14 Questions To Ask Before You Hire an App Developer
We created this checklist to help business owners avoid the mistakes that quietly cost the most, and choose the right development partner from the very beginning. It's the full checklist, free, right here on the page, no email required.
Download the PDF VersionHear a business owner's pre-decision doubt
"They really understood exactly what I was looking to do and accomplish, and they have delivered. I'm super happy."
The 14 questions
- What's your experience working with startups or small and medium businesses?
They should have a deep understanding of the challenges that startups and small/medium businesses encounter. Do they provide free resources to support you before you become a client? - What's your minimum project size?
Minimum Viable Products can start as low as $25,000. Do they offer to provide you with a complimentary requirements gathering before providing you with an estimate? If not, they are simply guessing. - How do you bill for development work?
Look for developers who only charge you for time and materials. Fixed bids have a minimum padding of 30% and change order fees. - What's the contract commitment and do you offer flexible arrangements?
Avoid mandatory 4 to 12 month contracts. Fixed monthly payments and rigid contracts compromise your budget. - How do you decide what features to build?
They should recommend starting small with market validation or testing first, then scaling sustainably. If they don't talk you out of unnecessary features, they are maximizing their revenue, not your business outcomes. - When do you address security and compliance requirements?
Security and compliance should be discussed before you start building. Addressing these after the MVP is built costs thousands in rebuilds. - How do you handle changes or new requirements during development?
If they charge you change order fees you can be sure your budget will be blown. - Who will be building my project and will they change?
You want the same senior developer throughout the entire project. Rotating teams mean inconsistency and losing momentum. - Can I communicate directly with the developers?
You should work directly with the dev team. Going through project managers who relay messages to developers slows everything down and creates miscommunication. - How do you leverage AI in development?
Ask how they use AI assisted development. One developer using AI can do the work of five people, finishing projects 60 to 75 percent faster than traditional approaches. This should reduce your costs. - Where is your development team located?
Look for North American time zones to avoid coordination overhead. Business Owners suffered Intellectual Property (IP) loss and over paying when hiring overseas developers. They are also disqualified from Canadian grants. - When do I actually own the code you write?
You should own 100 percent of the code from day one with zero licensing fees and complete documentation so you can take it to any developer. If they hold your code until final payment, you are locked in. - What's included in your quote: documentation and testing?
You should get clean, documented code with a fully tested, secure system from day one. You should be allowed to test the product before handoff, not discover issues after final payment. - What happens when my business needs to scale?
Your software should be explicitly designed to scale with your business from day one.
Take your time. The right partner will welcome these questions.
Save Your Budget. Avoid These 10 Mistakes
Each one has cost a business owner real money. Here's how to avoid them.
#1: Losing control of your idea
Many business owners fail to insist on signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to discussing their idea. This happens often when building overseas. Unfortunately, once an idea is compromised, there's no way to undo it.
Our approach: before we even meet, we will send you a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (MNDA) to sign. And when you develop your app in Canada, your idea is protected by strict North American laws.
#2: Skipping proper discovery
Be wary of developers who promise everything without a formal discovery process. Proper requirements gathering includes very specific functional questions you need to answer prior to development to avoid costly rebuilds. Features such as financial reports, two-factor authentication and compliance are often missed altogether.
Our approach: proper requirements gathering is so important that we built the first App Cost Calculator to help you consider features you may have never thought of. It replaces the traditional $5,000+ discovery process. It costs $197, credited back in full if you hire us to build your project.
#3: Paying twice for the same app
Many business owners end up paying for their app twice. Once to build it and once to build it right. There are two reasons this happens. The first is that the developer failed to understand the technical functions required. The second is that the development team fails to notify you as to when to bring in critical third parties such as security and compliance experts.
Our approach: we created the App Cost Calculator to expertly gather the technical features your app needs, which then allows us to give you a realistic estimate.
#4: Being locked into proprietary software
Some developers build in proprietary systems that make it expensive, or impossible, to leave. This can mean paying licensing fees for as long as you use your own app.
Our approach: when you hire New Idea Machine, you own every line of code from day one, only pay for time and materials, never pay licensing fees, and can move your software to any provider at any time, for any reason.
#5: Missing out on government funding
For Canadian companies, building overseas disqualifies your project from government grants and non-dilutive funding programs. Many business owners don't realize this until it's too late.
Our approach: every developer at New Idea Machine is located in Canada, so Canadian clients' projects remain eligible for government funding. All things considered, building in Canada is actually more affordable than building overseas.
#6: Lowball quotes that explode later
A low initial quote can hide a long list of paid "extras." What should have been a $30,000 app suddenly becomes a $58,000 problem.
Our approach: after our free consultation, we provide you with access to our App Cost Calculator. Answering these questions provides us with enough information to properly scope your project and provide a realistic estimate. There are no surprises or uncomfortable conversations later.
#7: Wondering if the app will even work
It is unfortunately common for business owners to receive apps that don't fully function. And they are required to pay again just to have these features fixed.
Our approach: the team at New Idea Machine will test your app thoroughly. Then, we will have you test it before we hand it over.
#8: Developers who only take orders
The majority of developers are order-takers. They build whatever you ask for, even if it doesn't make business sense or creates friction for users. This leads to wasted features and poor return on investment.
Our approach: we act as strategic advisors, helping you focus on must-have features for your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This keeps your budget under control while prioritizing validation and revenue first.
#9: Overly technical language
If you don't understand what's being proposed, you can't make confident decisions. Many developers have zero experience in running a business. They often use technical language to impress or confuse clients. Unfortunately, this often hides poor choices or unnecessary complexity.
Our approach: we explain everything in simple, plain language. It's important to us that you clearly understand your options, along with the pros and cons of each, before moving forward. This is how a team works together and succeeds.
#10: Being trapped in long contracts
Many development agencies lock business owners into 12 month contracts. This means that if things don't work out and you want to leave, you still have to pay a monthly fee until the contract expires.
Our approach: at New Idea Machine, our contracts are flexible and client-first. You can pause or leave at any time and take everything built to date. We want you to stay because you love working with us, not because you have to.
Ready to talk through your list?
Book a Free CallWe'll send you a mutual NDA before the call. Your idea stays yours.