Software build guide

The software build decision, end to end

This guide answers the questions founders actually ask before they build: what to build, what it costs, who should build it, and what tends to go wrong. It is written by the people who ship the code, not a marketing team. The goal is fewer expensive surprises and less agency theatre.

Start with a Discovery sprint
9 guides
46 questions answered
4 languages

“Honest buyer guides, not landing pages dressed as advice.”

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What this guide is for

Building software is a series of decisions, and the costly mistakes happen early, before a line of code exists. These guides walk each decision in plain English: budget, build model, stack, process, and handover. No fluff, no listicles, just how we would think it through if it were our money.
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Nine guides, grouped by what you are deciding

Cost & budgetWhat software actually costs and where the money goes.
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Software development cost in Austria

What custom software really costs in Austria and where the budget actually goes.

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Choosing how to buildWho builds it, on what terms, and on which stack.
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How to choose a software agency

How to tell a delivery partner from a sales operation before you sign.

Read the guide // 02

Freelancer vs agency vs in-house

Which build model fits your stage, budget, and risk, and which one to avoid.

Read the guide // 03

Fixed price vs time and materials

When a fixed-price Werkvertrag wins and when a weekly retainer serves you better.

Read the guide // 04

Choosing a tech stack for an MVP

Why boring, hireable tech beats novelty for almost every MVP build.

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Process & deliveryHow a build runs, ships, and gets handed over safely.
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What is a Discovery phase

What a Discovery phase delivers and why it saves money before the build starts.

Read the guide // 02

Software handover checklist

What a clean handover includes so you are never locked to one vendor.

Read the guide // 03

QA checklist before launch

The checks that separate a production-ready product from a demo that breaks.

Read the guide // 04

Vibe-coded prototype to production

How to harden an AI-generated prototype for real users without starting over.

Read the guide
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What these guides are not

  • Not lead-gen fluff dressed up as advice. We tell you when we are not the right fit.
  • Not generic listicles scraped from the web. These come from 75+ shipped products.
  • Not written by a marketing team. The people who ship the code wrote them.
  • Not a sales funnel. If a guide says do not build it yet, that is the honest answer.
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FAQs

Founders and operators deciding whether to build, what it will cost, and who should build it. It assumes you want straight answers, not a sales pitch. If you already have a mature engineering team and a clear plan, you probably do not need it.
We are a software agency, so yes, we do this work. But the guides are written to help you decide well even if that decision is not to hire us. Each one is honest about when Wavect is the wrong fit.
Each guide is reviewed and dated, and the facts come from products we have actually shipped from Tyrol, Austria, since 2018. Where a number is not something we can stand behind, we leave it out rather than invent it.
If you do not know the scope yet, start with the Discovery phase guide. If you know what you want but not how to build it, start with the build-model and cost guides. A short Discovery sprint, from EUR 3,500, settles most of it fast.

Still deciding how to build?

The cheapest way to avoid an expensive build mistake is a few weeks of clear thinking before you commit. That is what a Discovery phase is for.

Start with a Discovery sprint