Your questions, answered

You can usually book a free call within 24 hours using our consultants’ Calendly links.

Damir
Strategic partnerships manager

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Ivor
Strategic partner

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You’re not required to prepare anything – you can simply bring your idea and goals.

But, to make the first call more productive and get the most value, it helps to share:

• A short technical brief or product description outlining key features or functionality
• Examples of similar apps or solutions in your space
• Any designs, wireframes, or product roadmap you may have
• Constraints or priorities such as budget, timeline, or critical technical considerations

The more context you give us, the quicker we can spot challenges, share actionable insights, and suggest the right next steps during our first meeting.

If your goal is team augmentation, it helps to come prepared with:

• Your current team structure and tech stack
• Key goals or challenges you want to address
• Any technical documentation or backlog you can share
• Constraints like budget, timeline, or compliance requirements
• Your preferred engagement model (team extension, BOT, or short-term support)

This gives us a clear picture of how we can plug in and add value right away.

You can request whoever makes the most sense for your project.

From our side, we can bring in a senior engineer, technical project manager, or product manager alongside your main DECODE contact.

This ensures that even in the earliest conversations, you’ll have the right people on the call to answer technical questions, talk through architecture, or discuss product strategy.

A few things set us apart from most agencies:

• We follow a strict 1 team, 1 project policy. Once a team is assigned to your project, it’s their only focus. This leads to higher quality work, true ownership, and a long-term partnership built on trust.
• We are extremely transparent with our clients. You’ll always see what we see. Daily standups, weekly check-ins, and sprint demos keep you fully in the loop.
• Our project managers have extensive tech experience. Every PM at DECODE has a background in development or computer science. They understand the technical details, can offer practical solutions, and make better decisions faster.
• We hire only the best. Only 1.5% of applicants make it through our process, and 42% of our engineers hold an M.S. in Computer Science. Many have worked on complex projects for companies like Microsoft and AT&T.
• We apply rigorous QA methods. Every team includes at least 1 QA engineer to ensure your software is stable, high-performing, and ready for real-world use.

But you don’t just have to take our word for it. See what our clients had to say here.

DECODE has been delivering enterprise-grade software since 2012. A few examples include:

• Security enhancement for a US telco leader: Conducted penetration testing on mobile hardware and OS to ensure enterprise-grade security.
• Carrier-grade unified communications app: Partnered for 8 years, growing our team from 5 to 17 engineers while scaling the platform.
• Mobile version of a market-leading web SDK: Delivered with a team of 10 engineering experts for a long-term client.
• Banking apps for an Italian banking group: iOS and Android apps for a client with a market value of over €30 billion.
• Railroad reservation system: Delivered complex railroad asset allocation software within 4 months and built a team of 20 engineering experts in 6 weeks.

Our track record proves we can handle scale, complexity, and long-term partnerships.

We’ve partnered with fast-growing startups, helping them build products from scratch, rapidly iterate based on user feedback, and scale efficiently with lean teams. Some examples include:

• Rightvybe – An instant savings and donations app.
• Fling – A social app downloaded over 6 million times.
• Vitastiq – A Bluetooth vitamin & mineral tracker used by 237.000 active users in 2025.
• Shake – Bug and crash reporting tool used on 26 million unique devices worldwide.

Our experience means we can support you from first build to product-market fit and beyond.

Yes.

Once development is complete and the team size is reduced, we offer maintenance plans to ensure your product continues to grow based on market feedback.

We’ll never leave you without support, unless you decide you no longer need us.

We offer two main engagement models:

Team-based collaborations:

• We can start with a single senior engineer for a minimum of three months.

Project-based engagements:

• We handle full projects, starting from €100.000.

Our engineers have deep experience tackling some of the most complex challenges across niche industries. Examples include:

• Disconnected global communication: Building a chat app for crew members traveling across the globe without reliable internet.
• Financial systems: Developing complex payment systems for large banks.
• Industrial / logistics: Implementing unique business logic for a $12B company.
• IoT & connected devices: Designing scalable solutions that connect physical devices with digital platforms.

This expertise means we can quickly step into niche industries and add value from day one, combining technical skill with strategic insight to solve even the toughest problems.

