Hiring a custom software development company is a bigger risk than most purchases: you are paying months of fees before you can see whether it works. These checks reduce that risk.
Seven questions to ask
- Can I see similar work? Look for live products in your sector or with similar complexity, and ask to speak to a client.
- Who will actually build it? Meet the people doing the work, not just the sales team. Ask whether anything is subcontracted offshore.
- How is the price set? A discovery phase followed by a fixed or capped price beats a vague day rate with no ceiling.
- Who owns the code and accounts? You should own the source code, designs and hosting accounts from day one.
- How do you use AI tools? Good teams use them openly and still review and test everything. Ask what the review process is.
- How do you handle security and compliance? Especially important in healthcare and finance.
- What happens after launch? Ask for support terms in writing, including costs.
Red flags
- A fixed price quoted after a thirty-minute call.
- No questions about your users or business goals.
- Reluctance to show work or put you in touch with past clients.
- Pressure to sign quickly, or to build everything in one big release.
- “AI will do it for a tenth of the price” with no explanation of what is left out.
Why size is not the point
A large firm brings process and a small one brings direct access to the people building your product. Neither is better by default. What matters is whether the team has done something like yours and will be straight with you when your idea needs trimming.
So what
Shortlist three companies, ask each the same seven questions, and compare the answers rather than the quotes. We are happy to be one of the three. See how our custom software development projects run, then start a project if it looks like a fit.