If you are a US founder hiring a team to build your product, the cheapest quote is rarely the decision that matters most. What matters is whether you get a defined first version, code you actually own, and a way of working that survives a 9- to 13-hour time difference.
This is a practical checklist for choosing a web development software agency, written from how we work at AI Dev Planner — and honest about where we are not the right fit.
1. Start with scope, not hours
Ask for a written scope and a fixed price for that first version, with changes priced before the work starts, not discovered in the invoice.
That is how we work: a discovery phase maps your workflows, data model, and integrations, then fixed 2-week sprint costs are set against the agreed scope. You can see how we work, and you can get an indicative range first with the MVP cost calculator.
If an agency will only quote in open-ended hours, ask what the first shippable version includes, what it excludes, and what happens when the scope changes.
2. Check the price bands — and the currency
Published bands are more useful than a vague "it depends," as long as you know what currency they are in.
Our published SaaS MVP band is $25,000–$65,000 over 8–12 weeks. Our other published planning ranges are in GBP — for example, a robust MVP at £25,000–£45,000 (about $33,000–$60,000 at £1 = $1.3335, ECB, 16 October 2026) — so for a US project, agree the invoicing currency, payment schedule, and who bears transfer and conversion fees in the contract. See the full pricing bands, which are indicative ranges only, not a quote. Your fixed figure comes from a written scope agreed on a free 30-minute scoping call.
For context only, our US guide summarises Clutch listings and agency pricing pages from October 2026 as roughly $100–$199/hr for a typical US boutique and $25–$99/hr for a typical hybrid/offshore firm. Those bands change over time, so check the live listings before relying on them — and note that we do not publish an hourly rate. We price a defined version instead.
3. Ask who owns the code — in writing
This is the clause US founders most often get wrong.
A "work made for hire" clause alone does not usually give you ownership of software written by a contractor who is not your employee. US contracts with contractors normally include a signed written assignment of copyright as well. Ask for the exact wording and have a US attorney review it.
Our position is simple: bespoke source code, database designs, and associated assets are assigned to the client once the contractual milestones under the statement of work are met, with no recurring licence fees. We also recommend the repository lives in your GitHub or GitLab organisation from day one, with hosting in a US region of a cloud account you control. Our US guide for offshore software development sets out the IP, privacy, and tax questions in full, including Form W-8BEN-E for a foreign supplier.
4. Test how the time difference will actually work
AI Dev Planner is based in Islamabad, Pakistan. We do not have a US office, and we do not claim full US business-hours coverage.
That does not mean a US project cannot work — it means it has to run on writing. With US clients, we agree a short live slot at kick-off (often early in the US morning, which is evening in Islamabad), and everything else moves through a dedicated Slack channel, written decisions, and a recorded video walkthrough of working software every two weeks. Work handed over at the end of the US day can be reviewed before the next US morning, but only if the handover is written well.
Be wary of any remote agency that promises seamless all-day US overlap without explaining who shifts, and when.
5. Ask what you get at handover, not just at launch
A good web development software agency should leave you able to continue without them.
For us, that means: custom web applications — dashboards, APIs, portals, and customer-facing platforms — built on a type-safe Next.js, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL stack, for your workflows rather than adapted from a template. Before handover you receive setup and deployment documentation, environment configuration, and a walkthrough, so your own developers or another team can take over. A 60–90 day warranty after launch covers defects in what we delivered; ongoing support is scoped separately.
See what that looks like in practice on our web development services page, and our MVP development and SaaS development pages if your first version is a product, not just a website.
6. Use the same questions for every agency you shortlist
Do not let a polished sales call replace evidence. Ask every team:
- What is the exact first version, and what is fixed-priced?
- Who owns the bespoke code, and is there a signed assignment?
- Where does the code live, and who controls hosting and accounts?
- How are decisions recorded across time zones?
- What do we see every two weeks, and what is covered by warranty?
- What do you not claim — SOC 2, HIPAA, US presence, or otherwise?
Our questions to ask a web development agency checklist works for any team you shortlist, not just us.
On that last point, to be plain: we do not claim a US office or US entity, a SOC 2 report, or HIPAA compliance. If your procurement requires a SOC 2 report from every vendor, or only US-based personnel can access your systems or data, or you need people on site in the US, we are probably not the right partner — and we would rather tell you that before scoping than after.
Who this fits
This model fits US startups that want a fixed scope, founder-led delivery, and visible progress every two weeks, and are comfortable working async-first with one agreed live slot.
If that sounds like you, send a short brief. We reply within 24 hours, then a free 30-minute scoping call leads to a milestone blueprint: a written scope with a fixed quote, agreed before the build starts.
Top comments (0)