documents govern use. The General Terms and Conditions of Use apply to all Bluebeam Services and Software. The Products and Services Addendum adds product-specific licence terms. Both are dated “As of March 07, 2026”.[1][2] The General Terms say that Bluebeam’s software is “licensed, not sold”. References to a sale or purchase mean the purchase of a right of use, a right of access or a licence.[1]
Since Revu 21, Revu is sold only as an annual subscription per named user. The user signs in with a Bluebeam ID (BBID) instead of entering a serial number.[4][2] The older licence types for Revu 20 and earlier were perpetual, Enterprise and Open licences. Bluebeam no longer sells them. Revu 20 reached end of support on 2026-07-31 and reaches end of life on 2026-12-31.[6][5] For the general models, see named user licensing and subscription and consumption licensing.
Editions
Bluebeam sells four plans. Each includes Revu for Windows, Bluebeam on web and mobile, phone and e-mail support, and Bluebeam University training. Plans can be mixed and matched across users.[3]
| Plan | Distinguishing features | US list price (per user per year) |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | PDF creation, editing and markups; length and area measurement; can join Studio collaborations but not host them | USD 260 |
| Core | Specialty 2D/3D markups; perimeter, count, angle and volume measurement; overlay and compare; CAD plug-ins; hosts Studio Sessions and Projects | USD 330 |
| Complete | Dynamic Fill, Quantity Link to Excel, advanced reporting, Batch Link, Batch Slip Sheet, batch signatures and seals, scripting | USD 440 |
| Max | AI integration via MCP, AI drawing reviews and comparisons, multi-view stitching, Magic Markups, Connected Studio Sessions with Revit | USD 590 (introductory) |
All prices and features in this table are from the pricing page.[3] The Addendum limits use to the features of the plan bought, with no entitlement to features of other plans.[2] Revu 21 and Bluebeam on web and mobile cannot be bought separately.[4] Detail is in Bluebeam subscription plans and pricing.
Metrics
| Bluebeam term | Catalog row | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Authorized User | Authorized User | The licensee and, for an entity, its employees, authorized agents and independent contractors, “but in every case an individual”. Revu is granted for the number of Authorized Users in the Order.[2] |
| Unpaid Collaborator | Unpaid Collaborator | A person with read-only Revu and limited collaboration “without holding a paid subscription seat”.[2] |
| Device limit | Device (sign-in limit) | One named user may be signed in on up to five devices at once.[4] |
| Seat (legacy) | Seat, Enterprise seat, OL Seat | Under the archived EULA, a copy on one Device for one Licensed User, with Enterprise and Open License variants.[7] |
Counting / floors
Named users, not concurrency. Bluebeam no longer offers a concurrent-user model like the old Open License. Users move between devices by signing in with their Bluebeam ID.[4] A user who tries to sign in on a sixth device, or whose plan has no free seats left, gets the error “The maximum number of seats has been exceeded”.[13] Catalog: A named user may sign in on up to five devices; No concurrent-user subscription.
Who may install. Only Authorized Users may download and install Revu, and no third party may use it under the licence.[2] The General Terms also forbid use “for any third-party benefit”. They state that this includes a parent, affiliates and subsidiaries.[1] A group of companies therefore needs each entity’s use covered by the Order, or a written agreement. Catalog: Only Authorized Users may install Revu; No use for third parties, including affiliates.
Unpaid Collaborators. An Org Admin can deploy Revu broadly and give paid seats only to people who need full functionality. Everyone else becomes an Unpaid Collaborator, with read-only Revu and limited markup in Studio.[2] This is the main lever for reducing paid seats without uninstalling Revu. Catalog: Unpaid Collaborators use Revu read-only without a paid seat.
Floors. No minimum quantity is published. Buyers of more than 50 plans are pointed to Bluebeam’s enterprise team.[3]
Virtualization & partitioning
The current terms do not mention virtualization. The device rules come from the named-user model: up to five simultaneous sign-ins per user, and a 30-day offline grace period before Revu must reauthenticate online.[4] The archived EULA for legacy licences was explicit. Software used for “multiplexing”, “pooling” or “virtualization” could not change the licensed number of Devices, Licensed Users or Seats.[7] Catalog: Offline use limited to 30 days between sign-ins; Legacy Seat: one device, one user; pooling and virtualization counted per input.
Cloud / BYOL
Studio and Bluebeam on web and mobile are cloud services. Studio is hosted on AWS in the region the customer selects.[2] Basics subscribers can join Studio but cannot create Sessions or Projects. Hosting needs Core, Complete or Max.[8] Bluebeam offers no customer-hosted alternative for new customers. Bluebeam has stopped developing Studio Enterprise, its on-premises Studio server.[14] See Bluebeam ID, Org Admin and Studio.
Programs
- Annual subscription. Subscriptions last one year and renew automatically. Either party can stop the renewal with at least 30 days’ written notice before the end of the term.[1] Bluebeam says there is no monthly billing.[4]
- Auto Charge and Auto Invoice. Renewals are charged automatically in the US and Canada and invoiced elsewhere. If a renewal is not paid, the account is suspended to Read-only on day 7 after expiry.[9]
- Free trial and Max trial. New users can try Complete free for 14 days. Existing subscribers can trial Max.[4]
- Academic Program. Verified students and educators get free 12-month Max subscriptions for non-commercial use.[11]
- Trade-in and conversion offers. A perpetual licence traded in for a subscription must be retired.[2] See Bluebeam Revu 20 end of life and legacy licences.
- Reseller purchases. Resellers set their own prices but cannot bind Bluebeam or change its terms.[1]
Audits and compliance
The General Terms have no classic audit procedure for subscriptions. Their “Audit” clause (s.7.2) is a usage-limit clause. If a customer exceeds the limits in the Order, Terms or Documentation, Bluebeam may ask it to reduce usage or suspend access. If the customer does not comply, it must order more or pay invoiced overage. The clause survives termination for three years.[1] Bluebeam may also monitor and log use for compliance, and sharing login credentials is prohibited.[1] In practice, the Org Admin user list is the entitlement record. It is also the main compliance control, because a user without an assigned seat falls back to Read-only.[10]
Legacy licences carried a stronger right. The archived EULA allowed audits with 30 days’ notice, no more than once in 12 months, with unlicensed use invoiced together with interest and audit costs.[7] Revu 21 needs no serial number or product key at deployment, so discovery tools find the installation but not the entitlement. Entitlement comes from the user’s sign-in.[12] Catalog: Usage above limits: reduce, buy more or pay overage; Bluebeam IDs may not be shared; Legacy EULA audit: 30 days' notice, once a year, costs on non-compliance. See software license audit and license compliance.
Out of scope
- Prices outside the US. The US and Canada Webstore lists prices in U.S. dollars only.[15] Prices on regional sites and from resellers were not reviewed.
- Negotiated enterprise agreements, which override the online terms where they expressly say so.[1]
- Other Nemetschek Group products, and Bluebeam integrations licensed by third parties.
- Litigation. No court case about Bluebeam software licensing with a primary court record was identified.