We work across the full spectrum of software development, from native mobile apps and cross-platform solutions to web applications, backend systems, and complex integrations.

We’re at our best on projects where our senior expertise can make a strategic difference.

• Enterprise collaboration: We often integrate with large in-house engineering teams to accelerate delivery and bring niche expertise. For example, we partnered with a US $12B company, joining a 200-engineer team with a small team of 10 high-quality experts, solving complex engineering challenges at scale.
• Greenfield projects: We also work with experienced founders to build products from discovery to launch. In these cases, we guide product strategy, design, and architecture while delivering high-quality, scalable code.

In short: Whether we’re strengthening an enterprise engineering team or building a product from scratch, we focus on projects where our expertise makes the biggest difference.

We work in Central European Time (CET). 

That means around six hours of overlap with New York and about three with Los Angeles in the late afternoon.

We look at your needs and see how they match our services. We’ll discuss:

• Project status – Where you are right now, whether it’s just an idea, a prototype, or an existing product.
• Technologies – The tech stack you’re considering or already using.
• Timeline – When you want to start and how quickly you need to start the project.
• Budget – How much you’re planning to invest in development.
• Technical feasibility – Whether the product can be built with the chosen technologies and within the timeline and budget.
  

Our best fit is usually when a client needs a full-time dedicated team for 6+ months.

And if we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you openly.

Team-based engagements

• Team extension – Expand your in-house team with experienced developers.
• Dedicated team – A fully dedicated team that can handle all phases of the development process, from planning to delivery.
• Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) – We build and operate a team for you, then transfer full ownership.

Project-based engagements

• End-to-end projects – We handle the full lifecycle of your product from concept to launch.
• Proof of concept – Validate your ideas quickly with a working prototype.
• Pilot projects – Test a small-scale version of your product before scaling.

Yes. 

You can grow the team when you need more speed or expertise, and scale it down when the workload is lighter. We adjust the setup with you so the team always matches your goals and budget.

Yes, dedicated teams are designed to work collaboratively and integrate seamlessly with your in-house staff.

Our dedicated team can adjust to your workflows and processes and will feel just like an in-house team in no time.

Onboarding a dedicated team typically takes 1–2 weeks, and up to a month, depending on your project’s complexity and how clear the requirements are.

Team extension means we embed our engineers into your existing team to cover skill gaps, speed up delivery, or strengthen particular areas (e.g., mobile or backend).

It works best when you already have a core team in place but need extra capacity or specific expertise without changing your existing structure or hiring new full-time staff.

Most BOT engagements run for 12-24 months, depending on the size and complexity of the team you’re building. Here’s what that usually looks like:

• Build phase – We hire and onboard the initial team (3-6 months).
• Operate phase – Your team works under your direction while DECODE handles HR, payroll, and day-to-day operations (6–18 months).
• Transfer phase – You take full ownership of the team, processes, and IP.

We tailor the engagement to your goals. If you want to scale faster or grow gradually, we’ll adjust the timeline to fit your plan.

The most useful starting point is a feature list and any planned integrations, as these help us scope the work and prepare an early estimate.

If you also have Figma designs, wireframes, or a product roadmap, we can give you a more accurate estimate with a clear picture of the effort, timeline, and resources required.

Even before a formal meeting, we can provide a very rough ballpark estimate based on this information so you know what to expect before going deeper into planning.

If we’re running discovery, we define those together during the process.

If you already know which services or APIs you want to use, we review them.

We can quickly estimate integrations we’re already familiar with and we dig into the technical documentation for less common integrations.

Yes. 

It’s a low-risk way to validate our collaboration, test ideas, and see how we work together before scaling up if we’re the right fit.

Yes. 

Product discovery comes as a fixed package, and we prepare our estimate for development once we complete discovery.

Not always.

If you already have a design ready or an in-house QA team, we leave that to you. 

For greenfield projects, we include our designers and QA to ensure quality from day one.

It depends on the information you provide.

Early estimates are broad and include buffers, so they can change by 30–50% as we refine details.

Once we have a full feature list, planned integrations, and technical requirements, our estimate becomes much more accurate.

It depends on the pricing model.

With fixed price projects, the scope is defined in the SOW, so everyone knows exactly what’s included. If you want to add something new, we handle it through a change request so the plan stays realistic.

