10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Software Development Company

Picking a software development company is a big decision. The right partner feels like an extension of your team. The wrong one costs you months of time, a pile of money, and sometimes a codebase you have to throw away.

Polished websites and sales calls all sound similar. These 10 questions cut through the pitch — along with what a good answer sounds like and what should worry you.

1. "Can you show me similar projects you've built?"

Ask for case studies or live examples in your industry or with similar features.

• Good answer: Specific projects, the problem they solved, the tech used, and results — ideally with a client you could speak to.
• Red flag: Only generic screenshots, or "we can build anything" without proof.

2. "Who exactly will work on my project?"

You're hiring people, not a logo.

• Good answer: You can meet or interview the actual developers, designer, and project manager.
• Red flag: Senior people on the sales call, then an unknown junior team after signing.

3. "What does your development process look like?"

• Good answer: A clear sequence — requirements, design, development, testing, launch — with regular demos and written documentation.
• Red flag: "We'll just start coding and show you when it's done."

4. "How will we communicate, and how often?"

• Good answer: A named point of contact, shared tools (Slack or Teams, Jira or Linear), weekly demos, and agreed overlap hours.
• Red flag: Email-only updates and no regular check-ins.

5. "Who owns the code and intellectual property?"

This one is non-negotiable.

• Good answer: "You do. IP assignment is in the contract, and the code lives in your repositories from day one."
• Red flag: Hesitation, licensing tricks, or code you only receive at the end.

6. "Will you sign an NDA?"

• Good answer: Yes, before any confidential details are shared.
• Red flag: Reluctance, or wanting full details of your idea before agreeing.

7. "How do you ensure quality?"

• Good answer: Code review on every change, automated and manual testing, performance and security checks, and a definition of "done" you agree on.
• Red flag: "Our developers test their own code."

8. "How do you price the work — and what's not included?"

• Good answer: A clear model (fixed price, hourly, or dedicated team), a written breakdown, and honesty about what's excluded — hosting, third-party fees, content, or app store costs.
• Red flag: A suspiciously low quote with vague scope. That gap will reappear later as change requests.

Not sure which pricing model fits? See fixed price vs hourly vs dedicated team.

9. "What happens after launch?"

• Good answer: A post-launch warranty period for bugs, plus maintenance options for security patches, updates, and improvements.
• Red flag: "Once it's live, you're on your own."

10. "What would you do differently from what I've asked for?"

This is the best question on the list. A good partner thinks about your business, not just your feature list.

• Good answer: Thoughtful pushback — simpler approaches, things to cut from version one, risks you haven't considered.
• Red flag: "Yes, we can do all of it" to every request.

A quick checklist before you sign

• You've interviewed the actual team
• The scope is written down and you understand it
• IP ownership and an NDA are in place
• You know how and how often you'll see progress
• The pricing model and exclusions are clear
• Post-launch support is defined

How Brahmweb answers these questions

We're happy to be held to this list. With more than 10 years of experience, we sign NDAs before the first technical conversation, include IP assignment in every Statement of Work, give you direct access to your engineers, run weekly demos with code review on every pull request, and include 30 days of post-launch support on every project.

Read about how we work with clients, or ask us these 10 questions on a free call →