BIROUL DE ITHow to hire a software agency in Romania, step by step
What to check before you sign, what a fair process looks like and what you should own when the project ends.
This guide is for founders, managers and product owners in the UK, the EU and the US who want to hire a software agency in Romania for a website, an online store, a mobile app or a web platform. It is written by Biroul De IT, a web and software agency in Bucharest, active since 2022, with collaborators in Spain, Sweden and Ireland. Below you will find what to verify on ownership, timelines, payments and communication, the questions to ask on the first call, and how a project with us runs from the first message to 30 days after launch.
Why companies from the UK, the EU and the US hire software agencies in Romania
Romania is a member of the European Union, so a Romanian agency works under the same data-protection rules and the same legal framework as your own business in Europe, and its working day overlaps yours. Those two facts remove most of the friction that usually comes with hiring abroad.
EU rules by default
GDPR applies to every project without special arrangements, contracts can be governed by EU law, and you receive invoices from an EU company that your accountant can process without workarounds.
A working day that overlaps with yours
Romania is on Eastern European Time, one hour ahead of Berlin and two hours ahead of London. The whole European working day overlaps, and teams on the US East Coast share the afternoon with us.
Products, not just tickets
At Biroul De IT you talk directly to the people who design and build your product, in English, and you can judge our work on platforms that are live today, not on slide decks. Our portfolio is public, and so are the links.
Six things to check before you hire a software agency in Romania
These apply to any agency, in Bucharest or anywhere else. We list them because they are the points where projects go wrong, and because a good agency will answer every one of them without hesitation.
1. Who owns the code, the domain and the accounts
The domain should be registered in your company's name, the hosting, payment and analytics accounts opened with your details, and the full source code handed over in a repository you control. Ask this before anything else; the answer tells you how the agency treats its clients.
2. Realistic timelines, in writing
A turnkey website takes 4–6 weeks, an online store 4–8 weeks and a mobile app or a platform with user accounts 6–12 weeks. A promise of two weeks for everything usually means a purchased template with your logo on it.
3. How you pay and what you get for it
Expect a custom quote with a clear scope and milestones, invoiced by an EU company, with no monthly licence for the agency's own platform. If the quote arrives as a single line before anyone has asked what your product does, keep asking.
4. One person you can actually reach
You should know who builds your product and be able to reach them on WhatsApp, email or a video call during your working hours, with a staging link that shows the work as it progresses. Account managers who relay messages slow everything down.
5. Live products, not mock-ups
Ask for links to products that are live and in use today, then open them on your phone. Screenshots and design shots tell you about taste, not about delivery. An agency that runs its own platforms has nothing to hide here.
6. Own code or a theme
Ask whether the site will be built on a purchased template (WordPress theme, page builder) or on code written for you. Own code on Next.js, React, Node and Supabase takes more thought upfront, but it grows into a platform or a mobile app without a rebuild.
Ten questions to ask any software agency on the first call
Copy this list into your notes. The answers should be specific; vague answers are an answer too.
- Who will I talk to every week, and who actually writes the code?
- Will the domain, hosting and payment accounts be in my company's name?
- Will I receive the full source code in a repository I control, and when?
- What exactly is included: SSL, legal pages, cookie consent, technical SEO, analytics?
- How many revision rounds does the quote cover?
- What happens if the launch date slips, and who carries that risk?
- Do you integrate online payments (Stripe, Netopia) and how is card data handled?
- What happens after launch: support period, maintenance, hosting?
- Can I see two live products you built and hear how those projects went?
- Can I leave at any time and continue with another team, without losing anything?
Everything on this list is answered on our services page and in the FAQ below. The short version: the code, the domain and the accounts are yours; the timelines are the ones above; payments are set up on your own accounts; and you can test our live platforms in the portfolio before you write to us.
How a project with Biroul De IT runs, from the first message to launch
The same process applies whether you order a presentation website, an online store, a mobile app or a platform with subscriptions. Only the duration changes.
First call and brief
You message us on WhatsApp, call or book a video call. You tell us what you sell, to whom and what the product must do. We ask the ten questions above from the other side.
Day 1Custom quote and plan
You receive a written quote with the scope, the milestones and the delivery date. No templates, no hidden licences, no surprises after signing.
Days 2–3Structure and design
Sitemap and content plan first, then the design of the key screens, reviewed with you on a call. Changes are cheap at this stage, so this is where we spend the time.
Weeks 1–2Development and integrations
Own code on Next.js, React, Node and Supabase, hosted on Vercel. Payments with Stripe or Netopia, AI features with Claude or OpenAI when they make sense. You follow progress on a staging link.
Weeks 2–5Testing and launch
Responsive checks on real phones, SSL/HTTPS, GDPR legal pages and cookie banner, schema.org, sitemap, Google Analytics and Search Console. The domain goes live in your name.
Week 4–6 for a website · up to week 12 for apps and platforms30 days of support after launch
Fixes and small adjustments are included for 30 days. After that you can continue with a maintenance plan or on your own: the source code, the domain and every account belong to you.
After launch
What every Biroul De IT project includes, with no extras to negotiate
We call it turnkey because the product is functional on launch day. This is the list we work from on every project, in Romania or abroad.