With time and materials (T&M), the scope is flexible from the start and we can adjust it together as the project evolves.

In both cases, our solution architect works with you to shape the scope so it fits your goals and priorities.

Yes. We usually sign NDAs before clients share their ideas with us.

Each contract serves a different purpose and is an essential part of a solid development partnership.

• The NDA protects your sensitive business information before you start working with your development partner.
• The MSA establishes the overall legal and financial framework.
• The SOW defines the specific project scope and deliverables.

Skipping any of these contracts exposes you to unnecessary legal and financial risks.

It protects your sensitive business information so you can share it with us freely. 

The NDA spells out what counts as confidential information, how long it stays that way, what’s not included (like public info), and what happens if it’s ever breached.

The MSA is the foundation of how we work together. 

It covers things like confidentiality beyond the NDA, who owns the IP, payment terms, liability limits, warranties, and how either side can end the agreement if needed. 

It’s a long-term framework we’ll use for your project and any future projects we do together.

The SOW is where we get specific. 

It lays out exactly what we’ll do on a project – scope, pricing model, timelines, milestones, acceptance criteria, roles, responsibilities, and payment details. 

It’s the document that keeps everyone on the same page during development.

Every project is different, so each SOW is unique. 

And because the deliverables vary from project to project, we don’t reuse or share past SOWs.

Instead, we’ll prepare one tailored specifically to your needs. What we can do is walk you through what a typical SOW includes, so you know exactly what to expect.

Our SOWs include a change management process. 

If you need to adjust scope, timelines, or deliverables, we’ll review it together, agree on the changes, and update the SOW before moving forward. 

This way, we actively manage changes together and prevent scope creep.

Depends on the contract.

The master services agreement (MSA) and non-disclosure agreement (NDA) are based on our standard templates, while the statement of work (SOW) is always customized for each project.

Our contracts are governed by Croatian law, which follows European Union regulations. This means all agreements comply with EU legal and data protection standards.

We can also work under your local jurisdiction or agree on a neutral option such as the UK.

Yes. All code and documentation belong to you from day one. No hidden clauses. No fine print.

Yes. All code written by our team is accessible to you at any time. We usually use our BitBucket as source control, but if that doesn’t suit your requirements, we don’t mind using any other source control like GitHub, GitLab, or Azure Git repository.

It depends on the project, team size, and scope. 

Our standard notice period is a minimum of 4 weeks, longer if you’ve hired a bigger team.

We transfer everything to your repository if it’s been hosted on ours. 

We can also arrange a knowledge transfer meeting to walk your team through the details. 

You don’t have to worry about vendor lock-in – you always keep full ownership of the work.

The cost of a software product depends on its complexity, features, integrations, and team size.

To give you a rough idea:

• Minimum viable product (MVP): You can build an MVP in a short time with an expert team for around €100,000. This is ideal for testing your idea, getting early feedback, and attracting your first users.
• Market-ready product: If you want a fully-featured product that can compete in the market and scale with your users, you should typically budget €200,000 or more, depending on the scope and long-term goals.

At DECODE, we tailor the team and approach to your needs, ensuring you get maximum value at every stage.

We typically invoice in euros, but we’re flexible and can also work in pounds or US dollars. 

We don’t charge VAT for non-Croatian clients.

Yes. For most projects we ask for 25% upfront. 

And for product discovery, the standard is 50% upfront.

Our invoices are payable within 10 days from the date you receive them.

We work with two models: fixed price and time & materials (T&M).

Fixed price works best for clearly defined projects with little room for change, while T&M is better when the scope may evolve and you want flexibility.

You can also start with a fixed price model for the first milestone or for a pilot project before transitioning to T&M.

Always. You’ll work directly with the project manager, engineers, designers, and QA specialists assigned to your project.

There won’t be layers of account managers. We keep communication open and transparent so everyone always stays aligned.

If something gets in the way, we raise it immediately – usually in our daily standup, or sooner if it’s urgent. 

Together, we’ll sort it out quickly by adjusting priorities, clearing up requirements, or looping in whoever can help.

Our goal is to resolve blockers as quickly as possible.

We work in short, iterative sprints and keep you involved at every step. 

