Look at real work
Ask for examples of similar projects and talk about them: what was the task, what was hard and how it was solved. If a developer cannot explain their own work, that is a warning sign.
Who you are actually talking to
At large agencies you buy from one person while another team builds. Ask who will actually write the code and whether you can talk to that person. Fewer middlemen mean fewer misunderstandings and often a lower price.
Ownership of code and accounts
- Source code, the database and accounts (hosting, domain, app stores) should be in your name.
- Ask for documentation and a handover of the code at the end.
- Avoid lock-in to someone else's closed platform.
What a quote looks like
A good quote describes the scope, the phases, the timeline and what is included, not just one total price. Ask what is not included and what maintenance costs after launch.
Warning signs
- Promises everything, fast and cheap, without a single question about your business.
- Will not show a prototype or regular releases.
- Avoids talking about code ownership.
- Has no clear process for scope changes.
How we do it
You talk directly to the engineer who designs and builds. Before work begins you get a scope estimate and a price range, we work in short cycles with releases you can try, and the source code and access belong to you.