- Responsive design, tested on real phones and tablets
- SSL/HTTPS on your own domain
- GDPR legal pages and a cookie consent banner
- schema.org structured data, sitemap and robots.txt
- Open Graph tags for clean sharing on social networks
- Domain purchase and configuration, in your company's name
- Hosting on Vercel, set up on your account
- Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console connected
- Online payments with Stripe or Netopia when you sell online
- 30 days of support after launch
- Full source code in a repository you own
- One contact person who also builds the product
Need something specific? See our website development, iOS & Android apps, online stores and platforms with user accounts on the services page, or read who we are.
Warning signs when hiring a software agency abroad
“We'll keep the domain for you”
A polite way of saying you do not own it. The domain is your business name on the internet; it belongs in your registrar account, not theirs.
A quote before a conversation
If a quote arrives before anyone has asked what your product does and who uses it, it describes a template, not your project.
No live products to show
Portfolios made of concept images and “coming soon” pages. Ask for links you can open right now and test on your phone.
A monthly licence for “their platform”
Lock-in dressed up as convenience. If you cannot leave with your code and your data, you are renting, not buying.
Everything in two weeks
A real website with payments, legal pages, SEO and analytics takes 4–6 weeks. Two weeks is enough for a theme with your logo on it.
No written scope
Without a written scope and milestones every extra request becomes an argument. Insist on one page that says what will be delivered and when.
Platforms we build and run ourselves, live in four countries
Before you hire a software agency in Romania, ask to see live products. Here are four of ours; the full list is in the portfolio, with platforms in Romania, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Greece and the United States.
Students photograph an exercise and get the solution explained step by step, matched to their grade. Built for the Spanish market.
euclides.es →
The Swedish edition of our agency: a premium site for the Scandinavian market, with AI chat and real-time estimates.
webbarkitekter.se →
Private AI companion for perimenopause and menopause, with clear answers grounded in ACOG and Mayo guidance.
wiser-years.com →
Shows whether ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity recommend your business when someone asks for what you sell, and what to do about it.
nameontop.ai →Every project is quoted individually, after we understand your requirements and the level of finish you want, and our pricing is accessible, for everyone. We do not publish price lists because no two projects are the same. You get an estimate on the spot from the AI assistant on our homepage, or you message us on WhatsApp and we reply quickly with a custom quote.
Get an instant AI estimateFrequently asked questions about hiring a software agency in Romania
How much does it cost to hire a software agency in Romania?
Every project at Biroul De IT is quoted individually, after we understand your requirements and the level of finish you want, so we do not publish price lists: a five-page website is a different job from an online store or a mobile app. Our pricing is accessible, for everyone. You get an estimate on the spot from the AI assistant on our homepage, or you message us on WhatsApp and we reply quickly with a custom quote.
How long does a project with a Romanian software agency take?
A turnkey website built by Biroul De IT is live in 4–6 weeks, an online store in 4–8 weeks and a mobile app or a platform with user accounts or subscriptions in 6–12 weeks. The timeline is agreed in writing before we start, and the biggest factor is how quickly we receive your content and feedback. Everything is tested and functional on launch day: domain, hosting, SSL, payments and analytics.
Who owns the source code, the domain and the accounts?
You do, from day one. Biroul De IT registers the domain in your company's name, opens the hosting, payment and analytics accounts with your details and hands over the complete source code in a repository you control. There is no monthly licence for our platform and no lock-in: if you want to continue with another team later, you can do it at any time without losing anything.
How do we communicate if we are in the UK, Germany or the US?
Remotely, in English, with the people who build your product. Biroul De IT is based in Bucharest, on Eastern European Time, so our working day overlaps the whole European working day and the morning on the US East Coast. We use WhatsApp, email and video calls, and you get a staging link to follow the work as it progresses. If you are in Bucharest, we can also meet in person.
How do payments and invoicing work with Biroul De IT?
You receive a written custom quote with the scope, the milestones and the delivery date, and payments follow the milestones agreed in that quote. Every payment is invoiced by a company registered in Romania, an EU member state, so the invoices work for your accounting. There are no recurring licence fees for the code we write for you, and the domain, hosting and payment provider are set up on your own accounts.
Do you work with templates like WordPress, or do you write your own code?
Biroul De IT writes its own code: Next.js and React for the front end, Node and Supabase (PostgreSQL) for the back end, Vercel for hosting, Stripe or Netopia for payments and Claude or OpenAI for AI features. Mobile apps are built cross-platform for iOS and Android (React Native and Expo) or as a PWA. We do not sell WordPress themes, so your website can grow into a platform without being rebuilt from scratch.
What should I prepare before contacting a software agency?
Three things are enough for a precise quote: what you sell and to whom, the main things the product must do (bookings, payments, user accounts, a mobile app) and a few examples you like. You do not need a specification document; Biroul De IT writes the scope together with you on the first call. If you already have a domain, a logo or content, mention it, because it shortens the timeline.
Can I see examples of what Biroul De IT has built?
Yes. Our portfolio lists platforms we build and run ourselves, live in Romania, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Greece and the United States, including Euclides, Webbarkitekter, Wiser Years and NameOnTop.ai, plus concept demos for salons, restaurants and hotels. Open any of them on your phone, test them and ask us how they were built; that is exactly the check we recommend you do with any agency you consider.
Reading in Romanian? See our guides on how to choose a web agency (RO) and agency vs freelancer (RO).
Ready to hire a software agency in Romania?
Tell us what you sell and what the product must do. You get an estimate on the spot from our AI assistant, or a custom quote on WhatsApp within the working day.