You’ll see updates in daily standups, progress in sprint reviews, and have access to our project management tools for a real-time view of what’s being done. 

Nothing happens behind the scenes – you always know where things stand.

We gather your feedback in sprint reviews and regular check-ins, then act on it right away.

Small adjustments go straight into the current sprint. For bigger changes, we review the impact on scope, budget, and timelines with you before moving forward. 

We follow the Scrum framework, which is built around five key ceremonies:

• Sprint planning – At the start of each sprint, we agree on what the team will deliver.
• Daily standups – Quick daily check-ins to share progress and flag blockers.
• Sprint review – A demo at the end of the sprint where we show completed work and gather your feedback.
• Sprint retrospective – An internal session where the team looks at what went well and what can be improved.
• Backlog refinement – Ongoing sessions where we review and adjust upcoming tasks.

This structure keeps everyone on the same page and you’re never out of the loop.

We keep everything organized and transparent using industry-standard tools:

• Day-to-day communication – Slack, Microsoft Teams
• Collaboration – Google Workspace
• Project management – Jira
• Documentation – Confluence

These are the tools we usually work with, but if you prefer something else, we’re happy to adapt.

We share knowledge continuously, not just at handover. 

Our team documents everything in shared tools like Confluence and Google Workspace, and we walk your in-house team through decisions, code, and workflows as we go. 

This gives your team the context it needs to step in or take over smoothly.

Absolutely, we’d be happy to host you! We’re based in Zagreb and clients often visit our offices for planning sessions, workshops, or simply to meet the team.

At DECODE, we build custom software tailored to your business needs. This includes:

• Enterprise platforms – Scalable systems built for complex operations and high user volumes.
• Consumer-facing apps – Web and mobile products designed for usability and engagement.
• Digital transformation solutions – Modernizing legacy processes with IoT, automation, and smart integrations.
• Rapid prototyping & MVPs – Turning ideas into testable, launch-ready products quickly.

Every product we build is designed with scalability, maintainability, and long-term growth in mind, ensuring it continues to deliver value as your business grows.

We work with a wide range of modern technologies to make sure your product is built on the right foundation:

• Mobile: Swift, Kotlin, Objective C, Java, React Native, Flutter, Kotlin Multiplatform
• Backend: Node.js, Java, Ruby/Ruby on Rails, Python, Spring Boot & Quarkus, NestJS, Golang, PHP
• Frontend: React, Angular, Vue
• Desktop: Electron
• DevOps: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Xloud, Firebase, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, etc.
• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Heroku

This mix lets us choose the right stack for your product instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all solution.

We build QA into every step of development. 

Most of our testing is automated, supported by continuous integration and deployment. 

By using cloud platforms like BrowserStack and SauceLabs, we can test on a wide range of real devices and browsers, which helps us spot problems early and deliver software that’s reliable from day one.

Absolutely. We can integrate AI into your existing systems. 

That could mean adding smarter search, automating tasks, or giving users more personalized experiences – whatever fits your product best.

We can build or enhance your software with AI features like:

• AI-powered search
• Real-time voice assistants
• Chatbots
• Image and text recognition
• Predictive analytics
• Content generation
• Recommendation engines

Our goal is to make your product smarter and more efficient.

We design every custom solution with integration in mind.

We analyze your current systems, design APIs where needed, and make sure your new solution works smoothly with CRMs, ERPs, payment systems, or other third-party tools you rely on.

We design every web app with growth in mind from the very start. Our engineers use cloud-native architectures, microservices, and distributed systems so each component can scale independently.

We optimize databases, apply caching and load balancing, and use continuous monitoring and performance testing to catch bottlenecks early.

This approach keeps your platform fast, reliable, and resilient as it grows from an MVP to an enterprise-level system.

Yes. 

We cover the full stack – designing and coding intuitive frontends, and building secure, scalable backends with APIs, integrations, and databases. 

Our team works closely across frontend and backend so your product feels like a single, unified solution.

We build both.

If you need maximum performance, we’ll build your app natively for iOS and Android. If speed and cost matter more, we can go cross-platform instead. 

Either way, you’ll get the approach that fits your product best.

We build every product with security in mind from day one. 

