The Best Software Development Companies in Poland

7 Steps for Choosing the Best Software Development Company in Poland

1. What Are Their Ratings and Reviews Like? Do They Have Social Proof?

The first step in choosing an outsourcing partner is checking out their reputation. You can do this by looking at their ratings and reviews, and additionally looking for any kind of social proof. In this specific case, we’ve done this part for you, as each software development company from Poland on the list has an excellent reputation.

However, if you’d like to do a bit more digging, here’s what you can do. Go to their website and look for comments from clients – most companies place them on the homepage. Do the same with their social media. Once you find comments and reviews, check if the clients truly exist. Companies aren’t above making false profiles to boost their image.

That being said, even real comments and reviews aren’t the end-all-be-all. Companies will curate their website and social media profiles, so you can expect to see mostly positive opinions. That is why you need to go to independent review platforms.

Google is your friend here. There is a plethora of review platforms you can choose from. If the reviews from those platforms align with what you saw on their website and social media, then you have a rough estimate of how well they do their work. If there is a large discrepancy, then independent review platforms are the more trustworthy source.

2. Ask for Their Portfolio

Reputation is one thing, but it can only give you a general sense of what a company is like. Demonstrable experience is more important. Thus, ask the software development company to send you a portfolio of projects they’ve worked on.

Most companies will have one on hand as that’s common practice in the tech industry. If they don’t, you can always ask them to create one. Diving deep into a company’s portfolio is the best way to get in-depth knowledge of their previous clients and projects they’ve worked on. In this manner, you can tell if they have the skills necessary for your project.

But, there can be an issue here – some outsourcing companies sign NDAs, which means they aren’t legally allowed to disclose that information. In that case, you can ask for summaries of projects they’ve worked on or hold an in-person meeting with a company representative to get as much information as they can give.

3. What Are Their Areas of Expertise?

Once you know a bit about the company’s experience, it’s easier to tell what tech areas they specialize in. At end of the day, if you can hire a developer that specializes in what you need, that’s always the best option.

A cloud architect won’t necessarily know how to create a functional mobile app and vice-versa. A mobile app developer won’t necessarily know enough about UX/UI design to create a user-friendly app. A UX/UI designer won’t… you get the point. Software development is a vast field with a lot of subcategories.

In short, think about the needs of your project and what specialists can accomplish it – if the outsourcing company doesn’t have the expertise required, it’s time to look for another one.

4. Onshore, Nearshore, Offshore?

Then, you need to consider the spatial factor – where is the company located? There are three types of outsourcing companies:

• Onshore – when the company is located in the same country as you are.
• Nearshore – when the company is in a country with the same or similar time zone to yours (for the US, Latin America qualifies as a nearshore destination).
• Offshore – when the company is in a country with a significantly different time zone.

If you are from the US and wish to outsource development to Poland, that is offshore outsourcing. Poland's time zone is GMT+1, which means that they are 6 hours ahead of EST and 9 hours ahead of PST. Why is this important?

Because outsourced software development projects require coordination between the client and the outsourcing company. This is even more important if you are leasing a developer to work on an internal project, where they need to coordinate with your in-house team.

Now, the time zone difference is not a hurdle you can’t overcome if you find a company you like. However, you need to make a plan before the project start – will they change their working hours so that there is overlap? Will you? Or will you meet somewhere in the middle?

This might seem like a small issue in theory, but a lot of development projects have been unnecessarily delayed because there wasn’t a plan in place. So, clearly communicate how the project should look in day-to-day practice.

5. How Will They Facilitate Communication?

While we are on the topic of communication, how will it take place? As we’ve mentioned, communication is a key factor in all outsourcing projects. Software development is done in iterations and is founded on regular testing and making changes based on a client’s input.

That doesn’t mean you need to take on the role of a Scrum manager and check in every day. It does mean, however, that you need to have a general sense of what’s happening. A common solution is to have access to the project management/collaboration tool they use to set and track tasks.

In this way, you can have real-time updates on how the project is progressing and whether deadlines are being followed, and you don’t need to wait until they tell you. If you have this type of access and get assigned an account manager that you can communicate with directly, it should set a good foundation for effective communication.

6. What Software Do They Use?

As the tech industry is constantly evolving, you might think every software development company from Poland is following the latest trends. Well, that’s simply not true. Like with every industry, companies can get complacent and stop making an effort to be at the top.

And this can be particularly problematic if you are partnering with a software development company. The best companies will be on top of the latest technologies that are being used in the field. That doesn’t mean that they need to be innovators, but they should implement innovations in a reasonable time frame.

Yet, the problem is, how can you check this? Naturally, by asking them, but that necessitates having the prerequisite tech knowledge yourself. If you don’t, you can ask an in-house developer (or even a friend) for their opinion. You can also spend a few days researching the latest tools yourself. Do whatever you can to find out how progressive the company is.

7. Ask About Their Prices and Payment Models

Finally, we get to the cost of your project. It’s up to you to negotiate and find a company with an acceptable rate, there’s not much advice we can give here. We can say that software development companies typically have two payment models:

1. a fixed rate – you pay a fixed, specific amount for the entire project;
2. time-and-resources rate - you pay hourly rates while the project is ongoing based on the time the developers spend on it and any additional resources they may need to invest.

Neither option is better, per se. It all depends on the specific situation. However, if you are paying a fixed rate, make sure that post-development support is included, don’t take it for granted that it is.

Can’t Find a Polish Software Development Company You Like?

If no software development company from Poland can meet your needs, there’s no reason to give up. We have similar lists of the best software development companies from other popular outsourcing destinations below. So take a look until you find a company you wish to partner with.