Ten questions to ask of any PDF review tool.
Choosing software for a firm comes down to a few practical questions. Here is how Cella PDF answers them, so you can put the same questions to anything else you're considering.
| Question | Cella PDF |
|---|---|
| How do I pay? | $149 once. No subscription, and every 1.x update is included. |
| Which computers does it run on? | Mac, Windows and Linux, as the same native app on each. |
| Where do my drawings live? | On your own computer and network. There's no account and no cloud. |
| Can my team mark up together, live? | Yes, through a sync server you run yourself for free, or one we host for you. |
| Does everyone need a license? | Only people who mark up or measure. Everyone else opens, searches, prints and reads markups free. |
| Can it measure and take off quantities? | Yes. Lengths, areas, perimeters, angles and counts to scale, totalled in the Markups List and exported to Excel or CSV. |
| Can it compare two issues of a set? | Yes. It clouds every change on a sheet, and can do a whole set at once. |
| Can I sketch on it? | Yes. Pencil, marker, charcoal and brush pens, with trace paper over the drawing. |
| Does it work with an AI assistant? | Yes, included. The assistant reads the drawings you have open, and any change it proposes waits for you to allow it. |
| Will my existing marked-up PDFs open? | Yes. Markups are stored in ordinary PDFs, so they open in other PDF apps and theirs open in Cella PDF. |
Side by side
What each maker says on its own website, checked on 14 November 2026.
| Cella PDF | Bluebeam Revu | Morpholio Trace | Concepts | Drawboard PDF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $149 once, updates included | $260 to $590 per user, per year, across four plans | Subscription, sold as in-app purchases | Free basic app. Pro is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year | Free tier, with paid features by subscription |
| Mac app | Yes | No native Mac app. A web app, or the iOS app on Apple silicon | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Windows app | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Linux app | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| iPad app | Yes | Yes, as an iOS app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live markup with your team | Yes. A sync server you run free, or one we host | Yes, called Studio. Hosting sessions needs the Core plan or above | Not listed | Presentation Mode, on iOS | Yes, real-time sync |
| Measure and take off | Lengths, areas, perimeters, angles and counts, totalled and exported | Length and area on Basics. Counts, perimeter, angle and volume from Core | Scale drawing, rulers and dimensions. No count takeoff listed | Scale and measurement guides | Length and area |
| Compare two issues | Yes, a sheet or a whole set | From the Core plan. Batch compare from Complete | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sketching | Pencil, marker, charcoal and brush pens, with trace paper | Not listed | Ten pens, with layers | Pens, pencils and brushes, with layers | Pressure-sensitive ink |
| AI assistant | Included. Works with the assistant you already use | On the Max plan | AI scale, perspective and room scanning | Not listed | Not listed |
"Not listed" means we did not find it on the maker's website or store listing when we checked. Products change, so check with each maker before you decide. Sources: Bluebeam pricing, Bluebeam on Mac, Morpholio Trace, Morpholio Trace on the App Store, Concepts, Drawboard pricing. Bluebeam and Revu are trademarks of Bluebeam, Inc. Morpholio Trace is a trademark of Morpholio LLC. Concepts is a trademark of TopHatch, Inc. Drawboard is a trademark of Drawboard Pty Ltd. Cella PDF isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Works with Bluebeam
Open PDFs marked up in Bluebeam Revu with markups and custom columns intact. Import your Revu tool sets. Markups you make in Cella PDF show up exactly right in Revu and Acrobat.
Bluebeam and Revu are trademarks of Bluebeam, Inc. Acrobat is a trademark of Adobe. Cella PDF isn't affiliated with or endorsed by either.