# How to choose a software partner: 10 questions before you sign

> The questions that separate a real technology partner from a vendor who delivers and disappears — code ownership, maintenance, deliverables, change costs.

_2026-08-29 · Kronn (https://kronn.gr)_

Choosing a software company is a decision that will follow you for years — software is never truly "delivered", it evolves. Yet most businesses make the call by looking at two things: the price and an impressive portfolio. The right questions are different.

![What to ask before signing: who writes the code, who maintains it, what ships, who owns the IP](/insights/img/pos-na-epilexete-synergati-logismikou-1-en.png)

## The 10 questions

**1. Who will actually write the code?** The people you meet, or subcontractors you'll never see? Subcontracting chains mean lost context and zero accountability.

**2. Who owns the code?** The right answer: you, upon final payment. If the code stays "theirs", you're locked in forever.

**3. Where is it hosted, and in whose accounts?** Domain, hosting and databases must live in accounts you own. Otherwise switching partners becomes hostage negotiation.

**4. What ships every month?** A serious partner shows working software at regular intervals — not progress reports. If the first demo lands in month six, worry.

**5. What happens after launch?** Ask for a concrete maintenance offer: response times, what's included, what costs extra. "We'll figure it out" translates to "you'll pay".

**6. How are changes billed?** Software always changes. If every small tweak is a new quote with a two-week wait, your tool will stagnate.

**7. Have they built anything of their own?** A company that runs its own products in production knows what software that must work every day means — because it wakes up with its problems.

**8. Do they speak your language?** If the first meeting is all technology and no questions about your operation, they'll build what they know — not what you need.

**9. What do they advise you NOT to build?** A good consultant subtracts. If they agree with every idea you have, you're buying hours, not judgement.

**10. How do they measure success?** Deliverables and deadlines are the minimum. Ask whether they'll tie part of the engagement to business metrics: time saved, orders, conversions.

![Vendor or partner: delivers and leaves versus stays and measures outcomes](/insights/img/pos-na-epilexete-synergati-logismikou-2-en.png)

## The real dilemma: vendor or partner

All ten questions collapse into one dilemma. A **vendor** takes a spec, delivers, invoices, leaves. A **partner** enters your operation, proposes, builds incrementally, stays to maintain, and measures the result in business language.

For a static website, a vendor is enough. For software that will run your business — [internal tools](/en/services/internal-tools), an [online store](/en/services/ecommerce), automations — you need the latter.

At Kronn we answer the ten questions before you ask them — they're on our [services page](/en/services) and in our contracts. If you'd rather ask them in person, [book an intro call](/en/contact).

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Page: https://kronn.gr/en/insights/pos-na-epilexete-synergati-logismikou