Choosing a Software Company in Adana: The Questions to Ask

When choosing a software company in Adana, most businesses compare prices first. That's an understandable reflex, but in a software project the real cost often shows up two years later rather than at the quote stage: when the developer can't be reached, when nobody knows where the code is, when it turns out the domain is sitting in someone else's account. The questions in this guide are there so you never get to that moment. They apply just as well if you're a foreign company or an expat hiring a developer anywhere in Türkiye.

I prefer working with clients who ask these questions. Clear questions mean a clear scope and a clear contract, and that means fewer surprises for both sides.

I've split the questions into four groups: what the company has done before, who will own the software and the accounts, what happens after launch, and what goes into the contract. Take this list to every meeting and note down the answers. When you put the answers from three different companies side by side, you'll also see where most of the price difference comes from.

1. 1Which of your projects are live, with a link you can share? Not screenshots, but sites I can open and use and apps I can download from the store.
2. 2What exactly did you do on these projects? The design, the development, or both?
3. 3Have you done work similar to my project, in scale, industry or technical needs?
4. 4Which technologies do you use, and why? If the answer is a single closed system, ask whether you could continue with another developer later.
5. 5Who will write the project? The person you're talking to, someone else on the team, or an outside subcontractor?

I answer the portfolio question with live links: the Adana Beekeepers Association (Adana Arıcılar Birliği) web platform, the Tüfekli Arıcılık website and mobile app, and the Wingardium agriculture app. I also have apps I published myself on the App Store: Kumanda: TV Remote, Projectify, FiloTakip, and Clean Mac for Developers on the Mac App Store. Trying a company's work with your own hands tells you much more than the images in a pitch deck.

This is the most important part of the list. It's possible to pay for software and still not own it, and most people only find out when they want to switch companies.

• Once payment is complete, who holds the right to use and modify the source code? Ask for this to be spelled out in the contract.
• Which repository will the code live in? A repository opened on GitHub or a similar service, in your company's account, is the cleanest solution.
• In whose name will the domain be registered, and will you be able to log in to its control panel?
• In whose name will the hosting and server account be opened, and who will be invoiced?
• Will the App Store and Google Play developer accounts be opened in your company's name? If the app is published under the agency's account, moving it later is a hassle.
• In whose name are third-party accounts such as the payment gateway, email service and maps?
• When the project ends, will all passwords, access details and a short technical document be handed over to you?

• How many months of free bug fixing are guaranteed after launch? What does the warranty cover, and how is a bug told apart from a new feature request?
• Is maintenance paid, and how is it calculated? As a rule of thumb, yearly maintenance is planned at about 15–20% of the build cost.
• When something urgent happens, who do I contact, through which channel, and how quickly will I hear back?
• Is the schedule split into milestone deliveries? Will I see something working at the end of each stage?
• Is the payment plan tied to stages? Paying everything up front leaves you nothing to hold back if the work stalls.
• How will out-of-scope requests be priced? Hourly or per job?
• If the project stops halfway, what happens to the code and designs written up to that point?
• Under KVKK (Turkey's personal data protection law), where will personal data be stored, and who will prepare the privacy notices?

A note on schedules: a large share of delays comes not from the developer but from waiting for content, approvals and feedback. A good company also writes into the schedule what it needs from you and by when. The answers to these questions should be in writing, not verbal. A short, readable contract, a two-page scope document and an approved list of screens or pages prevent most of the arguments that could come up later.

I'm an independent developer, so I may look biased in this comparison. I've tried to keep the table balanced, and there are projects where each model is the right one.

When you work with a freelancer, the way to reduce continuity risk is the ownership list above: if the code is in your repository, the accounts are in your name and you have the technical document, another developer can take over when needed. The same points apply with an agency, because you may part ways with an agency too.

• They can't show a single live project, or every project they show is closed off for confidentiality reasons.
• They give a firm price on the first phone call without listening to the scope.
• The quote has no list of pages or screens, no delivery date and no revision rounds.
• They say they won't hand over the source code, or will only do so for an extra fee.
• They insist on registering the domain and hosting account in their own name.
• They ask for full payment up front.
• They guarantee first place on Google or a certain number of downloads.
• They answer your questions with technical jargon and never give a plain explanation.

1. 01

   Write down what you need

   On one page, write what job the software will do, who will use it, and the three to five features the first version can't do without. Send the same text to every company so the quotes can be compared.

2. 02

   Get three quotes

   Getting quotes from different models, for example one agency and one independent developer, shows you the difference in price and approach.

3. 03

   Try the live work

   Open the sites on your phone, download the apps, and if possible have a short chat with the owners of those projects.

4. 04

   Ask the ownership questions in writing

   Ask for the answers about code, domain, hosting and store accounts by email. Cross off any company that avoids giving written answers.

5. 05

   Meet in person or on video

   Talk directly to the person who will write the project. If you're working with a company or developer in Adana, a meeting at your premises lets them understand the need on site.

6. 06

   Approve the scope before signing the contract

   Keep the list of screens or pages, the schedule, the payment plan, the warranty period and the deliverables in a single document.

If you're thinking of working with me, you can ask me every question on this list too. In a free discovery call, in English or Turkish, I listen to the project and then send the scope, schedule and price in writing. The figures I share are starting ranges and become final based on the scope.