The short version:
Look for relevant work you can try for yourself, a proper discovery stage before any quote is final, a named person you'll deal with, a clear testing process, honest pricing and a plan for after launch. Be wary of anyone who quotes without understanding your business or who can't tell you who will own the finished app.
Choosing who builds your app is one of the biggest decisions in the whole project. Get it right and you have a partner who helps shape the idea, spots problems early and supports the app long after launch. Get it wrong and you can spend months and a large part of your budget on something that doesn’t work and then pay again to fix it.
As an award-winning app development company, we’ve been building apps since 2007, and a surprising number of our projects start with a client who has already been let down by another developer. So, this guide is written from both sides of the table: what we’d look for if we were hiring an agency and the warning signs we see when projects come to us after going wrong.
Agency, Freelancer or Offshore Team?
Before comparing individual companies, it helps to decide what kind of partner you need. There’s no single right answer. It depends on how far along your idea is, your budget and how much support you’ll want.
| Freelancer | Offshore agency | UK agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Lowest | Low to medium | Medium to high |
| Best for | Small, well-defined jobs where you already have a spec and designs | Larger builds where cost is the priority and you can manage the project closely | Projects that need strategy, design, build and long-term support from one team |
| Communication | Direct, but depends on one person’s availability | Time zones and language can slow things down | Same time zone, face-to-face meetings possible |
| Main risk | If they get ill, get busy or move on, your project stalls | Quality and accountability vary widely | Higher upfront cost |
| After launch | Often limited | Varies | Usually offered as ongoing maintenance |
If you’re still at the idea stage, an agency is usually the safer choice. You’ll need advice on features, design and technology, not just someone to write code. If you already have detailed designs, a technical specification and someone in-house to manage the work, a freelancer or a smaller team can be cost-effective.
What a Good App Development Company Looks Like
Whoever you’re considering, these are the things that separate a reliable partner from a risky one.
- Relevant work you can try for yourself
Screenshots and polished case studies are a start, but ask for apps that are live in the App Store or Google Play so you can download them and see how they feel. Experience in your sector, or with similar features such as payments, bookings or integrations, is a real advantage. Browse our case studies for examples of the kind of detail worth looking for. - A clear process that starts with discovery
A good agency won’t rush to build. It will want to understand your business goals, your users and what success looks like first. Expect a discovery or planning stage that leads to a clear scope, user journeys and often a clickable prototype you can test before development starts. It’s much cheaper to change a prototype than a finished app. - Someone who’s responsible for your project
You should know who you’ll deal with day to day and how often you’ll hear from them. A dedicated project manager who can explain technical issues in simple terms so anyone can understand makes a huge difference, especially if you’re not technical yourself. - Design that’s built around your users
Design is how people judge your app in the first few seconds. Ask to see previous design work and how the agency approaches user experience: do they research users and test designs or just make screens look nice? - A proper testing process
Bugs are the most common frustration we hear about from clients who’ve switched agencies. Ask how testing works, who does it and whether you’ll receive test builds during the project so you can try features as they’re built. - Security and data protection taken seriously
Most apps store some personal or business data, so security can’t be an afterthought. A UK agency should be comfortable talking about UK GDPR, how data is stored and who can access it. Certifications such as Cyber Essentials are a useful sign that security is taken seriously across the business. - Support after launch
An app is never really finished. Apple and Google release major updates every year, security patches are needed and users will ask for improvements. Check the agency offers ongoing hosting and maintenance and what’s included. - Clear ownership of your code and accounts
This is the one people most often forget to ask about and the one that causes the biggest problems later. You should know exactly who will own the source code, the designs and the App Store and Google Play accounts once the project is paid for. Ideally your business holds its own developer accounts from day one. Whatever’s agreed, get it in writing in the contract.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
The answers to these questions will tell you far more than a sales presentation. We’ve included what a good answer sounds like.
| Question | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Can we see live apps you’ve built, ideally similar to ours? | Specific examples you can download, with context on what the agency was responsible for. |
| What happens before you start building? | A discovery stage, defined scope, user journeys and usually a prototype, not “we’ll get started straight away”. |
| Who will we deal with day to day? | A named person, a regular update schedule and a clear way to raise issues. |
| Who will actually build the app? | A clear answer on whether the work is done in-house or outsourced and where the team is based. |
| How do you test and when will we see the app? | A defined QA process and regular test builds throughout the project. |
| How do you price and what isn’t included? | An itemised quote, plus honesty about extra costs like hosting, third-party services and maintenance. |
| Who will own the code, designs and app store accounts? | A straight answer that’s written into the contract. |
| How do you handle security and data protection? | Specifics on data storage, access and UK GDPR, not vague reassurance. |
| What happens after launch? | Clear maintenance options, response times and how OS updates are handled. |
Red Flags to Watch Out For
In our experience, most projects that go wrong showed at least one of these signs early on.
