The Best Software Development Companies in Bulgaria

1. Set Out Your Objectives and Project Time Frame

Before you set out to find the best software development company in Bulgaria, you need to define your project’s objectives and set a time frame. You should know what kind of software you want, what it should accomplish, and by when it needs to be done.

The more details you have, the less time that needs to be spent on planning at the later stages (where you will need to pay the company you hire to help you with the planning). Now, you don’t need to come up with everything yourself, but if you can have a mockup ready, that will significantly expedite the process.

Even if you can’t make a mockup, you still need to have a clear idea of the functionalities in mind. Besides saving time, this will help you assess what technical skills are required to create the software you need.

Similarly, you should also have a general timeframe in mind. At the very least, think of when you would like the MVP to be ready and when you’d like to have the finished product in hand. From there, you and the company you are hiring can negotiate on the feasibility of your deadlines. Once you know your objectives and deadlines, it’s on to the next step.

2. Start Searching and Shortlisting by Reputation

At this point, it’s time to start looking for a software development company that will meet your needs. If you are looking for software development companies in Bulgaria, you can skip this step, as we’ve already done it for you. However, if you want to take the long route, you can do a little research yourself.

Start off by looking at reviews and ratings on independent review platforms until you find at least 10 companies that seem good. From there, start manually inspecting each company by going through their websites and social media. See what their clients and customers have to say about them.

Compare what you find with what you saw on independent review platforms. Software companies aren’t above deleting negative reviews where they can. If there is a very large discrepancy between a company’s social media and the ratings they have on independent platforms, something is amiss.

In that case, your best bet is to take the company off of your list. Continue going through each company and include new ones if you are unsatisfied with what you’ve found. Again, you should shortlist at least 10 companies so that at least some can pass the other test.

3. Delve Into the Companies’ Case Studies and Portfolios

Once you have shortlisted the companies, it’s time to dig deep. You can expect this part to take quite some time. Check out each company's portfolio and case studies. These documents will tell you three things:

1. How much experience the company has;
2. Whether it has completed projects of a similar technical nature to yours;
3. What scale of projects it has successfully completed.

If a company has a decent amount of experience, has completed projects that are comparable in scope to yours, and has worked on projects that require similar expertise, then that company goes to the top of your list.

If a company claims to have experience but can’t demonstrate it, that’s not necessarily a red flag. Many software development companies from Bulgaria sign non-disclosure agreements before they take on outsourcing projects.

Consequently, they truly may not be able to give specifics. However, a company representative should at least be able to provide broad outlines of previous projects and show knowledge of your industry until you are satisfied.

4. Gauge Their Tech Expertise

The next step is assessing what the company specializes in, to the best of your abilities. The largest software development companies from Bulgaria may have several departments that specialize in different tech areas. Smaller companies may only have experience in one or two fields of software development.

Depending on the needs of your projects, you may be forced to hire a very niche company. For example, not a lot of software companies deal with blockchain technologies, so if that is what your project requires, you shouldn’t hire ‘regular’ developers.

Ask pointed technical questions. Request help from other professionals if you don’t believe your knowledge is up to par. Examine the employees of a company you are interested in hiring – LinkedIn is a good place to start, as that is where people tend to promote their expertise.

Do what you can until you are satisfied that a company has staff with the technical capabilities your project necessitates. In case your project is very unique, you may need to discard many companies. But that’s fine, there are many companies you can outsource development to, so all it takes is a bit more time and effort until you find one that suits you.

5. Assess Their Project Management Capabilities

Successfully finishing software development projects is not just about technical expertise. When you are outsourcing development, you also need to know the project management style of the company you hire. Just putting 10 of the best software developers in the world in a room together doesn’t make them a project team.

Oh, they’ll figure something out eventually, but they’ll probably push deadlines indefinitely and the end product may not be what you wanted. In other words, software development requires structure and a specific operational framework.

In the last few decades, Agile frameworks have been the most popular. And for good reasons – Agile frameworks allow for flexibility, changes to software according to client input, and testing at every stage so that the end product is as good as it can be. Consequently, ask the company about its development methodology and processes.

Do they utilize Scrum, XP, Lean, a combination of each, or some other Agile method? How would the team composition look? How would you communicate? Will you have access to their planning and task-tracking software? Get answers to these questions before you decide to hire a company.

6. What Are Their Security Practices?

When you are outsourcing development to a Bulgarian software development company, you are essentially partnering with them. This means that you will be sharing a lot of sensitive information. Thus, you should be satisfied with the security practices of the company you hire so that there are no unfortunate data breaches or leaks.

If we are talking specifically about Bulgaria, security shouldn’t be that much of an issue. As part of the EU, Bulgarian companies need to comply with EU law, including laws on data protection. The General Data Protection Regulation from 2018 sets strict standards for data protection practices, so you can be reasonably sure that your information is safe.

7. What Is Their Software Maintenance Policy?

Finally, consider whether you will need software maintenance after the project is completed. Generally, the best option is for the same company that created the software to continue maintaining it. On the other hand, that could increase the cost of your project.

So ask about a company’s post-development support and maintenance policy and whether it is included in the cost. Because some amount of maintenance is always needed, your other option is to hire more developers – be they in-house or outsourced. Just remember that you should have a maintenance plan in place and a budget for it.

Can’t Find a Bulgarian Software Company You Like?

If you can’t, your search doesn’t have to stop here. There are many other popular outsourcing destinations with a strong IT industry you can look into. In fact, we have created similar lists of the 15 best software development companies in other countries that you can find below. So continue reading until you find a company that’s the perfect fit for your project.