Our code follows the latest security standards, and we make sure your solution is not only safe but also easy to maintain – by our team and ours.

We’re also ISO/IEC 27001 certified, so you can rest easy knowing your data is protected to the highest internationally-recognized standards.

We can start right away. As soon as discovery or design wraps up, our engineers are ready to step in. 

Because we plan ahead during those phases, the handoff is smooth and we can move forward without delay.

Here are the roles we can provide:

• Business analysts
• Mobile engineers (iOS, Android, Cross-platform)
• Full-stack engineers
• Backend engineers
• Frontend engineers
• QA engineers
• DevOps engineers
• Technical leads
• Solution architects
• UX/UI designers
• Technical project managers
• Product managers

Your project manager keeps discovery and development structured, but you can talk to any team member directly at any time. No exceptions.

Yes.

We provide ongoing support, maintenance, and feature development based on your roadmap. You can always work with the same team that built your system.

Because it’s the difference between building something that fails and something people actually want.

With product discovery, we turn your idea into a validated plan. We test assumptions, talk to users, and define what to build, how it should work, and the resources required.

That way, when development starts, you already know you’re building something that solves the right problem.

• Product discovery – Exploring your idea to understand user needs, market fit, and the best solution approach.
• MVP scoping – Defining the minimum set of features needed to launch a usable product and validate the concept.
• Technical feasibility – Assessing whether the product can be built as planned, identifying risks, required technologies, and potential constraints.

Our solution architects design the high-level architecture, recommend the tech stack, and plan integrations. 

We also map out risks – technical, market, and user-related – and provide strategies to handle them. 

This ensures your product is buildable, scalable, and future-proof.

We combine market analysis and direct user research.

That means we study your competitors, identify gaps in the market, run surveys, and interview your target users to uncover their frustrations and motivations. 

The result is a detailed report on your market position, user pain points, and opportunities.

We start with assumption mapping and risk analysis to uncover what we know, what we don’t, and what we need to test. 

From there, we:

• Run discovery workshops
• Conduct user interviews
• Perform competitive analysis
• Carry out usability testing

This way, we validate every assumption with real data before you invest in development.

During discovery, you’ll work with 3 key roles: product manager, product designer, and solution architect.

Each brings a different perspective to make sure your product makes sense from every angle:

• Product manager – Focuses on business value and direction. They keep discovery structured, run workshops, and make sure we’re always clear on the goal, the users, and the outcomes. They’re the link between you, design, and tech.
• Product designer – Focuses on the user. They create personas, map journeys, and build wireframes to test ideas visually. Their job is to make sure your product is intuitive and solves real problems before any code is written.
• Solution architect – Focuses on feasibility. They design the technical backbone, explore implementation options, and flag risks early. They make sure your product is scalable, buildable, and aligned with your budget and timeline.

Together, this team covers business, design, and technology. And their work gives your product a solid foundation before development begins.

Yes. 

If you already have research or designs, we’ll use them as a starting point.

We’ll review what you have, validate it, and add anything that might be missing. 

That way, you don’t repeat work and we make sure your product has a solid foundation. 

Our approach is flexible – we can step in at any stage and help you move forward with confidence.

Across most projects, these are the core deliverables we give our clients:

• Project alignment document – A short, high-level summary of the project’s scope, goals, and what’s already known from early workshops.
• Assumptions and risks – A list of assumptions plus potential risks, with a plan for how to handle them.
• Market research and competitor analysis – A breakdown of the market landscape and competing products.
• User personas – Fictional but data-based profiles that represent your main user groups.
• User journey – A step-by-step map of how a user moves through your product.
• User research – Interviews, surveys, and observations with real users.
• User flow diagrams – Visuals showing how backend and frontend logic connect and how screens tie together.
• Wireframes – Low-fidelity layouts that illustrate structure and key functionality.
• Feature prioritization – A list of features categorized and scored based on value, effort, and dependencies.
• Technical solution proposal – Documentation of system architecture, integration points, estimated effort, team structure, and budget.
• Visual identity guidelines – A mini brand book with color palette, typography, and logo rules to guide the product’s look.
• UI design and clickable prototype – High-fidelity designs linked together into a functional prototype.
• Timeline & Development Budget – A clear estimate of the project’s schedule and costs to help plan resources and milestones.
• Documentation handover – The complete package of approved deliverables, organized and ready for handoff.

