Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 Segment	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 0	$ 0
Impairment losses on long-lived assets	0
Deferred offering costs	29,000	1,765,000
Number of reportable segments	2
Extended warranties description	The Company offers extended warranties on its nCounter Analysis System for periods ranging from 12 to 36 months after the end of the standard 12-month warranty period.
Standard warranty period	12 months
Product warranty accrual period	1 year
Advertising costs	$ 3,300,000	$ 590,000	$ 417,000
Minimum [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Extended warranty period	12 months
Maximum [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Extended warranty period	36 months
Manufacturing Equipment [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of the assets	5 years
Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of the assets	5 years
Computer Equipment [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives of the assets	3 years
Sales Transactions [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage used to determine discount for standalone sales	15.00%
Total Revenue [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	10.00%
Number of customers that individually represented more than 10% of total revenue	0	0	0
Total Accounts Receivable [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	10.00%
Number of customers that represented more than 10% of total accounts receivable	0	0