How to evaluate an app development company

Every app development company's website says it is experienced, reliable and client-focused, including ours. None of that helps you choose. What helps is asking questions whose answers are hard to fake, and knowing what a good answer sounds like. Here are twelve, grouped by what they protect.

Ownership and access

1. Who owns the code, and when? Good answer: you do, in writing, on payment, with no exceptions for "our framework" or "our components". Warning sign: vague wording, or ownership that stays with them until some future condition.

2. Can we see the code while it is being built? Good answer: yes, you have access to the repository from the start. Warning sign: you get the code at the end, or on request.

3. Whose name are the accounts in? The app store accounts, hosting, domain and third-party services should be registered to your company from day one. Warning sign: "we set that up for you" with no mention of transfer.

The people

4. Who, by name, will do the work? Good answer: names and roles, and whether they are employed or contracted. Warning sign: a senior person on the sales call and no clear answer about who writes the code.

5. How do we communicate during the build? Good answer: a named contact, a written update on a fixed rhythm, and a way to message the engineers directly. Warning sign: everything goes through an account manager.

6. How often do we see the working app? Good answer: a version you can try on your own phone at a regular interval, not slides or screenshots. Warning sign: the first demo is near the end.

The work

7. What is included, and what is not? Ask for the list in writing: design, backend, testing, store publishing, data migration, documentation, training. Warning sign: a single line that says "the app".

8. How do you handle a change after we have agreed the scope? Good answer: a described process with a cost and a decision point. Warning sign: "no problem, we'll fit it in", which means someone will pay for it later, probably you.

9. How do you test? Good answer: specific practices, such as automated tests around the risky parts and testing on real devices, and who signs off before release. Warning sign: "we test everything thoroughly".

10. What technologies, and why those? Good answer: a short list they use every day, a reason tied to your project, and the choice written into the plan. Warning sign: a long list of everything, or a stack chosen because it is new.

After launch

11. What happens when something breaks after launch? Good answer: a maintenance agreement with a promised response time, and a clear price for it. Warning sign: "just email us".

12. Can we leave? Good answer: yes, and here is what you would take with you: the code, the accounts, the documentation, the data. A company confident in its work does not need to lock you in.

How to compare quotes

Make a table. One row per item from question seven. One column per company. Put a tick, a cross or a cost in each cell. Quotes that looked far apart often come closer; the cheapest one usually has the most crosses.

Then add two rows the quotes will not mention: "how much of our time will this need?" and "what will it cost per year after launch?" Ask each company for both.

A small test that tells you a lot

Send each company the same one-page description of your project and see what comes back. The ones that reply with questions are thinking about your problem. The ones that reply with a price have guessed. The ones that reply with a deck about themselves were not listening.

We answer these twelve questions on our own services and pricing pages, because a client who asks them is the kind of client projects go well with. Ask them of everyone you talk to, including us.