Comparison
Project Blueprint vs Ncored: two native Mac apps for construction PDFs
Both apps exist because Bluebeam left the Mac. Ncored, made by an architect in Vilnius, is built to open very heavy CAD drawings fast and mark them up. Project Blueprint, made by a quantity surveyor in Auckland, is built around takeoff.
If your main problem is huge CAD-exported PDFs that crawl in other apps, and you only need to view and mark them up, try Ncored, especially if your team mixes Mac and Windows. If you need to measure quantities, check scales and total a takeoff, Project Blueprint is built for that, and it also runs on Intel Macs.
At a glance
| Ncored | Project Blueprint | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Fast viewing and markup of heavy CAD drawings | Takeoff, markup and review of construction drawings |
| Made by | An architect-founder in Vilnius, Lithuania | A quantity surveyor-founder in Auckland, New Zealand |
| Platforms | Apple silicon Macs and Windows | Macs only, Apple silicon and Intel, macOS 14+ |
| Price | €12.99 a month, €79.99 a year, or €159 one-off | US$19 one-off (first 100), then US$79, two Macs |
| Markup | Comment pins, pen, shapes, revision clouds, highlight | Clouds, callouts, text, stamps, RFI status and replies, legends |
| Measurement and takeoff | Not yet | Calibrated length, area, perimeter, volume, count and more, with totals |
| OCR | Not yet | Yes, on your Mac |
| Bluebeam markups | Saves standard annotations that open in Bluebeam and Acrobat | Opens Revu markups for editing; saves standard annotations |
Ncored details from its website and blog on 13 October 2026. Ncored prices include VAT and are in euros.
Where Ncored is the better choice
- Opening very large CAD-exported PDFs is the main thing you need to be fast.
- Your team mixes Mac and Windows and wants the same app on both.
- You only need to view and mark up, not measure.
Where Blueprint is the better choice
- You do takeoffs: areas, lengths, volumes and counts, totalled and exported.
- You want scale checks before quantities go out.
- You use an Intel Mac.
- You need searchable text from scanned sheets (OCR).
- You work with RFIs and want status and replies tracked on the drawing.
Both are young, actively developed apps with free trials. The honest test is to open your own heaviest drawing set in each and do the job you do every day.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ncored do takeoffs?
Not at the time of writing. Ncored's own comparison article says it has no measurement, OCR or forms yet, and its pricing page lists none of them.
Does Ncored run on Windows?
Yes. Ncored lists Windows 10 and 11 as well as Apple silicon Macs, which helps mixed teams. Project Blueprint is Mac only, but saves markups that Windows Bluebeam users can see.
Does either run on an Intel Mac?
Project Blueprint runs natively on Intel and Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later. Ncored lists Apple silicon only.
Sources
Prices and product details were checked on 13 October 2026. They change, so check each vendor's site before you buy.