KORBluebeam Revu is an excellent construction PDF tool: you mark up drawings, compare revisions and measure. But a measurement isn't a bid: you still have to turn linear feet into studs, drywall sheets and insulation, price materials and labour, add general conditions, overhead, profit and taxes, then build the schedule. With Bluebeam, those steps often happen in Excel and in a scheduling program paid for separately. KOR does takeoff, estimating and scheduling in one tool, linked from the drawings to the schedule.
At a glance
| Bluebeam Revu | KOR | |
|---|---|---|
| PDF measurements | ✓ Yes (length and area on Basics; count, perimeter, volume from Core) | ✓ Yes: length, area, count, shapes, holes in an area; sheet names and scales detected automatically |
| Materials calculated from a measurement | You build it (Excel, or the Complete plan's quantity tools) | ✓ Ready-made templates: framing, drywall, insulation, concrete, roofing… formulas in plain words, editable |
| One wall measurement reused by drywall, insulation, paint | ✗ No | ✓ Yes: fix the wall, everything follows |
| Full estimate (labour, general conditions, overhead, profit, sales taxes) | ✗ No | ✓ Included, Excel and PDF exports |
| Schedule (Gantt, links, critical path) | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Durations calculated from quantities | ✗ No | ✓ Yes (quantity ÷ production rate) |
| Tasks assigned to the team | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Works on Mac | Revu for Mac reached end of life; Bluebeam Cloud in the browser and on iPad | ✓ Browser: Windows, Mac, tablet; installable as an app |
| French interface | Revu 21 (Windows) yes; web and mobile not yet | ✓ English and French, everywhere |
| Users included | One subscription per user | ✓ 3 users included |
| Price | US$260–440 / user / year | ✓ CA$69 / month ($39 for the first 19 companies) |
What it really costs, for a team of 3
To do takeoff + estimate + schedule with Bluebeam, you need to add a scheduling program. Example with Bluebeam Core (the plan with count measurements and Studio Sessions) and Microsoft Project (Plan 3, the plan with critical path and baselines):
| For 3 users, per month | Bluebeam Core + Microsoft Project | KOR |
|---|---|---|
| Takeoff | ≈ US$83 (3 subscriptions at US$330 a year) | ✓ Included |
| Materials and estimate | Excel (often already paid for), formulas to build and maintain | ✓ Included |
| Schedule | US$90 (3 × US$30) | ✓ Included |
| Total | ≈ US$173 / month | CA$69 / month (CA$39 at the founder price) |
With the Complete plan (US$440 a year, for its quantity tools), the total rises to about US$200 a month. Even with a single Core subscription and a single Project subscription, that's about US$58 a month for one person, versus CA$69 a month for KOR with three users.
What KOR does on top
Materials, not just measurements
A 136 lin. ft exterior wall measured with the "2x6 wall" template directly gives 114 2x6 × 8' studs, 449 lin. ft of plates and 38 sheets of OSB (16" o.c., 10% waste: every rule is visible and editable). The drywall, insulation and paint items reuse the same measurement, without tracing it again.
The full estimate, in the same place
Quantities flow straight into the estimate: separate material and labour prices, your company price book, general conditions always at the top, overhead, profit and contingency, GST/QST or HST depending on the province. Export to Excel (with real formulas) and PDF with your logo, as a full estimate or a client version. Takeoff and estimate versions (V1, after addendum…) with a comparison of the totals.
A schedule linked to quantities
KOR proposes a starting schedule from your takeoff: one activity per trade and per section, in construction order, with calculated durations (quantity ÷ your crews' production rate). When quantities change, KOR suggests the new duration without forcing anything. Gantt chart, finish-to-start links, critical path, milestones, Québec statutory holidays and the CCQ construction holiday. Tasks assigned to the team follow the activities.
Anywhere, in your language
In the browser, on Windows, Mac or tablet, and installable as an app. Interface, templates, exports and formulas in English or French, each person's choice.
Built for residential work in Canada
Starter templates by trade (framing, drywall, insulation, concrete, roofing with x/12 pitch, siding, masonry…), studs named by length (2x6 × 9'), the usual general conditions, taxes by province.
Where Bluebeam still has an edge
To be fair: Bluebeam is a reference for document review. Its markup tools are complete, Compare Documents and Overlay Pages show in colour what changed between two revisions, and Studio Sessions let several parties coordinate on the same drawings. KOR has no full markup toolset and no overlay comparison: its edge is everything that takes you from the drawings to a price and a schedule.
What's next: from takeoff to handover
KOR doesn't stop at the bid. Two modules are in preparation:
- Bid management: invite your subcontractors by trade, receive and compare their prices, and carry the winning price into the estimate.
- Project management: follow the job once the contract is signed.
The goal: link every step of construction, from preconstruction to completion, in one tool with the same data.
Try it on a real project
The 14-day free trial needs no credit card and includes an example project that's already measured, priced and scheduled. Best test: redo one of your recent projects, from PDF to bid, and compare the time spent.