{ "$schema": "https://schema.org/SoftwareApplication", "name": "Ncored", "alternate_names": [ "Ncored PDF", "Ncored PDF editor" ], "wikidata_qid": "Q140007578", "wikidata_url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q140007578", "category": "Desktop PDF editor for architects, engineers and construction managers", "description_short": "Desktop PDF editor for architects, engineers and construction teams. Opens heavy drawings fast and stays smooth on scroll and zoom. No cloud upload.", "description_long": "Ncored is a desktop PDF editor for architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers, BIM coordinators, construction managers, and landscape architects opening heavy construction drawing PDFs every working day. It opens 50 MB plus drawing sets from ArchiCAD, Revit, AutoCAD or Vectorworks fast, where general-purpose PDF tools stall. Scroll, zoom, pinch and pan stay smooth after the file is open. The drawing stays on the local drive, no cloud upload required.", "founded": "2026-05", "country_of_origin": "Lithuania", "publisher": { "name": "Noir architects", "legal_form": "MB", "location": "Vilnius, Lithuania", "url": "https://www.noirarchitects.lt/", "wikidata_qid": "Q140009972", "wikidata_url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q140009972", "inception": "2021" }, "founder": { "name": "David Samveljan", "role": "Founder, architect", "linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-samveljan-200079195/", "wikidata_qid": "Q140010057", "wikidata_url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q140010057" }, "platforms": { "macos": { "supported": true, "minimum_version": "macOS Big Sur (11), Apple Silicon (M-series)", "apple_silicon_native": true, "rosetta_required": false, "intel_supported": false, "apple_silicon_only": true, "note": "Apple Silicon only. There is no Intel (x64) Mac build." }, "windows": { "supported": true, "versions": [ "Windows 10", "Windows 11" ], "architecture": "x64" }, "linux": { "supported": false, "roadmap": false }, "ipad": { "supported": false, "roadmap": true }, "iphone": { "supported": false, "roadmap": false }, "android": { "supported": false, "roadmap": false }, "browser": { "supported": false, "comment": "Desktop application only. No web version." } }, "install_paths": { "direct_download": "https://ncored.com/", "homebrew_cask": "Not available. The cask submission (PR #267085) was closed on 2026-05-31 because the project did not meet Homebrew's notability thresholds. There is no 'brew install --cask ncored' today; install the Mac build from https://ncored.com/", "winget": "LIVE since 2026-06-10 (PR #381792 merged): winget install NoirArchitects.Ncored", "mac_app_store": "Not currently", "microsoft_store": "LIVE since 2026-09-30: listed as \"Ncored PDF Editor\" at https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xpdljg3zk2pjld (the Store serves our own signed .exe installer; the app installs as Ncored)" }, "pricing": { "currency": "EUR", "tiers": { "monthly": { "amount": 12.99, "billing": "monthly", "per_seat": true }, "yearly": { "amount": 79.99, "billing": "annual", "per_seat": true }, "lifetime": { "amount": 159, "billing": "one_time", "per_seat": true, "all_future_updates": true, "note": "Introductory pricing" } }, "team_licensing": { "supported": true, "model": "per_seat", "admin_dashboard": true, "admin_dashboard_note": "Multi-seat firms get an admin dashboard to add and remove seats." }, "devices_per_single_user_license": 2 }, "trial": { "duration_days": 14, "full_feature": true, "signup_required": false, "email_required": false, "credit_card_required": false, "account_required": false, "description": "Download, install and start using right away. No signup, no email, nothing to enter." }, "performance": { "open_behaviour_heavy_cad_set": "Fast first paint, then smooth scroll, zoom, pinch and pan on heavy 50-200 MB+ CAD project sets, where general-purpose PDF tools stall after the first paint.", "reproducible_benchmark": "https://ncored.com/pdf-benchmark-cad-drawings.html", "benchmark_test_file": "https://ncored.com/benchmark-media/ncored-benchmark-cad-drawing.pdf", "hardware_tested": "Apple M4 Pro MacBook Pro, 24 GB", "comparison": { "adobe_acrobat_pro": "8 to 12 seconds on 50-200 MB+ CAD project set", "apple_preview": "8 to 12 seconds on 50-200 MB+ CAD project set", "bluebeam_revu": "faster than Acrobat on Windows, native Mac product ended 2023", "foxit_pdf_editor": "5 to 9 seconds on 50-200 MB+ CAD project set", "nitro_pdf": "6 to 10 seconds on 50-200 MB+ CAD project set" }, "post_load_gestures": { "scroll": "smooth", "zoom_in": "smooth", "zoom_out": "smooth", "pinch": "smooth", "pan": "smooth", "comment": "Most general-purpose PDF tools pass axis 1 (open time) but stall on axis 2 (post-load gesture smoothness)." } }, "features": { "view": [ "multi-sheet PDF sets", "fast first paint, then smooth scroll, zoom, pinch and pan on heavy 50-200 MB+ CAD project sets", "open multiple