A serious web development company in Bucharest can be recognized by things you can verify yourself, before signing anything: a portfolio of live websites you can test for free with PageSpeed Insights, openly published prices, a contract with measurable specifications and an unhesitating answer to the question "who owns the code and the domain after payment?" — the correct answer being the client, entirely. Below you will find the complete list of 10 criteria, with the verification method for each.
Search for "web development companies in Bucharest" and you get dozens of results: freelancers, small agencies, large agencies, with prices from a few hundred to tens of thousands of euros. The problem is not the lack of options, but the fact that the arguments most of them lead with are unverifiable: "team of professionals", "vast experience", "hundreds of happy clients". We believe you choose far more safely if you use only criteria you can test independently, without taking any agency's word for it — including ours. This article is exactly that list. And if you want to see from the start how we work, you will find the details on our website development in Bucharest page.
The 10 Criteria at a Glance
In short: every criterion below has a verification method that does not depend on what the company tells you. If an agency fails more than two of them, look elsewhere, no matter how convincing the sales pitch is.
| # | Criterion | How to verify it yourself |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portfolio of live websites | Test the sites with PageSpeed Insights, for free |
| 2 | Price transparency | Look for price ranges published on the company's website |
| 3 | Response time and quality | Send a test e-mail before you sign |
| 4 | Ownership of code and domain | Ask for the exact clause in the contract |
| 5 | Total cost over 3 years | Request the written calculation: build + maintenance + hosting |
| 6 | Measurable specifications | Count the pages, features and revision rounds |
| 7 | Maintenance | Check in writing what it includes, what it costs and whether it is optional |
| 8 | Technology and lock-in risk | Ask what happens if you move to another provider |
| 9 | Technical SEO, no promises | "Guaranteed first page" disqualifies the company automatically |
| 10 | The work process | Ask for the stages with concrete deliverables for each |
Criteria 1–3: What You Can Verify Yourself, Before Any Conversation
Direct answer: the first three criteria can be verified from home, in under an hour, without any sales conversation. As a rule, they alone eliminate half of the initial list.
1. A Portfolio of Live Websites You Test Yourself
What to ask for: links to real, working websites — not screenshots or mockups. How to verify: open 3–4 websites from the portfolio and run them through PageSpeed Insights, Google's free tool. If the portfolio sites load slowly on mobile, yours will too. Also check whether those sites still exist and look well kept after a year or two — it says a lot about the company's relationship with its clients. We publish our work, with case studies, in our portfolio: every site is live and can be tested at any time, by anyone.
2. Price Transparency: Published Ranges or Just "Request a Quote"?
What to look for: a pricing page with concrete ranges, published on the company's website. "Request a quote" everywhere is not a scam, but it means you learn the price only after the company sizes up your budget, not your project. A company that publishes ranges stands behind its numbers publicly and lets you politely disqualify yourself if the budgets do not match — saving time for both sides. For context, we wrote a dedicated guide on how much a website costs in Bucharest, so you have a reference point before requesting offers.
3. The E-mail Test: Who Answers You and How Fast
How to verify: before signing anything, send an e-mail with 2–3 concrete questions about your project. Time the response and read it critically: do you get specific answers or a sales template? Does anyone ask questions about your business? The speed and quality of the pre-contract response are the best you will ever get — after signing, they only go down. A reply that takes a week during the sales phase is a verdict, not an accident.
Criteria 4–7: What Must Be Put in Writing
In short: the next four criteria are not verified on the company's website, but in the offer and in the contract. The general rule: what is not written down does not exist, regardless of what was promised over the phone.
4. Who Owns the Code, the Domain and the Hosting After Payment
The correct answer: the client, entirely. The domain registered to your company, not the agency's. The source code handed over at the end of the project. The hosting account in your name or transferable at any time. If any of these stays "with the provider, for simplicity", you do not own the website — you rent it, and in any conflict you lose it. This is the one question on the list where any hesitation ends the conversation on the spot.
5. The Total Price Over 3 Years, Not Just the Build Price
What to ask for: a written calculation that adds up the build, annual maintenance, hosting, the domain and the rate for later changes (typically 25–50 EUR/hour on the market). A 1,000 EUR website with a mandatory 100 EUR/month subscription means 4,600 EUR over 3 years — more than a 2,500 EUR one with minimal recurring costs. Compare offers exclusively on this total, never on the initial price.
