Roadmap 2026: what is next for nctools

Twelve months in, nctools is a stable set of five conversion tools with a growing user base and a clear architectural spine. The next twelve months are about breadth, then depth. Here is what is coming.

Q2 — Signing

PDF signing that runs in the browser, produces cryptographically valid PAdES signatures, and interops with Adobe Reader, DocuSign, and eIDAS-qualified certificates. Beta open now to Team plan users.

Q3 — Redaction

Visual redaction with the underlying text destroyed, not just covered by a black box (a common mistake in bad redaction tools). We are integrating an OCR-first pipeline so redacting a scanned document actually removes the words, not just the pixels.

Q3 — Batch UX

The current batch flow is functional but plain. We are shipping a proper queue view with per-file previews, retry-failed-only, and drag-to-reorder. The engine underneath is unchanged.

Q4 — Offline PWA

Right now nctools works installed to your home screen but needs the network to load the app shell. Q4 brings an opt-in offline mode: install the PWA, use it on a plane. The conversion tools already work offline (they are client-side); we just need the shell to cache.

Ongoing — extensions

The browser extension (currently available as an unpacked download) will land on the Chrome Web Store and Edge Add-ons this year. Firefox and Safari to follow.

We build in public. If any of the above matters to you, tell us on the roadmap board — priorities move based on what people actually need.