Published Updated 7 min read
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Developer
How to evaluate a web developer or agency on evidence rather than the pitch: what to prepare, the questions to ask in each area, the red flags, and a simple way to compare answers.
Written by Ali Abdelhadi, Founder & Lead Engineer
In this article
Short answer. Judge a developer by evidence you can check, not by the pitch. Ask to see live work you can open, find out who will actually write the code, read how they scope and handle changes, confirm in writing what you will own at the end, and ask what happens after launch. Send every candidate the same questions in writing and compare the answers side by side.
From the outside, a careful developer and a careless one can sound the same in a sales call. Both mention modern frameworks, agile delivery and fast timelines. The difference shows up in the details they can answer, and in what they put in writing.
Before you talk to anyone
You will get better answers if you bring a clear brief. One page is enough:
- The outcome. What should the site or application make possible that is not possible today?
- The users. Who uses it, in which languages, on which devices?
- What exists. Current site, systems, accounts, content and brand material.
- Must-haves and nice-to-haves. Separate them now; it makes quotes comparable.
- The deadline and why. A launch event is a different constraint from a preference.
- A budget range. If you have no idea, our transparency page shows how estimates are built so you can calibrate.
The questions to ask
Evidence of work
- Can you show live sites or applications you built, and tell me exactly which parts you did?
- Can I open them on my phone now?
- Is there one similar to my project in scope or industry? What was hard about it?
- Can I speak to a client you worked with?
Look for work you can inspect, not only screenshots. A live site shows speed, mobile behaviour and polish in a way a mockup cannot.
The people
- Who will write the code, and will I talk to them directly?
- Is any part of the work subcontracted? To whom?
- What happens to my project if that person is unavailable?
Process and scope
- What happens before you quote? Is there a discovery step?
- What are the phases, and what do I approve at the end of each?
- How many revision rounds are included, and where is that written?
- What do you need from me, and when?
Changes and money
- How do you handle a change after we start? Is it priced before work begins?
- How is payment split, and what triggers each payment?
- What happens if I need to stop the project part-way?
Quality
- How do you check performance and accessibility, and against which thresholds?
- How do you test before a release?
- Who reviews the code before it ships?
Ownership and handover
- Who owns the code, the domain, the hosting and the accounts, and from when?
- Where will the repository live?
- What documentation do I receive at handover?
- Could another developer take over without you?
After launch
- Is there a warranty period, and what does it cover?
- What do maintenance options include, and what do they exclude?
- How quickly do you reply, and through which channels?
Red flags
- A firm price before any questions. A quote that does not depend on your requirements is not based on them.
- No live work you can open. Only mockups, or work they cannot explain.
- Vague ownership. "We host it for you" with no date when accounts pass to you.
- Changes handled verbally. No written change process means disputes later.
- A timeline that ignores your inputs. If they do not ask when content will be ready, the date is not real.
- Nobody technical in the conversation until after you sign.
Compare the answers side by side
Send every candidate the same questions in writing, then put the answers into the same table. You do not need a weighted score; you need to see gaps.
| Area | What a good answer looks like | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence | Live work you can open, with their part named | Screenshots only, or unclear credit |
| People | You talk to the person writing the code | A sales layer, or unnamed subcontractors |
| Scope | Discovery before a quote; revisions written down | A fixed price after one call |
| Changes | Written change orders priced before work | Changes agreed by phone |
| Quality | Named thresholds checked on each release | It will be fast |
| Ownership | Code and accounts pass to you at a stated point | Hosting and repository stay with them |
| After launch | A defined warranty and clear maintenance terms | Ask us when something breaks |
Want to see how we answer the same sheet? Schedule a consultation and ask us every question on it.
Agency, freelancer or in-house?
The questions above apply to all three; the right type depends on the work. A freelancer can be the best choice for a narrow, well-defined brief.
A studio or agency fits when the work spans architecture, design, development and launch, or when continuity matters. An in-house team makes sense when software is a permanent part of your business. We compare the options in more detail in how to choose a web development partner and when you need a Next.js agency.
Start small if you are unsure
If you cannot decide between candidates, pay one of them for a small, fixed piece of work first, such as a discovery phase or a technical audit. You learn how they think, communicate and document before committing to the full build.
How we answer these questions
You should hold us to the same list. Most of our answers are public:
- Process. The five phases and their durations are on the process page.
- Standards. The thresholds we measure against are on the standards page.
- Terms. Change requests, payment milestones and the warranty are answered in the FAQ.
- Evidence of work. Live projects on the work page that you can open on your phone. We have no published client references yet, so ask us directly what you want to know about them.
- Ownership. The code and accounts pass to you at final payment.
Hiring a web developer: common questions
How many quotes should I get?
Two or three is usually enough, if you send each the same brief. More than that makes it hard to compare carefully.
Should I choose the cheapest quote?
Compare what each quote includes before comparing the totals. A lower price that excludes discovery, revisions, handover documentation or a warranty often costs more by the end.
Fixed price or hourly?
A fixed price per milestone suits a well-defined scope and makes your cost predictable. Hourly suits open-ended work. Either way, ask how changes are priced.
How do I check a developer's references?
Ask the reference what changed after launch, how changes were handled, and whether they could switch developers today. Those answers say more than "were you happy?"
A second opinion before you hire
If you want a second opinion on proposals you have already received, or on the system you have now, a technical audit covers it. If you are ready to talk your project through, schedule a consultation.