Why iQuest
Software that lasts for years. From seasoned developers.
We are a Prague software company, and since 2003 we have designed, built and run custom software. Our client partnerships last – the longest ran for more than 12 years. One person leads your project from brief to operation, and the source code is yours.
Six reasons in briefSupplier profile
iQuest s.r.o.
Company ID 27096483 · Prague · since 2003
- In business23+ years
- Longest partnership12+ years
- Developers with us14+ years on average
- Who leads your projectone person
- Pricefixed, or capped
- Result to try outevery 2 weeks
- Source codeis yours
- Public case studies14
Details on every point below.8 of 8 met
01In brief
Six reasons to choose iQuest
The essentials in one place. Each point is covered in detail in one of the chapters below.
In business since 2003. We have built custom software for 23 years, and the company is still run by its co-founder.
Clients stay with us. We worked with Eurosignal for more than 12 years, have developed AMCA's system for more than 10 years and have worked on Smart Work System since 2016.
You know who you deal with. One person leads your project from brief to operation. Our senior developers have been with iQuest for more than 14 years on average.
You know what you pay for. A bounded brief gets a fixed price, long-term development a monthly cap. You try out a new working part yourself, usually every two weeks.
The code is yours. We hand over the repository with its full history, the documentation and all access. We build on open source technology, so you depend neither on us nor on anyone else.
We speak plainly. If an off-the-shelf product or another supplier would serve you better, we tell you at the first meeting.
- years building custom software, since 2003
- 23+
- years of our longest partnership – with Eurosignal
- 12+
- years our senior developers have been with us on average
- 14+
- public case studies of real projects
- 14
For the curious: where the numbers come from
The founding year is in the Commercial Register, the length of the partnership with Eurosignal in its case study. The average tenure is calculated for the four senior developers we introduce on our team page. All the case studies are under references.
02Comparison
Compare us with the alternatives
You can hand your software to a freelancer or a large agency, buy a ready-made product, or build it yourself with AI. Each route has its place – the table shows how we differ.
| Criterion | iQuest | Freelancer | Large agency | Off-the-shelf | Yourself with AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who works on the project | Senior developers you know by name | One person whose experience you vet yourself | A team put together by current workload | Nobody – you adapt to the product | You and an AI assistant |
| When someone falls ill or leaves | Several people know the project, work carries on | The project rests on one person | Someone steps in, but people change often | You depend on the vendor's roadmap | Everything stays with you |
| What you get | Analysis, UX design, development, operation and further development | Mostly programming | The whole cycle, often split across departments | Ready-made features and their settings | A prototype; operation and security are up to you |
| Fit with your processes | The software is built around your processes | As far as one person's experience goes | Yes, but decisions take longer | You adapt your processes to the software | As long as you can maintain it |
| Code and independence | The code is yours, built on open technology | Depends on the contract and documentation | Depends on the contract and the tools used | You pay a licence, you don't own the code | The code is yours, but only you understand it |
| Price | By scope, fixed or capped; you can start with a small first version | The lowest hourly rate | Higher because of overheads | Low entry cost, fees grow with the number of users | The cheapest start, costs come with operation |
When it is the better choice: FreelancerA smaller, clearly bounded task where depending on one person is fine.
When it is the better choice: Large agencyYou need dozens of people at once, or want campaigns and marketing under the same roof.
When it is the better choice: Off-the-shelfYour processes are standard and a ready-made product covers them without changes.
When it is the better choice: Yourself with AIYou are testing an idea and a prototype is enough for now. Once your business depends on it, we will gladly take it over.
The comparison describes typical situations, not specific companies.
03Stability
Partnerships that last
Custom software is an investment for many years. That is why we design it to grow with your business, and keep developing it long after launch.
We have been working with iQuest for more than 10 years and I am glad that we chose this company back then. … Always thoroughly professional conduct, quality of service and a great proactive approach.
04Team
Real people behind your project
From the first call to operation you deal with the same people, who know your project in detail. Pick a project phase to see who looks after you in it.
- person leads your project from brief to operation
- 1
- years our senior developers have been with iQuest on average
- 14+
iQuest founder Vláďa Charvát talks through what makes sense for your business. You leave with a realistic estimate of scope, schedule and price.
Lucie turns your processes into user scenarios and builds a clickable prototype from them in Figma. You click through the system before a single line of code is written.
Kamil plans the iterations and keeps an eye on deadlines and budget. Senior developers are responsible for the technical solution – from architecture and data model to the user interface.
After launch Kamil remains your contact for further development. You deal directly with the people who built the system and know it from the inside.
- Vladimír CharvátFounder and managing director23+ years at iQuest
- Lucie VystrčilováProduct Owner & UX designer6+ years at iQuest
- Kamil KopejtkoProject manager16+ years at iQuest
- Pavel DušánekSenior backend developer, Ruby on Rails21+ years at iQuest
- Jan VoňavkaSenior full stack developer14+ years at iQuest
- Zlatka ŠubrováSenior backend developer, Ruby on Rails16+ years at iQuest
- Jiří DušekSenior frontend developer8+ years at iQuest
For us the iQuest team is not just a supplier, but above all a partner with whom we can openly discuss the further development of the system and look for the best route to a result together.
