The 7 questions to ask before signing with a SaaS provider

You are about to hand your SaaS project to someone. A budget, months of your life, sometimes the future of your company. And yet, most people sign after a nice presentation and a quote that looks reasonable. That is where things go sideways.

I wrote an article about what your developer isn't telling you, once the project has started. This one comes before. Because the best moment to avoid a bad partnership is the day you ask the right questions, not the day you discover the problem.

Here is how to choose a Swiss SaaS provider without getting played. Seven questions. You don't need to be technical to ask them. Each one reveals a clear signal. And for each one, I tell you what you should hear and what should make you run.

Why these questions really matter

A failed SaaS project rarely fails because of the code. It fails because of a misalignment nobody saw coming. The partner thinks they are delivering one thing, you were expecting another. Nobody acted in bad faith. Nobody asked the right questions up front.

The good news: a serious technical partner loves these questions. They show that you take the project seriously. The one who gets defensive or dodges the point has already taught you the essential thing.

1. Who owns the code?

This is the first one, and it is non-negotiable. You pay, so the code belongs to you. That should be obvious. It isn't always.

What you want to hear: "All the code is yours, hosted on your own Git repository, you have access from day one." An honest partner hands you the keys as you go, not at the end.

Red flags: the code lives on "their" server, on "their" account, with access promised to you "on delivery." Or a fuzzy license that forces you to stay with them for the slightest change. If you can't walk away with your code tomorrow morning, you didn't buy a product, you rented a dependency.

Ask this too: do I get the Git repository, the hosting access, the domain names, the third-party accounts, everything in my name? The answer must be yes, without hesitation.

2. Which stack, and why that one?

You don't need to understand the technical answer in detail. You need to understand the reasoning. A good partner chooses their stack for your project, not for their own comfort or for the trendy tech of the moment.

What you want to hear: proven technologies, with a real community, easy for other developers in Switzerland to pick up. An explanation in plain language, something like "we go with this because it is stable, well documented, and you will easily find someone to maintain it in three years."

Red flags: an exotic stack that nobody else knows. A homemade framework. Or the opposite, no justification at all, just "it's what we always use." Longevity is your ability to switch providers one day without rewriting everything. Ask the question directly: if I want to hand the maintenance to someone else in two years, is it easy?

3. How do you handle security and data protection?

In Switzerland, the nLPD applies. If your SaaS touches personal data, and it almost always does, this is not optional. Your partner should have thought about it before you even ask the question.

What you want to hear: hosting in Switzerland or in the EU depending on your needs, encrypted data, clean access management, a plan for what happens in case of a leak. Ideally, someone who talks to you about the nLPD before you have said the word.

Red flags: an awkward silence on the hosting question. Servers defaulting to the United States "because it's cheaper" without explaining the implications. Or worse, "security, we'll deal with that later." Security is not bolted on at the end, it is built from the first line. A partner who treats it as an option is a partner who will charge you top price for it the day the problem hits.

4. How do you guarantee quality? Do you write tests?

Everyone delivers something that works on demo day. The real question is: will it still work in six months, after twenty changes?

What you want to hear: yes, there are automated tests on the critical parts, there are code reviews, there is a process to stop a new feature from breaking an old one. A partner who talks about quality as an investment, not as a chore.

Red flags: "tests are expensive and they slow us down." That is true in the short term and catastrophic in the long term. Without a safety net, every change becomes a gamble. You will pay the technical debt, with interest. I go into more detail in what your developer isn't telling you, because it is often invisible from where you sit.

5. What happens if you disappear?

A brutal question, but an essential one. Your partner can shut down their business, get sick, change their life. A solo freelancer can disappear overnight. An agency can go bankrupt. What becomes of your project?

What you want to hear: "Everything is documented, the code is clean and readable, you have all the access, any competent developer can take over the project." A partner who thought about your continuity, not only about their mission.

Red flags: "don't worry, I'll always be around." Nobody can promise that. Or non-existent documentation, code that only its author understands, a setup where all the knowledge sits in a single head. That is exactly the topic I dig into in agency, freelancer or studio, because the continuity risk changes a lot depending on who you choose.

In my specific case, I even give you one more safeguard. I work in partnership with Wavemind, a Swiss agency that knows how I work and could take over your project without a problem if I were to disappear. It is a double safety net, and above all with no obligation on your side: you are not tied to anyone, you keep your code and your access, you just know there is a solid plan B in case. That is exactly what you should look for with any partner, the concrete proof that they thought about your continuity before you even asked the question.

6. How do we work together? What do I see, and when?

A SaaS project is not an order you place and pick up three months later. It is a collaboration. The working method decides whether you keep control or sign a blank cheque.

What you want to hear: regular demos, every week or every two weeks, on a version you can touch yourself. Short, frequent check-ins. The ability to adjust course along the way. You should watch the product grow, not discover it at the end.

Red flags: "we show you everything on delivery." That is the best way to discover, too late, that you didn't share the same vision. Run from the opposite too, a machinery of meetings that eats up your time. The right rhythm is: you see something concrete often, and you can react while it is still cheap to change your mind.

7. What is the price, and what exactly does it cover?

The price alone means nothing. A quote at 20'000 francs can be more expensive than a quote at 30'000 if the first one forgets half the work. What matters is the scope.

What you want to hear: a clear quote that lists what is included and, just as important, what is not. An explanation of what happens if the scope shifts. Transparency about maintenance after delivery. A partner who prefers to tell you no today rather than bill you a surprise tomorrow.

Red flags: a round number produced with no detail. An "all-inclusive" that never defines the "all." Or an abnormally low rate: either there is a trap in the extras, or the quality will foot the bill. In Switzerland, a good custom SaaS has a real cost. Be wary of anyone who promises you the moon for pennies.

The real signal is how they answer

You get it: the exact answer matters less than the way they answer. A good technical partner is direct, owns their choices, tells you no when it is needed, and treats you as an intelligent person even on technical subjects.

The one who dodges, who drowns you in jargon to impress you, or who promises everything without reservation has just answered the only question that really matters: can I trust this person over time?

Ask these seven questions to every candidate. Compare the answers. The right choice will become obvious.

If you want to talk through your project, I prefer real conversations to anonymous quotes. Take a look at how I work on custom SaaS in Switzerland, and ask me these seven questions directly. I will be glad to answer, that is exactly how my best partnerships begin.