How to Choose an MVP Development Agency: 12 Questions to Ask
To choose an MVP development agency, ask every agency on your shortlist the same twelve questions, in writing, and compare the answers rather than the prices. The questions that separate good agencies from the rest are what they would cut from your version one, who actually writes the code, what the quote leaves out, and who owns everything at the end. Below are the twelve, with Easify's own answer to each so you can see what a direct answer looks like, and the red flags that should end a conversation.
At a glance
| What to compare | Answers to the same questions, not headline prices |
| Most revealing question | What would you leave out of version one? |
| Must be in writing | Scope, exclusions, price model, ownership |
| Biggest red flag | A price before they understand what you are testing |
| Easify, for reference | €5,000 to €25,000, 4 to 12 weeks, €25 to €45 an hour |
| Easify, location | Budapest, CET, English or Hungarian; engineering team in India |
The 12 questions, and Easify's answers
1. What question will this MVP answer?
A good agency asks this before it talks about features or technology. If it cannot restate what you are trying to learn, it is quoting a product, not an experiment.
Our answer: this is where every MVP with us starts. We agree what you want to find out and what result would change your plans, and that decides the scope.
2. What would you leave out of version one?
The most revealing question on the list. An agency paid by the hour has no obvious reason to argue for less work, so the ones that do are telling you something.
Our answer: we will argue for cutting admin panels, settings pages, tiered permissions and onboarding flows, and explain why. The decision stays yours, and we write the exclusions down.
3. Who will actually write the code, and where are they?
Many agencies subcontract or split teams across countries. That is not a problem in itself; not knowing is.
Our answer: the people you talk to are in Budapest, and the engineering team is in India. We say so up front because you should know it before you sign, not discover it later.
4. Who do I talk to, in what language and time zone?
You need one named person who knows the project, replies quickly, and is awake during your working day.
Our answer: your contacts work on CET, in English or Hungarian, and we work remotely across Europe. If you need someone in your meeting room every week, hire locally.
5. How is it priced, and what is the range?
Ask for the pricing model, the rate, and a range for something like your project, before any detailed scoping.
Our answer: €25 to €45 an hour, with a €1,000 minimum project. MVPs typically land between €5,000 and €25,000. The scoping stage is fixed price, and the build is quoted against the written scope. Our pricing page shows every band, and the MVP cost guide explains what moves the number.
6. What is not included in the price?
Every quote excludes something. The good ones say what.
Our answer: hosting and third-party service costs, marketing and paid acquisition, features that do not change the answer to the question, and a second direction once the first is built, which is a new scope.
7. How often will I see working software?
Monthly status reports are not the same as something you can click.
Our answer: something usable at the end of each stage, so you react to software rather than a plan. Clients can follow progress in a shared project management tool; a client at Spacecrop named that visibility in her review.
8. Who owns the code, the accounts and the designs, and when?
Ask specifically about the code repository, the hosting account, the domain, the payment provider and the design files. They should be in your name or transferred to you.
Our answer: the code, accounts, design files and documentation are yours on final payment. Clients have taken MVPs in house after launch, and that is a good outcome.
9. How do you handle security and data?
An MVP still holds real users' data and, often, real money. Ask where authorisation is checked, how database changes are managed, and where secrets are kept.
Our answer: authorisation is checked on the server, database changes go through version-controlled migrations, and the deploy is a real pipeline. These are the same foundations we use on any project.
10. What happens if the MVP works?
The quiet failure of many MVPs is success: the product finds users and then has to be rebuilt because it was built as a demo.
Our answer: we build so it can be kept. It costs a little more in the first weeks and it is the difference between growing the product and starting again.
11. Can I see work like mine, and talk to the client?
Ask for case studies close to your product type, and what the agency actually did on each.
Our answer: our published case studies include Nonstop Nanny, a babysitter booking platform in Budapest we took from concept to MVP with secure online payment, and Easify AI, an AI database-querying product we took from idea to a working MVP. Ask us which is closest to your idea and what we would do differently now.
12. What happens after launch?
Who fixes bugs, who updates dependencies, and what does it cost? Is there a handover if you want to move on?
Our answer: you can take it in house with documentation good enough for another team, or keep working with us, agreed separately. Whichever you choose, it should be a decision rather than a dependency.
Red flags
Any one of these is a reason to slow down. Two or more, walk away.
- A fixed price in the first call, before anyone understands what you are testing.
- Yes to every feature. An agency that never pushes back is not thinking about your budget.
- No written exclusions. If nothing is out of scope, every disagreement later is about money.
- The code lives in their accounts, with ownership "after the project", undefined.
- Nothing to see until the end. Weeks of updates and no working software.
- Vague about who builds it. "Our team" with no detail on where or who.
- No mention of security, testing or deployment in the proposal.
- Pressure to sign quickly, with a discount that expires.
- Promises about outcomes, such as users, revenue or investment. Nobody building your MVP can promise those.
How to run the comparison
- Shortlist three to five agencies. More than that and you will compare on price alone.
- Send the same short brief to each: what you want to test, who it is for, any deadline, anything already built.
- Send the twelve questions in writing. Written answers are easier to compare and harder to blur.
- Put the answers in one table. Mark any question an agency did not answer.
- Ask for a scoping stage before the full build. A small, fixed-price first step shows you how an agency works before you commit the whole budget.
When an agency is not the right choice
- Your budget is under €1,000, or you need to test demand in days. Start with no-code, an AI app builder or a landing page. Our comparison of agencies, freelancers, no-code and co-founders goes through when each is right.
- The build is narrow and you can manage it yourself. A strong freelancer may be cheaper and perfectly good.
- You already have an AI-built prototype. You may need hardening, not a new build. Our Prototype Check costs €99 and is credited against the build if you hire us.
If you want to see how we run an MVP end to end, read the MVP development page.
Work with us
Want our answers to these questions for your MVP specifically?
We are a Budapest team that builds MVPs for founders across Europe, typically €5,000 to €25,000 over four to twelve weeks. Send us the questions you are asking every agency, plus a few lines on what you want to test, and we reply within one business day.
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