6. A Contract with Measurable Specifications
What to look for in the contract: the number of pages, the list of features, the number of included revision rounds, the delivery deadline and the acceptance criteria. "Modern presentation website" is not a specification — it is a guaranteed source of disputes. If the company refuses to detail in writing what it delivers, you do not have a partner, you have a lottery.
7. Maintenance: What It Includes, What It Costs, Is It Optional?
The right question: "does the website work if I stop paying for maintenance?". A properly built website must work without a monthly subscription; maintenance should be a useful option (updates, backups, small changes), not a survival condition. Ask in writing for the exact list of included services and the rate — and beware of "mandatory maintenance" with no details.
Criteria 8–10: Technology, SEO and Process
Direct answer: the last three criteria require a few simple technical questions. You do not need to be a programmer — a serious company explains everything in plain words, and refusing to explain is, in itself, an answer.
8. The Technology Used and What Happens If You Want to Leave
The question to ask: "if we part ways in two years, what do I take with me, and can another developer continue?". The correct answer: you take everything (code, content, domain), and any competent developer can take over the project. Technologies differ — custom code, WordPress, SaaS platforms — and each comes with its own trade-offs; we compared the options honestly in our article on custom website or WordPress. What is non-negotiable is the right to leave without rebuilding your website from scratch.
9. Technical SEO Included vs "Guaranteed First Page"
Normal and healthy: basic technical SEO included in the price — correct heading structure, good loading speed, sitemap, meta descriptions, Google indexing. A clear red flag: "guaranteed first page". Nobody can guarantee positions in Google — not even agencies with huge budgets — and Google itself says the same thing explicitly. A company that guarantees rankings either does not understand how search engines work, or is betting that you do not. In both cases, remove it from your list.
10. The Work Process: Clear Stages and Deliverables
What to ask for: a description of the stages — discovery (questions about your business and goals), design, development, testing, handover — with the deliverable of each one. It does not matter what the company calls its stages; what matters is that it has them, that you know what you receive at the end of each, and when your feedback is expected. A company that cannot describe its process does not have one — it improvises on your money.
Apply the Same Criteria to Us
It would be hypocritical to publish a list of criteria and exempt ourselves from it. So here are our answers, verifiable right now:
- Live portfolio: our work is published in the portfolio, with case studies. Run the sites through PageSpeed Insights before writing to us.
- Published prices: our pricing page is public: presentation website 1,500–2,500 EUR, custom business website 2,500–6,000 EUR, online store 4,000–10,000 EUR.
- Response time: we reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00. Test us with an e-mail before signing anything.
- Ownership and technology: we write custom code (Next.js + React), no WordPress themes, and the full source code is handed over to the client at the end.
- Where we are: the company is based in Bucharest (Sector 6) and we work remotely with clients across Romania and Europe.
We do not claim to be the right choice for everyone — budgets and needs differ. We only claim that every statement above can be verified without taking our word for it. That is exactly what you should demand from any company on your shortlist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many offers should I request?
Three offers are usually enough; beyond five, the comparison gets harder, not easier. What matters is comparing them on the same written specifications and on the total cost over 3 years, not on the initial build price.
Company or freelancer?
Both options can be excellent. A good freelancer is usually cheaper and more flexible; a company typically offers continuity (everything does not depend on a single person) and a more formalized process. The 10 criteria in this guide apply identically in both cases — who owns the code and what the contract says matter more than the legal form.
Does it matter that the company is based in Bucharest?
Less than it seems. Web development happens remotely anyway — we ourselves work from Bucharest with clients across Romania and Europe. The real advantages of a local company are face-to-face meetings, if you want them, a contract under Romanian law and straightforward invoicing. No local advantage, however, makes up for a failed criterion from the list above.
How long does it take to choose a company?
Realistically, 1–2 weeks: one day for the shortlist (3–5 companies), about an hour of checks per company using criteria 1–3, then 3–5 business days to receive the offers and a few more days for clarifications and the contract. Rushing the selection is paid for at delivery.
How much does a website built by a Bucharest company cost?
As a reference, our published prices are: presentation website 1,500–2,500 EUR, custom website 2,500–6,000 EUR, online store 4,000–10,000 EUR. The market also has offers below and above these ranges — which is exactly why the total cost over 3 years matters, not the starting price. We covered the topic in detail in our guide on how much a website costs in Bucharest.
If, after all the checks, you want Webforge on your shortlist, tell us about your project via the contact page: you will get a reply within 24 hours, with a transparent estimate and specifications you can compare point by point against any other offer. And yes — we sincerely encourage you to run us through all 10 criteria above before signing anything.