Choosing who builds your product is one of the few decisions that is expensive to undo. A good partner saves you months. A poor fit can cost you the project. Yet most comparisons come down to a portfolio and a price.
Both matter, but neither tells you how the work will feel, or what happens when something goes wrong. These signals do.
Signals worth looking for
Proof you can inspect
Prefer work you can actually look at: systems still in use, described in plain language. Ask what still runs under real load, and how the team talks about it. People who run what they build talk about it differently.
Worth remembering
If a portfolio cannot point at a system people still use, treat it as early concept work.
How they start
Look for a time-boxed discovery before the big commitment. It is the cheapest way to find out whether you work well together, and it gives you documents you can take elsewhere if you do not.
How they stay
Ask who replies after launch, how quickly, and how changes are priced. Ask whether you could leave, and what you would take with you. Competence shows up in the practical answers, not the pitch.
Questions for the first call
- What are you running today?
Ask to see it, and ask what went wrong once. - How do you start?
Listen for discovery, a written brief and a first slice. - What is not in your quote?
A good partner answers this without being pushed. - Whose name will everything be in?
The answer should be yours. - What happens after launch?
Who watches it, who you call, and what changes cost.
Contracting basics
Before you sign, check the company you are contracting with: its legal name, its registration in its own country, and who is authorised to sign. Ours are at the foot of every page on this site.