2023 Comparative ePlan Review: Bluebeam, Adobe, e-PlanSoft™, Avolve

Introduction

In the evolving landscape of digital design, plan review, and construction software, selecting the right tool for your project is more crucial than ever.

Here at e-PlanSoft™, we place our focus on advanced technological innovation and user-friendly design. This makes us an excellent choice for organizations seeking to improve their plan review processes efficiently and effectively.

To help you navigate the selection process, we've comprehensively compared four leading industry competitors: Bluebeam, Adobe, e-PlanSoft™, and Avolve. We will delve into their history, features, strengths, and weaknesses to provide a balanced perspective and guide you in making an informed decision.

Bluebeam Overview

Founded in 2002, Bluebeam has been a reliable mainstay in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. The company has made its mark with a robust suite of PDF creation, editing, markup, and collaboration features designed specifically for AEC professionals.

Key features of Bluebeam include:

• Revu: A project efficiency and collaboration solution that enables professionals to review and manage project data throughout the project lifecycle.
• Studio: A cloud-based collaborative platform that allows users to share and collaborate on documents in real-time or individually.

Despite its powerful tools, some users find Bluebeam's interface to be less intuitive compared to competitors. Additionally, the software might require considerable hardware resources for optimal performance, making it less ideal for users with less powerful computers.

Bluebeam is a potent force in the digital design software market. Still, how does it fare against Adobe, e-PlanSoft™, and Avolve? Continue reading to find out.

Stay tuned for our deep dive into Adobe, coming up next.

Adobe Overview

Renowned for its creative and multimedia software, Adobe has also been a key player in the document and design management scene. Adobe's Document Cloud, including the widely-used Adobe Acrobat, provides robust PDF handling and collaboration tools that extend well beyond the AEC industry.

Adobe's key features encompass:

• Adobe Acrobat: Known for its PDF creation, editing, and commenting capabilities, Acrobat is a tool trusted by many industries.
• Document Cloud (DC): Offering secure file sharing and storage in the cloud significantly enhances team collaboration.

While Adobe's software is reliable and comprehensive, it may not offer industry-specific features that AEC professionals seek. Furthermore, users often mention that Adobe's pricing structure could be higher than its competitors. Every pro has a con!

As we transition from Adobe, a giant in the digital design realm, we move on to examine our focused industry-specific solution provider: e-PlanSoft™.

e-PlanSoft™ Overview

e-PlanSoft™ provides practical solutions for both public and private sectors. The flagship product, e-PlanREVIEW®, has been developed to enhance collaborative review, streamline workflows, and reduce paper usage, aligning it with modern digital transformation needs.

Here's a glance at e-PlanSoft™'s key features:

• e-PlanREVIEW®: A cloud-based electronic plan review solution that supports real-time collaboration and offers built-in version comparison, markup tools, and easy integration with other software.
• e-PlanFORM™: This feature converts clunky PDF forms into convenient browser-based forms for customers. Customers can fill out forms on their computer or mobile device. This simplifies the entry of customer form data into your system. You can also share forms with any customer or send links to your forms for people to fill out and get responses fast.
• goPost™ Public Portal: e-PlanSoft™ provides a comprehensive public portal where applicants can submit their documents, track the status of their applications, and retrieve comments and marked-up plans, enhancing transparency and accessibility.
• Versioning and Overlay: This feature lets users compare different document versions and view the changes via an overlay. It provides a quick, visual understanding of the changes, thus saving time and improving collaboration.

One possible downside to e-PlanSoft™ might be its industry-specific focus, which may not cater to users seeking a more generalized document management system.

However, its focus and integrated approach offer a tailored solution that can significantly improve efficiency.

Next, we explore Avolve, a competitor that shares some integrative synergies with e-PlanSoft™. Stay tuned for the next section.

Avolve Overview

Avolve is another key player in the AEC industry, offering innovative solutions for project information management. Avolve's flagship product, ProjectDox, has proven itself as an effective tool in managing plan reviews and workflows.

Avolve's key offerings include:

• ProjectDox: The ePlan review software offers capabilities such as electronic plan submission, review workflow automation, and secure storage for plans and documents.
• Integrations: Avolve emphasizes seamless integration capabilities with a variety of other software platforms, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Content Management Systems (CMS), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, among others. These integrations allow for a more cohesive and efficient work experience across different platforms.

While Avolve provides a powerful suite of tools, it may come with a steeper learning curve, potentially slowing initial adoption. The interface could also benefit from further improvements for enhanced user experience.

With Avolve, we round off our list of key competitors. Let's move on to compare these industry titans side by side.

Comparison Analysis

In this section, we'll provide a comparative analysis of Bluebeam, Adobe, e-PlanSoft™, and Avolve, focusing on key aspects such as features, usability, industry-specific capabilities, and pricing structure.

• Features: Bluebeam and Adobe offer robust features for document management but may lack some of the AEC-specific tools provided by e-PlanSoft™ and Avolve.
• Usability: Adobe and e-PlanSoft™ often receive praise for their intuitive user interfaces, whereas Bluebeam and Avolve might have a steeper learning curve.
• Industry-specific capabilities: e-PlanSoft™ and Avolve have a stronger focus on AEC industry-specific capabilities, potentially giving them an edge over more general-purpose tools like Adobe and Bluebeam.
• Pricing structure: While Adobe is often seen as a more premium option, Bluebeam, e-PlanSoft™, and Avolve offer competitive pricing structures, each with its unique value proposition.

It's important to remember that the best choice depends on individual business needs and priorities. We always recommend booking a demo to get the best idea of useability!

Conclusion

In the digital design and construction software realm, Bluebeam, Adobe, e-PlanSoft™, and Avolve each offer unique solutions with their respective strengths and weaknesses. The choice ultimately hinges on your specific requirements and project needs.

The landscape is rich with options, but for Community Development Department seeking a dedicated solution with a comprehensive feature set, e-PlanSoft™ may very well tip the scales. We invite you to explore their offering further - schedule a demo today to experience first-hand how e-PlanSoft™ could elevate your project efficiency and collaboration.