A few tips to choose a development partner
First tip: Understand what you really need
By asking yourself what you need for software development, you are defining your goals and objectives. From that, you can create a checklist for potential custom software development agencies, thus making the choice easier.
Here are a few notes to keep in mind:
- What sector do you need help with? Front-end, back-end, or both?
- Does your development plan require professional assistance in project management and business analysis?
- Can your IT team handle the project, or would you need an expert team to address specific development process tasks?
Second tip: Find the partner that matches your need
Now that you have your goals, it’s time to find a suitable custom software development agency. Why do I say suitable?
Your chosen partner should not only respond to your technical requirements; they must also match your budget, development methodology, and working process. It’s even a huge plus if you find a common in company culture and business mindset with their team.
Most companies (and maybe you) are concerned about the partner’s compatibility. Here are some tips to help you at this stage.
- Prepare all the necessary questions: A valuable custom software development company takes time to be found. Don’t hesitate to be meticulous and curious.
- By interviewing their team, you will see more transparency about their services and have a clear view of how you two will work together.
- Consider their partnership and payment models, making sure it can seamlessly work in correlation with your team’s working style, too.
Third tip: Choose the most cost-effective yet quality solution for your business
Value over price. Yes, price can be a crucial factor regarding your choice, but it should not be the decision. Value is the one that concludes since you usually get what you pay for.
However, high price doesn’t equal high-quality delivery. There are cases where notable software development companies fail to meet their client’s needs, resulting in unfunctioning applications, overbudget projects, and even lawsuits.
When outsourcing software development, prices can vary between regions due to the differences in living standards and currency rates. Just because a Western country offers a $50/hr service doesn’t mean they are better than an Asian peer with half the price. And, of course, it also goes the other way around. To sum up, price doesn’t indicate the quality of a custom service. The key is to balance between price and quality.
But if you want to work with a certain vendor and yet their price is higher than what you expected, we have some tips to help you reduce the project cost! Sometimes, you have to sacrifice some requirements and features to cut costs and work with your desired vendor.
Here’s what to do to find a suitable partner:
- Research carefully
- Check testimonials
- Examine custom software development company’s expertise
- Look into your partner’s case studies
- Assess the vendor’s company culture
- Set up clear and smooth communication
- Interview both the developers and sales team
For more details on what to do, what question to ask, what criteria to evaluate, and most important of all, is there any hidden information to pay attention to, we have this A to Z guide on choosing a suitable partner (with tips too)
Curated list of top custom software development companies in each region/country
1. The Software House – Based in Poland, Europe
The Software House (TSH) is known for their agile development approach and the focus on staff augmentation services.
The company’s vision is to help deliver the best development practices and skills to companies that need speedy value delivery. They have worked with over 160 companies and are recommended by 81% of SMEs, startups, and scale-up clients. This has made their work gain recognition, ranked as the top custom software development company of 2020 in Poland by Clutch.
“Highly personalized approach,” “lots of interesting suggestions,” and “drive for innovation” are what the customers said about TSH, and this initiative is also proven in their diverse offers as well.
- Established year: 2012
- Offices: Poland, Netherlands
- Services:
- Custom Software Development (50%)
- Web Development (35%)
- Cloud Consulting & SI (15%)
- Others: DevOps, Software Architecture, AWS Cloud Engineering, Quality Assurance, Data Engineering, and App Modernization.
- Main Tech stack: Node, React, Go, Vue, TypeScript, Next.js, Symfony, Laravel, Java, and AWS
- Language: English, Polish
- Focused industries: Financial Services, Information Technology, Startups
- Key clients: eSky.com, Prisma, Smartum, Synerise.
2. Fingent – Based in New York, USA
Fingent is a prominent software development company with over 20 years of experience. The company employs over 500 tech specialists, showcasing its broad expertise in various technologies and frameworks.
Dileep Jacob, Fingent’s Senior VP of Technology, emphasizes the company’s eagerness to deliver the most purposeful solution through deep and detailed business analysis. This would address the pain points and rapidly accelerate business growth while providing unique and quality software.
Fingent has received several accolades with over 800 projects. They were named among the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for 2022 and the Top Software Development Company by Clutch in 2021. These recognitions highlight their professionalism, resilience, and customer-centric approach.
