Copy them as they are. Send them in writing, to everyone who has priced the project — us included. A written answer beats an answer given in a meeting.
01
Firm price, or estimate?
The question, word for word
“Is this amount a firm price or an estimate? If it's an estimate, what makes it move, and who decides?”
Why it matters
A quote can display a total and commit no one. Firm: they carry the risk of having been wrong. Estimate: you carry it. Both are defensible — you just need to know which one you are signing.
✅ The right answer
Firm against a written scope, or an estimate with a ceiling and a rule for change orders. Either way the sentence sits in the document, not in the conversation.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“It depends”, with nothing after it. Or a round total with no scope facing it. Or “we'll adjust as we go” — an estimate that won't say its name.
02
What is not in it?
The question, word for word
“List what this quote does not cover.”
Why it matters
The lines that arrive after signature are rarely hidden: they are simply absent. Store artwork and listings, developer accounts, hosting, content, translations, maintenance. Each one is legitimate — except as a surprise.
✅ The right answer
A written list of exclusions, short and named. Someone who has already shipped knows exactly what falls outside.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“Everything is included.” Nobody includes everything. That answer means either they haven't finished thinking, or you will find out on the invoice.
03
Who owns the code, and where does it live?
The question, word for word
“At the end, who owns the code, and whose account holds the repository?”
Why it matters
Delivered code is worth nothing if you can't open it without them. Ownership is a clause, access is a fact: the two are checked separately.
✅ The right answer
Rights transferred on delivery or final payment, repository hosted under an organisation in your name, your accounts, their access. You can revoke without breaking anything.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“We'll hand over the sources.” An archive is not a repository, and a repository on their account is not yours. The subject never comes up until the day you change supplier — exactly the wrong moment to discover it.
04
Who publishes, and under which account?
The question, word for word
“Which developer account will the app be published under: yours, or mine?”
Why it matters
The publishing account holds the listing, the reviews, the download history and the ranking. Moving an app between accounts is possible, but it's an operation, not a click — and it needs the cooperation of whoever is leaving.
✅ The right answer
Apple and Google accounts in your company's name — Apple Developer Program, $99 a year; Google Play account, $25 once — opened by you, access delegated to the supplier. The setup you never have to renegotiate.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“We publish under our agency account, it's simpler.” Simpler for them. Your reviews, your rating and your ranking stop being yours.
05
And if Apple rejects the first submission?
The question, word for word
“If Apple rejects the first submission, what happens, and who is billed for the time spent?”
Why it matters
A rejection is not a rare incident, it's an ordinary step. What matters is the review delay, how many rounds are planned, and who writes the reply.
✅ The right answer
“Rounds until publication are included.” And they name the classic reasons unprompted: a test account to provide, the privacy policy, in-app purchases wrongly declared, a feature judged too thin.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
Silence, or “that doesn't happen to us”. It happens to everyone. A quote that hasn't planned for rejection hasn't planned for launch.
06
What does it cost per month, once delivered?
The question, word for word
“Once delivered, what does the app cost per month to run — and what grows if I have ten times more users?”
Why it matters
A development quote describes one day. Your app lives for years. Server, database, emails and notifications, file storage, third-party services: small at first, then it follows the usage curve.
✅ The right answer
A list of named line items, separating what is fixed from what scales with users. Even without amounts, that list proves they have operated an app, not just delivered one.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“It's free”, or “it's negligible”. It is, at launch. The question isn't about launch.
07
Who fixes a bug after delivery?
The question, word for word
“After delivery, I report a blocking bug on a Tuesday morning. Who picks it up, within what time, and billed how?”
Why it matters
Warranty and maintenance are two distinct things: the warranty covers what should have worked, maintenance covers the life of the app. Plenty of quotes mention neither.
✅ The right answer
A dated warranty period, a written line between fix and new feature, a response time by severity, a named channel. After the warranty, a separate contract signed separately.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“We stay available.” Availability is not a commitment. Also look at who decides between bug and new feature: if they decide alone, everything becomes a new feature.
08
What moves the price?
The question, word for word
“What would push this price up, and what would bring it down?”
Why it matters
The answer tells you whether they costed your project or copied a template. The real levers are few and always the same: scope, user accounts and roles, payment, offline use, and taking over existing work — the most underestimated of the five, by far.
✅ The right answer
They volunteer what can be cut from version one to hold a budget. Someone who knows how to shrink his own scope knows how to hold it.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
Nothing brings the price down. A quote that won't deflate on a single line was not built line by line.
09
Who actually does the work?
The question, word for word
“The person sitting across from me today — do they write the code, or subcontract it? Give me the first names of the people who will work on this.”
Why it matters
This is the one that separates a studio from a reseller. Between the price you are quoted and the price paid to whoever produces, there is sometimes exactly the gap you are trying to explain between the two quotes.
✅ The right answer
First names, roles, and the name of your contact when things stall. Subcontracting that is owned and named is perfectly acceptable — it's the unspoken kind that costs you.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
“Our team handles it.” Ask who, precisely. If the answer stays an undefined plural after two attempts, you have your answer.
10
How do we stop, if we have to?
The question, word for word
“If we have to stop halfway, how does that work — and what do I walk away with?”
Why it matters
Nobody signs thinking about this, which is exactly why it has to be read first. A clean exit is the best indicator of a serious contract, ahead of the price itself.
✅ The right answer
A notice period, a settlement on what has actually been done, code and access handed over as-is, and a list of what is transferred. In writing.
⚠️ The answer that should worry you
No exit clause. Or an exit that leaves you without access until an undefined balance is settled. A confident supplier isn't afraid to write down how you part ways.