How to compare development quotes
Three quotes for the same idea can come back at £8,000, £25,000 and £90,000. None of the suppliers is necessarily wrong. They are almost certainly pricing three different projects — and the fix is on your side of the table.
Why the numbers are so far apart
A quote is a supplier's guess at what you meant, priced. When the brief is a conversation or a paragraph, each supplier fills the gaps differently: one assumes a template and no testing, another assumes custom design, project management and a year of support. Their numbers are honest. They are just not answers to the same question.
So the first step in comparing quotes is not comparing them. It is making sure they are quoting against the same written description.
Making quotes comparable
Send everyone the same written brief
The same document, word for word. If you do not have one, write one first — see the requirements template.
Ask for the same breakdown from all of them
Design, development, testing, project management and support, each priced separately, with the days behind each.
Ask what they assumed
Every quote rests on assumptions. Ask each supplier to list theirs. The differences between those lists explain most of the difference in price.
Compare days, not totals
Divide each line by the day rate. Twenty days of testing against two tells you far more than the totals ever will.
Red flags that matter more than the price
- No questions asked before quoting — they priced something, but not your project
- A single total with no breakdown
- No testing, or testing folded invisibly into development
- No mention of who owns the code and the accounts at the end
- Nothing about what happens after launch — support, fixes, hosting
- A fixed price on a brief that is still vague, which moves the risk into change requests
- Pressure to sign quickly
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive
A low quote on a vague brief usually means the supplier priced the smallest reading of it. The difference reappears later as change requests, each individually reasonable, together often exceeding the higher quote you turned down.
The better question is not "which is cheapest" but "which supplier has understood the project, and priced all of it". The one who asked you the most questions is frequently the answer.
Questions people ask next
How many quotes should I get?
Three is usually enough, provided all three are against the same written brief. More than that adds work without adding clarity.
Should I just pick the middle quote?
Only by accident is that right. Compare what each includes. The middle number might be the one that left testing out.
Is it rude to ask for a breakdown?
No. Any established supplier expects it, and one who refuses is telling you something useful.
Read next
A requirements template for non-developers
What goes in a brief, section by section, in plain English.
Fixed price or time and materials?
Which contract fits which project, and who carries the risk.
Questions to ask an agency
The ones that separate a partner from a sales process.
Get quotes against the same document
A Moksy Blueprint gives every supplier the same written description of your project — scope, requirements, data and budget — so the quotes you get back are finally answers to the same question.