- Established year: 2003
- Offices: 14 countries – notably USA, India, Australia
- Service:
- Custom Software Development (70%)
- Mobile App Development (10%)
- AI Development (10%)
- AR/VR Development (5%)
- Web Development (5%)
- Main Tech stack: HTML5, jQuery, Java, Kotlin, Python, Microsoft, SAP, Odoo, etc
- Language: English
- Focused industries: Medical, Education, Real estate, Energy & Natural Resources, hospitality & leisure
- Key clients: SnapNurse, Hackadole, Datalogics.
3. Capital Numbers – Based in India, Asia
Being a distinguished Software Solutions Company, Capital Numbers serves a diverse clientele globally, including Fortune 500 corporations, SMEs, agencies, and startups. The company builds a team of over 750 skilled professionals best recognized for their quality, as proven by ISO 9001 and 27001 certifications and awards.
Aiming to reinforce trust, Capital Numbers utilizes a flexible pricing model and places humility, care, and frank communication as their top values. The company’s culture evolves around business insights and technology depth, nurturing their core team into an all-around expert.
- Established year: 2012
- Service:
- Custom Software Development (30%)
- Web Development (30%)
- AI Development (15%)
- Mobile App Development (15%)
- IT Staff Augmentation (10%)
- Others: Data Engineering, DevOps
- Main Tech stack: React, Angular, .NET, Python, Node, PHP, Java
- Language: English
- Focused industries: Medical, Education, Real estate, Energy & Natural Resources, hospitality & leisure
- Key clients: Reuters, Tipalti, Proposify, ST Engineering, Colart
4. BrainHub – Based in Poland, Europe
Trusted by more than 80 US & European startups, scale-ups & enterprises, BrainHub is a Poland-based custom software development company with A-list engineers and sole focus on product vision. The agency has created unbreakable DevOps principles, or delivery manifesto, to deliver project success.
What sets Brainhub apart from other development vendors is the rapid project kick-off time. All the stages, from initial discussion, analysist, proposal to client onboarding, happen in only 10 days. You can trust Brainhub’s reliability, as it’s rated 4.9 stars on Clutch, and 85.4% of clients are willing to refer the agency to other customers. Since its establishment, more than 120 projects of different categories have been successfully delivered, from Fintech to travel web apps.
- Established year: 2015
- Service:
- Custom Software Development (40%)
- Web Development (40%)
- AI Development (10%)
- Mobile App Development (10%)
- Others: UX/UI Design, Cloud engineering, DevOps.
- Main Tech stack: TypeScript, .NET, JavaScript, React, Electron, AWS.
- Language: English, Polish
- Focused industries: Financial services, Medical, Information technology, Education, Regtech
- Key clients: National Graphic, TC Global, Collegial, Beam.
5. Binary Studio – Based in UK
If you are a Small and medium-sized business, you might want to check out Binary Studio. It’s a boutique software development agency that builds strategic long-term partnerships, with an average project duration of 3 years, and serves clients in 15 countries across 100 delivered projects.
Many of Binary’s expert engineers are meticulously screened, trained, and certified as Microsoft Certified Professionals. The agency is reportedly referred to as “exceptional quality engineers.” Full transparency and timely communication are coherent throughout every project.
- Established year: 2005
- Service:
- Custom Software Development (30%)
- Mobile App Development (30%)
- AI Development (20%)
- Application Testing (20%)
- Main Tech stack: NodeJS, .NET, React, Flutter, PHP, Java, Microsoft.
- Language: English
- Focused industries: Greentech, Heathcare, Protech, Energy & Natural Resources
- Key clients: SnapNurse, Hackadole, Datalogics.
6. RootQuotient – Based in Canada
Root Quotient is a startup & SMEs-friendly custom development company committed to transparency and high standards. Quotient’s team comprises responsive and dedicated experts to ensure that every product is developed and nurtured into meaningful digital products.
When working with RootQuotient, clients receive close communication and an all-in approach from sketching to post-launch support. The company is characterized by a culture of creativity, inclusivity, and continuous learning, aiming to foster a thriving environment in the tech industry.