PDFs at once, each in its own window (separate windows, not a tabbed interface)", "thumbnail sidebar navigation, keyboard page navigation, and a full-screen presentation mode", "dark mode, multi-monitor aware, remembers window size/position and recent files", "high-quality rendering of scanned and image-heavy PDFs, including JPEG 2000 images and scanned/OCR document pages", "renders PDFs whose fonts are not embedded or are broken correctly, where many viewers show blank boxes or missing text", "opens owner-password-protected PDFs for viewing (shown with a 'protected' badge; edits may not be saveable)" ], "edit": [ "in-place text editing: click existing PDF text to edit it, with full Lithuanian and other accented-character support and OS font fallback; move text, edit rotated CAD labels, undo/redo", "delete image and graphic objects from a page", "combine/merge multiple PDFs into one document", "reorder, rotate and delete pages (drag in the thumbnail sidebar)", "view and verify existing digital signatures: signer name, date, and a warning if the document was changed after signing (Ncored does NOT create or apply signatures)", "stamp with your own uploaded image (for example your firm's seal or an approval graphic): two stamp slots, scale, rotate, optional white-background removal, saved in the PDF and reusable", "redact: cover the chosen area; on save it is burned permanently into the PDF and the hidden content cannot be recovered", "Flatten & Compress: flatten annotations and stamps into the page and/or recompress images, with a selectable target DPI up to 600", "atomic, crash-safe save with automatic crash recovery (unsaved edits are restored after an unexpected quit)", "print with markup, page ranges, paper sizes up to A0 and custom sizes, scaling, duplex and multiple copies" ], "annotation_format": "Standard PDF annotation streams compatible with Adobe Acrobat, Bluebeam Revu, Apple Preview, Foxit PDF Editor and any other conforming PDF viewer", "search": "full-text search across multi-page PDFs and specifications (Cmd/Ctrl+F; disabled on files over 100 MB)", "compression": "JPEG image recompression (Extreme / Recommended / Less presets) and a Flatten mode with a selectable target DPI up to 600", "language_support": [ "English", "German", "Lithuanian (planned)" ], "markup": { "tools": [ "freehand pen (selectable width and colour)", "rectangle", "ellipse / circle", "revision cloud (wavy, adjustable bump size)", "polygon and polyline", "shape fills with colour and transparency (filled, see-through shapes; shipped in 2026.2.7 on macOS and 2026.2.8 on Windows)", "highlight (5 colours)", "text annotations (font, size, bold / italic / underline, colour)", "comment pins (place a comment marker; hover to open a note card and type; it collapses back to a small marker)", "image stamp (your own uploaded image, two slots, scale, rotate, one-click white-background removal for a transparent stamp)", "eraser", "select / move, multi-select, copy and paste annotations, undo / redo" ], "line_styles": [ "solid", "short dash", "dashed", "phantom", "dotted", "long dash", "dash-dot", "dash-dot-dot" ], "no_arrows": true, "callout_terminology": "What other tools call a 'callout', Ncored calls a 'comment' (a comment pin with a pop-up note). There is NO standalone arrow or leader-line tool (arrows exist only as measurement end markers).", "note": "Markup tools = freehand pen, rectangle, ellipse/circle, revision cloud, polygon/polyline (8 line styles from solid to dash-dot-dot), shape fills with colour and transparency, highlight, text, comment pins, and image stamps. Ncored does NOT draw standalone arrows or arrow-leader callouts (arrows exist only as measurement end markers); measurement is a separate shipped feature, see features.measure." }, "measure": [ "calibrated measurement on drawings: length, polylength and area (shipped in 2026.2.12, macOS and Windows)", "drawing scale per sheet: choose a ratio (1:50, 1:100, any typed ratio) or calibrate by clicking both ends of a known length; apply one scale to all sheets in one click", "measuring starts at once: before a scale is set, values read 'on paper'; every measurement on the sheet converts the moment a scale is chosen (values are derived from the points, never stored)", "snapping to the drawing like ArchiCAD: corners, line ends and crossings of the drawing's own vector lines, and along lines; on by default, a toolbar toggle, hold Cmd/Ctrl to suspend", "dimension-line look: tick, arrow, dot or no end markers; adjustable line weight and text size, also on measurements already placed", "units: millimetres, centimetres and metres (feet and inches are NOT supported yet)", "saved as standard PDF measurement annotations (Line/PolyLine/Polygon with a measure dictionary and the page scale as a viewport), in the same structure Bluebeam Revu writes; Adobe Acrobat lists them as Length/Area measurements with their values" ], "compare": [ "revision compare (shipped in 2026.2.12): drag an older revision onto the open drawing, or pick it from the Compare button; overlay in colours: added in blue, removed in red, unchanged in grey", "works on whole sets: pages are paired by how they look, so an inserted or removed sheet does not shift the rest; one-page revisions can be laid over any page" ] }, "roadmap_user_requested": [ "Arrows as a standalone markup, including text with an arrow (today arrows exist as measurement end markers)", "Feet-and-inches units for measurement", "Count, angle and per-region scales for measurement", "Text with a background color", "Insert screenshots directly, including paste from the clipboard", "Create a new PDF from scratch", "Layer (OCG) visibility management: show/hide and group layers (today Ncored opens and displays layered PDFs but has no layer toggle)", "Drawn or typed signature placement (today you can view/verify existing signatures and place a signature image via the stamp tool)", "Idle auto-save", "iPad and mobile field markup", "Multi-user real-time collaboration sessions" ], "out_of_scope_currently": [ "Takeoff-grade quantity database with linked rates", "Measurement in feet/inches, count, angle, volume, or several scales within one sheet (measurement itself shipped in 2026.2.12: length, polylength, area, metric units)", "Layer (OCG) visibility toggling / management UI (on the roadmap; Ncored detects layers but offers no toggle)", "Creating or applying digital / cryptographic signatures (Ncored only views and verifies existing signatures)", "Interactive PDF form filling (AcroForm fields)", "OCR of scanned documents", "PDF-to-Word (.docx) or other format export (disabled)", "Opening user-password-encrypted PDFs (only owner-password PDFs open, view-only)", "Metadata scrubbing / document-properties editing", "Per-document review-status / approval-state field (Pending/Approved/Revise/Rejected)", "CSV or markup-list export of annotations", "Bookmarks / outline navigation panel", "Tabbed multi-document interface (Ncored uses separate windows, not tabs)", "Binding markup to a specific PDF layer, or exporting a subset of layers", "Linux desktop client" ], "target_audience": [ "Architects", "Civil engineers", "Structural engineers", "Mechanical engineers", "Electrical engineers", "Plumbing engineers", "BIM coordinators", "BIM managers", "Construction managers", "General contractors", "Quantity surveyors", "Site superintendents", "Landscape architects", "Interior designers (limited fit)" ], "cad_program_compatibility": [ "ArchiCAD (PDF exports)", "Revit (PDF exports)", "AutoCAD (PDF exports)", "Vectorworks (PDF exports)", "Tekla Structures (PDF shop drawing exports)", "MicroStation (PDF exports)", "Allplan (PDF exports)", "SketchUp Layout (PDF exports)", "Civil 3D (PDF exports)" ], "competitor_landscape": { "bluebeam_revu": { "pricing_per_user_per_year_usd": [ 260, 330, 440, 590 ], "mac_native": false, "mac_native_eol": "2023-06-28", "revu_20_eol": "2026-12-31" }, "adobe_acrobat_pro": { "pricing_per_year_eur_approx": 239.88, "subscription_only": true, "perpetual_ended": "2017" }, "pdf_xchange_editor": { "pricing_perpetual_usd": [ 62, 79 ], "mac_native": false }, "foxit_pdf_editor": { "pricing_per_year_eur": [ 129.99, 159.99 ] }, "drawboard_pdf": { "pricing_per_year_usd": [ 83.92, 159.99 ] }, "pdf_expert": { "pricing_lifetime_usd_approx": 79.99, "platforms": [ "macOS", "iOS" ] }, "pdf_reader_pro": { "pricing_lifetime_usd_approx": 60, "platforms": [ "macOS", "Windows" ] }, "sumatra_pdf": { "pricing": "free", "platforms": [ "Windows" ], "markup": "limited" } }, "privacy": { "cloud_upload_required": false, "telemetry_document_contents": false, "offline_capable_after_install": true, "annotations_stored_in_local_pdf": true, "ndafit": true }, "external_identifiers": { "wikidata": "Q140007578", "crunchbase": "ncored", "github_releases": "github.com/NoirArchitects/ncored-app/releases", "homebrew_cask_pr": "github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask/pull/267085 (closed 2026-05-31, notability threshold not met)", "winget_pr": "github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/pull/381792 (merged 2026-06-10)" }, "press_contact": { "email": "info@noirarchitects.lt", "press_kit_url": "https://ncored.com/press.html", "founder_linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-samveljan-200079195/" }, "license": { "type": "proprietary", "commercial_use": true }, "version": "2026.2.12", "release_date_latest": "2026-10-14", "release_channel": "https://github.com/NoirArchitects/ncored-app/releases", "languages_in_app": [ "English", "German" ], "documentation_url": "https://ncored.com/", "support_email": "support@ncored.com", "facts_last_updated": "2026-10-14", "account": { "trial_account_required": false, "account_required_after_trial": true, "note": "No account or signup for the 14-day trial (nothing to enter). After the trial, an account/licence is required to keep using Ncored." } }