But, the important thing to remember is that we don’t deliver everything by default.

We tailor each discovery to the project and focus on what’s most useful to you.

Most of our discovery projects run between 8 and 12 weeks on average.

That gives us enough time to cover user research, feature planning, wireframes, technical scoping, and prototyping.

If your focus is more technical, or you already have some materials prepared, it can move faster.

We adapt the timeline based on what you need and where you’re starting from.

Discovery costs depend on complexity:

• Simple: up to 8 weeks, $29,000
• Advanced: 10–16 weeks, $29,000–$55,000
• Complex: 16+ weeks, $55,000+

The scope, target platform(s), and feature complexity all influence cost and duration. Contact us for a more precise estimate.

Once we finish discovery, you’ll have everything you need to move forward.

That includes a clear feature set, user flows, technical plan, clickable prototype, and more – depending on the scope.

We can continue into design and development with you, or hand over the documentation if you’re working with your own team.

Either way, we define the direction, test it, and scope it, so you’re ready to build no matter what.

Yes.

We help you choose the right setup for your product, from defining system architecture to recommending specific frameworks, cloud platforms, and scalability strategies.

We have experience with designing systems handling millions of active users, optimizing real-time data pipelines, and building modular platforms ready for fast scaling.

We’ll guide you toward solutions that are reliable, easy to maintain, and support long-term growth.

We do.

We help businesses upgrade legacy systems, automate manual work, and make better use of data. For example, we can modernize your internal tools and automate key workflows while still meeting strict compliance standards.

Our team of business analysts, product strategists, engineers, designers, and AI specialists work together to build solutions that make a real difference in how your business runs.

We start by analyzing your current workflows and identifying what slows your team down down. Then we design and build a custom software solution that simplifies those workflows.

For example, we can automate reporting and approval processes, replace spreadsheets with tailored platforms, or connect separate systems into a single, more efficient setup.

The result is software that fits with your existing tools, reduces manual work, and helps you make faster, data-driven decisions.

Yes.

We offer a free 30-minute consultation with our senior consultants. Contact us to schedule yours.

It depends on complexity:

• Simple designs: 2–4 weeks
• Advanced designs: 5–7 weeks
• Complex designs: 8+ weeks

Timelines depend on product scope, user needs, and how many screens we’re designing.

We move through a few clear steps:

• User research – We start by talking to users to uncover their real needs, goals, and pain points.
• User personas and journeys – We turn research findings into personas and user journeys that guide every design decision.
• Wireframes – We sketch low-fidelity layouts to explore structure and flows before creating the visuals.
• Prototypes – We build interactive prototypes that show how the product works and let you share feedback early.
• Usability testing – We test with real users to validate our assumptions and refine the design.

This process makes sure the final design both looks good and solves real user problems.

We make sure every design is technically feasible by having designers and engineers work together from day one.

Our designers create clear guidelines and interactive prototypes, while our engineers validate that each feature can be built, scaled, and maintained.

Everyone works together to review technical constraints, explore implementation options, and identify risks early. This close collaboration saves time, prevents rework, and ensures your product looks great and performs flawlessly in the real world.

We use:

• Figma for UX/UI design, prototyping, and workshops
• Adobe CC for visuals, graphics, and brand assets
• Useberry for usability testing with real users
• Principle for advanced, interactive prototypes

These tools help us test ideas early and hand over designs that are ready for development.

We deliver both. 

You’ll see static mockups as well as interactive prototypes that bring user flows and planned features to life.

We prototype early so you can see and test ideas. 

That makes it easy to gather feedback and adjust designs quickly before we write a single line of code.

We can.

We build design systems that allow us to create consistent experiences across web, iOS, and Android while adapting to each platform’s specific design guidelines and best practices.

A design system is a toolbox of components, styles, and rules that ensures your product looks consistent across platforms.

With a design system, you keep your product’s look and feel consistent, speed up development, and give your users a reliable experience as you add new features.

We test assumptions with real users to validate usability, functionality, and overall user experience. 

This feedback helps us refine the design before development.