So far, RootQuotient has been awarded as the Top B2B Company in Canada in 2020 by Clutch and Top Custom Software Development Company in 2019 by GoodFirms. The custom software development firm is highly praised for its commitment, reasonable pricing, speed of development, and good communication with clients.
- Established year: 2018
- Offices: India, UK, Canada
- Services:
- Custom Software Development (65%)
- Mobile App Development (35%)
- Others: Product Development, Staff Augmentation, Data Analytics, Digital Strategy Consultation.
- Main Tech stack: JavaScript, Vue, PHP, Angular, Flutter, Swift, .NET, Ruby, Microsoft, AWS, etc
- Language: English
- Focused industries: Education, financial sevices, retail, medical
- Key clients: Simens Gamesa, Verizon, Nokia, Fidelity.
7. Rocketech – Based in Ukraine, Europe
If you are a startup and in need of reliable tech assistance, Rocketech is the choice. Claimed as a progressive custom software development company, Rocketech has more than 5 years working with product owners and founders to grow products from scratch.
Customers of Rocketech can have their project kicked off as soon as possible, pricing being cohesively reported, and results being transparently forecasted. The team of Rocketech can connect with strong networking, work like a real in-house team, and deliver features per sprint to accelerate the market time.
They excel in creating MVPs for startups and developing complex, enterprise-level platforms using over 100 frameworks. The company has been honored with several awards, including Top Ukraine Custom Software Development Companies, showcasing its reputation in the industry.
- Established year: 2015
- Offices: Ukraine, Singapore
- Service:
- Custom Software Development (40%)
- Mobile App Development (30%)
- IT Staff Augmentation (10%)
- UX/UI Design (10%)
- Web Development (10%)
- Main Tech Stack: Java, JavaScript, Go, PHP, Swift, Python, Koa, Angular, etc
- Language: English, Russian, Ukrainian
- Focused industries: Finance, Business services, Education, Information technology, Advertising & Marketing
- Key clients: Walmart, McKinsey, Vodafone, Unilever.
8. TatvaSoft – Based in India, Asia
TatvaSoft is a prominent software development company with a global presence, having offices in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India. The company has been innovating and providing professional software solutions for almost two decades across global tech markets.
Being a CMMI level 3 certified company, the tech agency utilizes the latest technologies and methodologies to deliver cost-effective digital solutions. They apply design thinking, practical creativity, a user-oriented approach, and agile-based decision-making to design bespoke software solutions for customer’s needs in a secure manner.
Whether you are a startup or a top-500 company, TatvaSoft has all the services you need. With their diverse experience, TatvaSoft claims to reduce 30% of your business costs while still having the flexibility and connections to IT experts.
- Established year: 2001
- Offices: US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India
- Service:
- Custom Software Development (60%)
- Mobile App Development (20%)
- Web Development (20%)
- Others: Software Testing, Cloud & DevOps
- Main Tech stack: .NET, Java, NodeJS, PHP, Ruby, Angular, Vue
- Language: English
- Focused industries: Information Technology, Hospitality, Financial Services, Education, Retail, Energy & Natural Resources.
- Key clients:NSW Health, De Beers, General Mills, KFC.
9. Appello – Based in Australia
If you are an SME or startup in Australia looking for an agency that offers competitive mobile & web software development, Appello is an appealing choice. So far, they have accumulated nearly 150 projects and a perfect 100% customer rate.
Recognizable directories like Clutch and GoodFirms highly rate Appello as Top App Companies in Sydney and Australia.
Working with Appello means you receive completely tailored software, on-time project delivery, support from project managers and marketing experts, as well as testing and quality assurance. You can outsource Appello’s team at the beginning or any project stage. Whether you need to do pre-project research, develop the front-end, or promote post-launch, Appello is fully capable of doing them.
- Established year: 2015
- Service:
- Mobile App Development (55%)
- Custom Software Development (35%)
- Web Development (10%)
- Others: UX/UI Design, MVP Development
- Main Tech Stack: JavaScript, Swift, PHP, C++, Angular, Python
- Language: English
- Focused industries: Logistics, Real Estate, Marketplace, Government, Hospitality
- Key clients: EY, WeWork, BlackRock, TravelHub
10. Sivoxi – Based in South Africa
Sivoxi describes themselves as an all-inclusive custom software development company. Their working principle is to combine logic and creativity, providing talents and expertise in a client-centric approach for all-rounded solutions.