- A fixed quote before they understand your project – Without discovery, any price is a guess, and guesses tend to grow.
- A price far below everyone else’s – Very low quotes usually mean corners will be cut on design, testing or support and you’ll pay for it later.
- No live apps to show – Or only concepts and mock-ups.
- Vague answers about ownership – If they won’t clearly confirm who owns the code and accounts, treat that as a serious warning.
- No testing process – “We test as we go” isn’t a process.
- Too much jargon – If you leave conversations more confused than when you started, that won’t change once the project begins.
- Pressure to sign quickly – A good partner will give you time to compare options.
- No plan for after launch – An agency that disappears once the app is in the store leaves you exposed the first time something breaks.
Most app projects that go wrong don’t fail because of the code. They fail because nobody properly agreed what was being built and why. If an agency is happy to give you a price before they’ve understood your business, that tells you a lot.
– James Merrix, Group Director, Red C
How to Compare Quotes
It’s normal for quotes for the same app to vary hugely. That doesn’t always mean someone is overcharging. It often means they’ve quoted for different things. To compare fairly, check that each quote covers:
- Discovery and planning
- UX and visual design
- The app itself (and for which platforms: iOS, Android or both)
- Any backend, admin system or integrations
- Testing
- Project management
- App Store and Google Play submission
- Support and maintenance after launch
Also ask about costs that sit outside the quote, such as hosting, developer account fees, paid third-party services and ongoing maintenance. These are part of the true cost of owning an app.
Pricing models vary between agencies. Some quote a fixed price for a clearly defined scope, while others charge for time spent, which can suit projects that are likely to change. Every project is different, which is why we quote each one individually. Our guide to how much it costs to develop an app explains what drives the price up or down and you can always get in touch for a quote.
Unhappy with Your Current App Developer?
If you’re reading this because things aren’t going well with your current developer, you’re not alone. Some of our longest-running client relationships started this way.
Signs it might be time to switch
- Deadlines keep slipping without clear explanations.
- You’re finding obvious bugs that should have been caught before you saw them.
- Features don’t work the way you agreed, because requirements were never properly understood.
- Communication is patchy or problems are hidden behind technical jargon.
- Every small change seems to take far longer or cost far more than it should.
How to Switch Agencies Safely
Switching doesn’t have to mean starting again. But it does need to be done carefully, so you don’t lose access to your own product.
- Secure access to everything first – Before you end the relationship, make sure you have access to the code repository, the App Store and Google Play developer accounts, hosting and servers, domains and any third-party services or API keys the app relies on.
- Ask for documentation – Even basic notes on how the app is structured, how it’s deployed and what services it uses will save time and money.
- Get the code reviewed – A new agency should review the existing code before promising anything. Sometimes it can be fixed and built on. Sometimes parts need rebuilding. You need to know which before agreeing a plan.
- Plan the handover so users aren’t affected – Live apps need a careful transition to avoid downtime or lost data.
We’ve taken over projects like this many times. When Consentz came to us, their previous developers had left them with an incomplete solution. We reviewed the existing code, finished the practitioner iPad app, built the backend it needed and launched a new patient app. The Share Centre came to us unhappy with the performance and cost of their previous development. After a full code review, we redeveloped their share dealing app, working closely with their in-house API team.
How We Work at Red C
We’d rather you made the right choice than a quick one, even if that choice isn’t us. If you’d like to see how we approach projects:
- See how we work on mobile app development projects.
- Find out how our app consultancy and strategy helps you plan before you build.
- Browse our case studies.
- Read what our clients say.
- Or talk to us about your project, whether it’s a new idea or an app that needs rescuing.
There’s no hard sell, just an honest conversation about what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
About how to choose the right app development company.
