With Appin500, you do, fully, the moment your final payment clears. That’s not universal across this industry, which is exactly why it’s worth asking directly before you hire anyone.

Why this question matters more than people think

Your app’s source code is the actual product, not the idea, not the design mockups, the code. If you don’t own it outright, you don’t fully own your business asset, even if you paid for every hour of work that created it.

How agencies commonly handle it, and where it goes wrong

  • Some agencies retain code ownership and only licence it to you, effectively renting your own app back to you
  • Some hold code “hostage” pending an ongoing maintenance retainer
  • Some hand over code that’s poorly documented or missing pieces, making it unusable without them
  • Some simply never mention it, and clients only find out at the worst possible time

What “source code handover” actually means

A proper handover means the complete, working codebase, documented well enough that another competent developer could pick it up, delivered to you directly on final payment. That’s the standard we build to, and it’s worth confirming in writing with anyone you hire.

Third-party components: what you don’t fully own

Your app likely uses some open-source libraries or third-party services. You won’t “own” those in the same sense, but you’ll always have the right to use them under their own licences, which should be identified clearly at handover.

Questions to ask before you sign anything

  • “Do I own the full source code after final payment, with no ongoing licence fee?”
  • “Will the handover include documentation, not just raw files?”
  • “Can I take this code to a different developer if I choose to later?”
  • “Are there any third-party components I should know about?”