The company employs various technologies, allowing their experts to assist clients at different stages: consulting, design, development, deployment, and maintenance. Customers can have their most imaginative ideas turned into real-life applications, capable of measuring and improving with the help of Sivoxi.
- Established year: 2016
- Service:
- Custom Softwar Development (50%)
- AI Development (15%)
- BI & Big Data Consulting & SI (15%)
- Mobile App Development (10%)
- UX/UI Design (10%)
- Others: IoT development, Consultation & Modernization.
- Main Tech Stack: PHP, Swift, Microsoft, .NET, Python
- Language: English, Italian
- Focused industries: Business services, consumer products & services, education, eCommerce
- Key clients: Deloitte, iStore South Africa, Discovery
Price comparison between the top companies
I know, it’s a lot of information. Even I can’t remember them all
So, to help you evaluate quicker, here’s a short description of their prices. From there, you can classify one that best matches your budget and circle back to read what they can do for you.
Keep in mind that all of them are exceptional vendors, and prices can greatly vary depending on your project scope and requirements. These numbers are just for reference. We suggest contacting the vendor for exact cost estimation or reading our guide to do it yourself! (What are the factors and hidden costs, too)
| Company | Number of employees | Average hourly rate | Common project size | Clutch rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingent | 500+ | $25 – $49/hour | $25,000 – $200,000 | 4.9 |
| The Software House | 200+ | $50 – $99/hour | $50,000 – $199,999 | 4.8 |
| Brain Hub | 80+ | $50 – $99/hour | $50,000 – $199,999 | 4.9 |
| Capital Number | 750+ | < $25/hour | <$10,000 | 4.8 |
| RootQuotient | 100+ | $50 – $99/hour | $10,000 – $49,000 | 4.9 |
| Rocketech | 100+ | $25 – $49/hour | $10,000 – $49,000 | 4.9 |
| Binary Studio | 140+ | $50 – $99/hour | $10,000 – $49,000 | 4.9 |
| TatvaSoft | 1100+ | < $25/hour | $10,000 – $49,000 | 4.9 |
| Appello | 80+ | $100 – $149/hour | $10,000 – $49,000 | 4.9 |
| Sivoxi | 10+ | $25 – $49/hour | $10,000 – $49,000 | 5.0 |
Having budget constraint? Synodus is a great balance between cost & high-quality!
Synodus is a growing custom software developer located in Vietnam, as recognized by Clutch!
Aiming to become your strategic partner, we are not just execution-only developers but your sidekick, cooking up and adding spice into your digital landscape, made specially for your appetite.
Our focus relies on 3 angles:
- Being cost-effective (with <$25/hour) with flexible payment model that suitable with budget-limited client such as startups & SME. We also optimize your financial resources with agile development, speed up process and avoid lengthy one that kills your budget.
- Consult and deliver the best-suited solution using an extensive tech stack and emerging tech of blockchain, machine learning, AI, low code & IoT.
- How we can instill your trust through transparency communication, no fog of tech process and business-centric approach.
What can we do for you? Well. The sky is unlimited, and our team of 250+ mavericks can boost you reach much further with:
- Custom software, mobile app & web development
- IoT, Core System, Cloud & on-premises development
- Blockchain Development
- MVP to Full-fledge product design & development
- Data Analytics services
- Low Code Development
- Technical Assistance & Business Consultation
Successfully delivered more than 100 projects in the last 4 years with an 88% satisfaction rate, we proudly work with clients across industries and of all sizes, act as a supercharge for your business accelerator.
Wrapping up
The final choise of employing a custom software development company should be meticulously calculated. Most importantly, that agency should be the one that understands your goals and has the required expertise to deliver quality yet cost-effective solutions. Synodus hopes that our guides and recommended list of curated custom software development companies help your decision-making easier and clearer. Should you have any further questions regarding this topic, we’re just one chat away!
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