05Budget
Know up front what you pay, and for what
We base the price on analysis, not guesswork. You can start with a smaller project in the low hundreds of thousands of crowns – a first version that solves one specific process, say, or an extension of a system you already have. Large company-wide systems run to millions or tens of millions.
What the budget is made of
- Analysis
- 10 %
- Development
- 80 %
- Project management and testing
- 10 %
Analysis makes up 5–15% of the budget, depending on how ready your brief is. Project management and testing add roughly 12% to the programming itself – without them software is only written, not delivered.
Indicative shares based on our typical projects.
What to plan for besides development
- Migrating data from your current solution is a separate phase with its own budget.
- The cost of an integration depends on how good the other system's interface is.
- Cloud hosting, backups and monitoring are a regular monthly cost.
- The price of a support contract depends on the guaranteed response time.
Takes two minutes, no contact details needed.
Three pricing models you can combine
- a bounded brief
Fixed price
A firm sum
When the scope is written into a specification and we do not expect it to shift substantially during development. We carry the estimating risk, you get budget certainty. Changes beyond the specification go through an amendment.
- long-term development
Time and materials
A monthly cap
When priorities shift with what real use shows. We bill days actually worked against an agreed monthly cap with ongoing reporting, so the budget cannot run away without your knowledge.
- from three months
Dedicated capacity
An agreed number of days
A reserved team with fixed monthly capacity working only on your priorities. It makes sense for a large product in long-term development, where you need to plan people rather than individual jobs.
06Delivery and deadlines
You see results every two weeks, not just at the end
We start with thorough analysis and design, then build in iterations, usually two weeks long. After each one you try the new working part in a test environment and can comment on it before we build on top of it.
Building blindYou see the result only at the end.
With iQuestA working part to try after every iteration.
An illustrative 24-week project.
- A smaller tool
- 3–4 months
- A mid-sized system
- 6–12 months
- A company-wide solution
- a year or more
Time from the first meeting to launch. Analysis takes the first 4–8 weeks, and a usable part of the system goes live before everything else is finished.
- One contact who answers for the project
- An overview of tasks and their status in the project system
- A schedule and ongoing budget tracking on larger projects
07Code and independence
The code is yours. You can leave any time.
Once the project is finished and paid for, the source code and the property rights to it pass to you. We build on open technology rather than closed in-house frameworks, so another team – or your own – can take the system over at any time. Clients stay with us because they want to, not because they have to.
Pick an item to see what it contains.
repository/
Repository with history
The complete source code, including the history of every change. Whoever takes it over sees not only what changed, but also when and why.
documentation/
Documentation
A description of the system that lets even someone who wasn't there during development find their way around quickly.
tests/
Automated tests
They check that a change in one place doesn't break anything elsewhere. We rely on them with every change, and they serve the team that takes the code over just as well.
infrastructure/
Access to infrastructure
Access to the servers, cloud and services the system runs on.
deployment.md
Deployment guide
The release process for a new version, step by step. Anyone with the right access can deploy the system by following it.
It works the other way too: we also take over software built by someone else. We start with an audit of the code, architecture and security and tell you openly what state the system is in.
08Technology and AI
Proven technology, AI as a tool
We build on widespread open source technology you will find developers for in ten years' time. AI speeds up our work – with Claude Code we write, review and test code. Architecture and quality are always decided by experienced developers.
A senior team that uses AI as a tool – not as a substitute for experience.
All technologies09References
Results we stand behind
Our case studies describe real systems we designed and delivered. You can read client reviews in the original on Google and find the company details in the Commercial Register.
- Google rating4.3 ★The average of 16 reviews on the iQuest company profile.Show on Google Maps
- Public case studies14Real systems from the brief through our approach to the results. Projects under NDA without live screens or data.Browse references
- Commercial Register2003iQuest s.r.o., company ID 27096483, founded in 2003. Two of the founders are still its owners.Open the record
- A team with facesWe introduce the people who lead and build our projects by name, with a photo and links to their profiles.Meet the team
Systems we designed and built
10Plainly
When we recommend another route
Custom software isn't the answer to everything. If another route saves you money or time, we tell you before you sign anything.
A large system for the price of a small tool
A large system for a fraction of the price can't be built without cutting corners on analysis, testing or quality – and we don't cut them. Instead we design a smaller first version that solves what matters most, and extend it as real use shows.
Standard processes
If an off-the-shelf product covers your processes without changes, buying it pays off. Custom software makes sense where off-the-shelf falls short.
Technology outside our expertise
If the project rests on technology we don't work with, we tell you straight away. We won't learn it at your expense.
Code not worth saving
If starting over pays off better, we tell you – even if patching it would be more convenient for us.
What to ask a supplier is summed up in our guide how to choose a quality software supplier. Feel free to put its questions to us and to our competitors.
FAQ
Let's talk about your project
In a free consultation we go through what you need to solve. You leave with a realistic estimate of scope, schedule and price – and a clear answer as to whether we are the right partner for you.
What you can count on with us
- In business23+ years
- Longest partnership12+ years
- Developers with us14+ years on average
- Who leads your projectone person
- Pricefixed, or capped
- Result to try outevery 2 weeks
- Source codeis yours
- Public case studies14