How to choose a software development company: 12 questions to ask first

Most failed software projects don't fail on code. They fail because the business and the developer understood different things, the developer disappeared halfway, or nobody owned the software after launch.

You can avoid most of that by asking the right questions before you sign. Here are the twelve we would ask if we were hiring a software company ourselves.

About their work

1. Can I see live software you built and still maintain? Screenshots and a portfolio page are easy to make. Ask for working links, and ask which ones they still support today. A company that runs software in production every day knows things a company that only hands over projects never learns.

2. Have you built something close to what I need? Not the same product, but the same shape. A booking system, a CRM, a dealer portal. Ask what went wrong on that project and what they changed after.

3. Can I talk to a client? One short call with a past client tells you more than any proposal. Ask the client whether the project finished on time, and how fast fixes happen now.

About the people

4. Who will write the code? Some companies sell the project and hand it to freelancers or another firm. That is not always bad, but you should know. Ask who writes the code and who you will talk to every week.

5. How often will I see progress? Weekly demos of working screens are a good sign. "We will show you at the end" is not. You should be able to click through a staging version long before launch.

About money and scope

6. What exactly is in the scope? Ask for a written list of screens, roles and integrations. Feature names like "admin panel" or "CRM module" are too vague to hold anyone to.

7. How are payments split? Payment against milestones you can see, like a clickable prototype, a working first module or launch, protects both sides. Be careful with large advances before anything is shown.

8. What happens when I want changes? You will want changes. Ask how they are priced. Per change with a written quote is clear. "We will adjust" is not.

About after launch

9. Who owns the code, the server and the domain? You should. The code should sit in a repository in your name, and you should hold the hosting and domain logins. Get this in writing.

10. Who hosts it and who fixes it? Ask what monthly support covers: backups, security updates, bug fixes, response times. Software without a support plan slowly breaks as phones, browsers and third-party APIs change.

11. What are the running costs? Hosting, domain, SSL, WhatsApp conversation charges, payment gateway fees, SMS, email. None of these are the developer's profit, but you pay them every month. Our guide to what decides the cost of custom software covers them in detail.

12. If we part ways, can another team take over? The honest answer is "yes, here is the documentation". If they hesitate, think about why.

Local or remote?

A company in your city makes the first workshop and the training easier, and you can walk into their office if something goes wrong. But most of the work happens over calls and screen shares anyway. A good remote team with clear weekly demos beats a nearby team you never hear from.

If you are in Uttarakhand, Delhi NCR or Chandigarh, we can usually do both: meet you for the kickoff and handover, and run the rest online.

Red flags

• They quote a price before asking how your business works.
• They can't show live software they still support.
• They won't put code ownership in writing.
• They promise a copy of a famous product for a small fixed price.
• Nobody can tell you who will be writing the code.

Where we fit

AnyInfraTech is an IT and software company in Dehradun. We build web applications, custom CRMs and business websites, and we run our own platforms, Pulp Hotels, ILA Infra and auton8n, on the same stack. Ask us these twelve questions too. See all our IT services by city.