Paying is not owning
Software is protected by copyright, and the rights belong to whoever writes it. If an agency builds an app for you, the rights to use it pass to you only if the contract says so clearly (an assignment); otherwise you may get a licence, often with limits.
This is a general description and not legal advice: for your specific case, have a professional read the contract.
Three very different situations
- Assignment of rights: the code is yours. You can change it, have another supplier maintain it, take it with you.
- Licence to use: you can use the app, but the code stays with the agency. If you change supplier, you usually start over.
- Platform or subscription: the site or app lives on a service owned by the agency. If you stop paying, it disappears.
What you should receive on delivery
- The complete source code, in an archive that builds from scratch, not just the finished app.
- The instructions to build, test and publish it.
- The original assets: icons, illustrations and editable design files, not only the final images.
- The technical documentation: how the app is organised, which external services it uses, where keys and settings live.
- The list of third-party libraries used, with their licences.
- Access to the connected services (domain, hosting, database, notifications), in your name.
Accounts: the most common lock
Even with the code in your hands, if the app is published from the agency's store account it is not really yours: a transfer is possible, but it takes procedures and time.
That is why the Apple Developer account, the Google Play Console and the domain should be in your name from the start, even if the agency does the work.
Third-party libraries and licences
Almost every app uses open-source libraries. The more permissive licences, such as MIT and Apache 2.0, allow commercial use; others, such as the GPL, impose obligations you need to know about beforehand.
«Your» code is what was written for you; libraries remain their authors' property, under their own licences. The agency should tell you which ones it used.
Seven questions to ask before signing
- Is the code assigned or only licensed? And from when?
- What do I receive exactly on delivery, and in what format?
- Who is the owner of the store accounts, the domain and the connected services?
- Are there paid third-party libraries or services I will have to cover?
- Can another supplier maintain the app?
- Is there a clause that ties the code to a subscription?
- What happens if the agency closes down or stops answering?
How we work
Source code, original graphic assets and technical documentation are transferred to the client once the agreed fee is paid in full. The app is published from your own Apple Developer account or Play Console, which stay yours.
Prices are public: from €4,500 for iOS and from €4,200 for Android. Details are on the iOS app development and Android app development pages; to choose a supplier see also how to choose an agency.