How to choose a custom software company: the questions to ask

To choose a custom software company, ask who will own the code, how they charge (by the hour or at a fixed price), who will actually work on it, whether they will show you something working before the price, what happens after handover and how you could leave if one day you want to change provider. The answers say more than the portfolio: a company that has them clear and in writing is a company that has done this before.

Updated October 27, 2026

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Thirty minutes, free and with no obligation, with the engineer who would lead the project.

The ten questions

Who will own the code? It should be yours: the repository, the domain and the cloud accounts, in your company’s name.
How do they charge? By the hour, at a fixed price or with a recurring fee. If it is a fixed price, what is included and what is not.
Who will work on it? The person from the first meeting, or a team you will never meet? And who will respond when there is a problem?
Can I see something working before the price? A prototype with your data is worth more than any presentation.
How often will I see progress? A real delivery every few weeks is better than everything at the end.
Where will it be hosted and where will the data be? With which provider, in which country and who has access.
What happens after handover? Who maintains it, what it costs each month and whether there is a minimum term.
How would I leave if one day I want to change? With the code, the documentation and the access details, without having to ask permission.
Will there be personal data? If the software handles it, the provider will process it on your behalf, and the GDPR requires a data processing agreement.
Can I talk to one of their clients? Better still if the work is similar to yours.

Warning signs

A price before they have understood the problem.
The code stays in the provider’s name, or you can only use it while you keep paying the fee.
Everything will be shown at the end, in a single delivery.
They never say no to anything: a good provider will also tell you what you do not need to do.
Nobody can tell you what it will cost to maintain.

How we do it at SANFELIU

At SANFELIU, a custom software consultancy in Barcelona, these answers are in writing before we start. The code, the domain and the accounts are in your name. The price is fixed per feature. The person you deal with is the engineer who builds it. You see a prototype with your data before any price and, after that, a real delivery every few weeks.

Once it is finished, the software is maintained with a monthly plan sized to the solution, with no minimum term. And if on the first call we see that we cannot help you, we tell you.

Book a meeting

Thirty minutes, free and with no obligation, with the engineer who would lead the project.

Frequently asked questions

Is a large company or a small studio better?

It depends on the project. A large company has more people; a small studio usually has fewer layers between you and whoever writes the code. More than size, look at who will actually work on it and who will respond when there is a problem.

What should the contract say?

At a minimum: what will be done and what will not, the price and how it is paid, the timelines, who owns the code, what happens with the data (the data processing agreement, if there is one) and how it is maintained after handover. We are not lawyers: if you have a legal question, check it with yours.

Does the company need to be nearby?

It helps for the first visit and for understanding how you work, but it is not essential: most of the work is done online, with deliveries you can test.

Tell us about your case in thirty minutes.

Book a meeting with the engineer who would lead the project: thirty minutes, free and with no obligation. If we’re a fit, we tell you how we’d start; if not, who to turn to.

Book a meeting

Or email me@joansanfeliu.com

Prefer to write?

Tell us about your case in a few lines and we’ll reply by email.