How to choose a software development agency (7-point checklist)
Half the projects that reach us are rescues of abandoned builds. This checklist helps you avoid that: what to ask, what to demand, and which red flags to watch.
Choosing the wrong team to build your software is expensive: you lose the money, you lose the months, and you end up paying twice — because rescuing an abandoned project costs more than building it right from scratch. This is the checklist we would give a friend before signing with any agency, including ours.
1. Ask for products in production, not mockups
Anyone can show pretty designs. What matters is: do they have live products you can open and use right now? Ask for real URLs. If their whole portfolio is images and no link works, that is a red flag.
2. Demand visible weekly deliveries
The classic disaster pattern: you pay 50% upfront, and for 2 months all you get is "we are on track". Demand a short demo every week with working progress, even if imperfect. Software is built in visible layers, not in a black box.
3. Ask who owns the code
The code, the repository, the domain and all access must be in your name from day one. If the agency keeps the repo or the hosting "for security", you are building your business on rented land.
4. Distrust the "yes to everything"
A good technical team will push back: they will tell you which features are not worth building in v1, what can be solved more cheaply and what risks they see. The vendor who says yes to everything is not thinking about your business — they are thinking about billing.
5. Check the tech stack
You do not need to be technical. Ask: "what technologies will you use and why?" Modern, popular stacks (React, Next.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL) mean any developer in the market can maintain your product tomorrow. Obscure tech or "proprietary frameworks" tie you to that vendor forever.
6. Module-by-module quotes
A flat price with no breakdown makes scope impossible to negotiate. With a per-module breakdown you can decide: "the client portal goes to phase 2" and fit the budget to your reality.
7. Ask what happens after launch
Software is not finished, it is launched. Who fixes bugs the first month? What does maintenance cost? Is there a warranty? The answers separate professionals from those who vanish with the last payment.
At Devpsly we work exactly by this checklist: a portfolio of live products, weekly deliveries, code in your name and per-module quotes. Test us with all 7 questions.