The real problem with comparing quotes
You've asked three studios for a quote. One comes back with €5,000, another with €25,000, and the third lands at €15,000. All three say they do the same thing. What do you do?
Some people go with the cheapest and hope for the best. Some rule out the most expensive without reading it. And some pick the middle one, thinking it's the safe choice. But none of these decisions have anything to do with the project itself — they're shortcuts to avoid a harder question.
Why do they cost what they cost? What's actually inside each proposal? Who's really going to be working on your project?
Price is a consequence. What you need to evaluate is what's behind it. This article helps you do that.
What the price doesn't tell you
A quote reflects a lot of things that aren't visible on the surface: the experience level of the team, how deeply they understood your project, whether they've built in contingency for the unexpected, or whether they've trimmed everything down just to win the job.
A low quote isn't necessarily a bargain. It might mean they haven't thought it through, or that they'll charge you for every change later. A high quote isn't automatically better either — it could just mean higher overhead and a fancier office.
Price is a data point, not a verdict. Before you use it to make a decision, you need to understand what's behind it.
Questions you should ask before signing anything
These aren't trick questions. They're the kind of thing any serious studio should be able to answer clearly. If they can't, that tells you something important.
Who exactly will be working on my project? You want to know if it's the senior team you met in the pitch, or whether your project gets handed off to a junior or a subcontractor once the contract is signed. It happens more than you'd think.
How do you handle scope changes during the project? Every project changes. What matters is whether they have a clear process for managing that — or whether they're improvising and charging you extra for it each time.
What happens when the project ends? Who maintains it? A lot of studios disappear after launch. Understanding the long-term support model before you start saves a lot of pain later.
Can you show me a similar project you've done? Not the logo on their portfolio page — the actual process, the challenges, the outcome. If they can't walk you through it, the portfolio might be more curated than it appears.
How will you keep me informed during development? Some studios go quiet after the first payment. You want to know how often you'll hear from them, what form that takes, and who your point of contact is throughout.
Red flags most people ignore
None of these are fatal on their own, but any combination of them should make you pause.
A quote delivered in under 24 hours without any questions asked. A serious proposal for a complex project takes time. If they've quoted you before understanding what you actually need, they haven't really quoted you at all.
A proposal so generic it could belong to anyone. If you removed your name from the document and it would work just as well for a bakery or a law firm, it wasn't written for you.
Vague answers about technology. If they can't tell you what they're going to build with and why, either they haven't decided yet or they don't want you to know. Neither is a good sign.
No clear point of contact. If you can't get a straight answer on who you'll be talking to throughout the project, communication is going to be a problem from day one.
AI appears in the proposal but not in the conversation. Today almost every studio works with artificial intelligence tools, and that's not a bad thing in itself. What matters is whether they can explain how they integrate it into their process and what role the human team still plays. If the answer is vague or sounds like marketing, that's a red flag.
How we work at Liquid
Before we send a quote, we need to understand your project. If something isn't clear, we ask. We don't turn around proposals in 24 hours because we don't think that serves anyone well. And if we think something in your brief doesn't make sense, we'll say so.
That's not a sales pitch — it's just how we think good work gets done.
If you're comparing options and want an honest take on what your project actually needs, let's talk. We offer a range of services to support you at every stage, whatever your starting point.
