ScaleDraw
Open the board
A free Bluebeam alternative for measuring to scale
Bluebeam Revu is the industry standard for PDF markup in construction. But if what you mainly do is open a drawing, set the scale and measure, ScaleDraw does that for free, in your browser, on any device.
What Bluebeam costs
Bluebeam sells Revu as a yearly subscription per user. Its pricing page listed these prices (in dollars, billed annually) when we checked in October 2026:
| Bluebeam plan | Per user, per year |
|---|---|
| Basics | $260 |
| Core | $330 |
| Complete | $440 |
| Max | $590 (introductory) |
For a team of five on Core, that's $1,650 a year. See Bluebeam's pricing page for current figures.
ScaleDraw and Bluebeam side by side
| ScaleDraw | Bluebeam Revu | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to start | From $260 per user per year |
| Runs on | Any modern browser: Mac, Windows, iPad, phone | Desktop app plus web and iPad versions; some measuring tools are Windows-only |
| Calibrate and measure a PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Different scales on one sheet | Yes, per picture | Yes, per viewport |
| Freehand sketching canvas | Yes, an infinite whiteboard | Markup on the PDF page |
| Batch tools, large drawing sets, Studio sessions | No | Yes |
| Quantity reports and estimating workflows | No | Yes |
Choose ScaleDraw if…
- You measure the odd drawing rather than run takeoffs all day.
- You want to sketch ideas on top of a plan, not just mark it up.
- You work on a Mac, an iPad or a phone.
- You'd rather not pay a yearly licence per person.
Stick with Bluebeam if…
- Your firm runs document review in Bluebeam Studio.
- You need batch processing, overlays of drawing revisions or quantity reports across large sets.
Moving a drawing across
Open your PDF in ScaleDraw (Menu → Import PDF), draw a line over a dimension you know, type its length, and measure. If the sheet states a ratio such as 1:100 at A1, the paper size is kept, so you can use the printed scale directly.
Questions
Is ScaleDraw a full replacement for Bluebeam Revu?
No. It covers calibrating and measuring plans, sketching and annotating. It doesn't do Bluebeam's batch processing, Studio review sessions or estimating reports.
Does ScaleDraw work on a Mac?
Yes. It runs in Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox on Mac, Windows, iPad and phones.
How much does Bluebeam cost?
In October 2026, Bluebeam's pricing page listed Basics at $260, Core at $330 and Complete at $440 per user per year, billed annually.