# Frequently asked questions Mesterséges Intelligencia Központ Kft. is a software development company based in Budapest, Hungary. Here we briefly answer the questions most often asked before a software project: price, schedule, rights, artificial intelligence and operation. You will find detailed articles with sources in our [Knowledge base](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/knowledge-base). ## General ### What kind of software do you develop? Any kind a company needs: [business software (ERP, CRM)](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/business-software), [AI integration](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-integration), [AI chatbots and AI agents](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-chatbots-and-agents), [custom software](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/custom-software-development), [process automation](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/process-automation), [webshops](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/webshop-development), [websites and web apps](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/website-development), [mobile apps](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/mobile-app-development) and [games](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/game-development). Our experience is especially deep in business software: we are currently developing a large ERP and CRM system. ### How does a development project run? It starts with a free first consultation; then we describe the requirements together, measure the size of the software, and the offer and the schedule are based on that size. Development proceeds in stages, each ending with a demo, and after handover we also take on operation and maintenance. The [How we work](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/how-we-work) page has the details. ### Do we need a finished specification to start? No, we write the specification together with you. A good specification describes the goal, the actors (people and external systems), the data, the functions item by item, the AI functions and what is outside the scope of the work. You can read more on the [How we work](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/how-we-work) page. ### How should we choose a software development company? Look at how the company estimates (from measured size or from hours), who will own the source code, what happens after handover, and what it has already built that works. Also ask who will work on the project and how you will see progress along the way. We present our own products on the [Our work](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/our-work) page. ### Custom software or a ready-made solution: which one when? If a ready-made product (SaaS) covers your processes well, it is often the faster route. Custom development pays off when the way you work differs from the usual, when several systems need to be connected, or when the software gives you a competitive edge. More: [custom software development](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/custom-software-development). ### Do we need a custom ERP, or is customising a ready-made system enough? If a ready-made ERP covers most of your processes, customisation and integration may be enough. But if the customisation is already working against the system, or you have many processes of your own to follow, custom development may be the more sensible choice. Our [business software](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/business-software) page presents both routes. ### A hosted webshop platform or a custom webshop? Hosted platforms (for example Shoprenter, UNAS or Shopify) and WooCommerce on your own hosting get going quickly and can do a lot. A custom webshop is needed when your products, pricing or processes are special, or when the shop has to be tightly connected to your warehouse, invoicing and enterprise resource planning system. More: [webshop development](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/webshop-development). ### Native or cross-platform mobile app? A native app is built separately for each platform and reaches the phone's capabilities most directly; a cross-platform app (for example Flutter or React Native) is built from one codebase for both iOS and Android. Which one suits you depends on the functions and the planned use. More: [mobile app development](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/mobile-app-development). ### A no-code tool (n8n, Make, Power Automate) or custom development? For simpler, well-defined processes, no-code tools can be introduced quickly. Custom development is the better choice when the process is complex, works with large amounts of data, or has to connect to a system that has no ready-made connector. More: [process automation](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/process-automation). ### Do you connect NAV Online Számla, invoicing services and couriers? We connect business software and webshops to NAV Online Számla (the Hungarian tax authority's real-time invoice reporting system), invoicing services such as Számlázz.hu or Billingo, banks, and couriers such as GLS or Foxpost, through their interfaces. More: [business software](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/business-software). ## Price and schedule ### How much does custom software cost? The price of custom software depends on what it has to do. That is why we do not price from estimated hours but from the measured functional size of the software (COSMIC function points, ISO/IEC 19761), plus whatever the size does not express, such as integrations and custom graphics. The [Pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing) page describes the method. ### Why don't you charge by the hour? We do not charge by the hour, because hours depend on the estimator, while functional size is a property of the software: it can be checked and measured again. This way the price is tied to what you receive, not to how many hours we spend on it. More: [pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing). ### What makes a development more expensive? A development costs more mainly when it has more functions, that is, more data movements. Many or poorly documented integrations, strict performance and security requirements, custom graphics, several platforms and a large data migration can also add to the cost. The details are on the [Pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing) page. ### How can we compare two offers? Two offers are comparable when they cover the same scope. Ask every bidder which functions and what size their price is for, and what they charge separately. Our offer starts from a measured size, so with us this is always visible: [pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing). ### How long does a development take? We build the schedule from the measured size too: we see the size per group of functions, so we plan the stages and their order from it. That is why we give the exact schedule together with the offer. The [How we work](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/how-we-work) page shows the steps. ### Do we have to pay for the first consultation? No, the first consultation is free. A few sentences about your idea are enough; you will find our contact details on the [Contact](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/contact) page. ## Contract and rights ### Who will own the source code? The contract governs source code and usage rights. More: [How we work](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/how-we-work). ### Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement for our idea? Yes, we sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on request. If your idea is confidential, mention it in your first message, and we will discuss the details once it is signed. You will find our contact details on the [Contact](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/contact) page. ### What happens to the system if we later continue with another developer? The contract governs source code and usage rights; if you also receive the source code, another developer can take the system further, your own team can take it over, and you can run it yourselves or with another provider. ### What happens if the requirements change along the way? We measure a new or changed requirement the same way as the original, so you can see how much the scope changes and what that means for the price and the schedule. More: [pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing). ## Artificial intelligence ### How can AI be connected to our CRM, ERP or webshop? We connect the language model through the existing system's interface, so the AI works with your real data: it summarises, categorises, drafts replies or processes documents. We connect artificial intelligence to anything that has an accessible interface. More: [AI integration](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-integration). ### Which language models do you work with? We work with language models from OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude) and Google (Gemini). We choose per task, based on quality, speed, cost and the data-handling terms. More: [AI integration](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-integration). ### Can company data be processed with a language model under the GDPR? Company data can be processed with a language model under the GDPR, but it has to be planned: you need to know what data goes to which provider and on what terms, and only as much data should be passed on as the task requires. We help with this, but it is not legal advice; for the final decision it is worth involving a data protection expert as well. More: [AI integration](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-integration). ### What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent? A chatbot answers questions; an AI agent also carries out tasks, for example looking up data, recording it or passing it on to another system. More: [AI chatbots and AI agents](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-chatbots-and-agents). ### Can the AI answer from our own documents, in Hungarian too? Yes. The AI looks up the answer in the company's own documents and writes well in Hungarian too; we build it so that it relies on the source instead of guessing. More: [AI chatbots and AI agents](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-chatbots-and-agents). ### Do we have to disclose that the chatbot is artificial intelligence? As a rule, yes: under Article 50(1) of the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), people must be informed that they are interacting with an AI system unless this is obvious from the circumstances; this rule has applied since 2 August 2026. This is information, not legal advice. The [AI chatbots and AI agents](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-chatbots-and-agents) page has the details. ### How much does using a language model cost? Providers usually bill by the amount of text processed, so the fee depends on the model and the traffic. It is worth handling this running cost separately from the development price; we take it into account when choosing the model. More: [AI integration](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/ai-integration). ### Does AI-based automation pay off? AI-based automation pays off when the value of the work saved is greater than the cost of development and operation. That is why we start by assessing how much time the task takes today and how often it recurs. More: [process automation](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/process-automation). ### How can our company appear in the answers of ChatGPT or Gemini? No one can guarantee that a company will appear in ChatGPT's or Gemini's answers. AI assistants quote what they find, so a well-structured, factual, machine-readable website and mentions of the company elsewhere help most; that is also why a website is still worth having today. More: [website development](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/website-development). ## Operation ### What happens after handover? After handover we also take on operation and maintenance: running the system, updates, bug fixes and further development. More: [How we work](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/how-we-work). ### How much does operation cost? The cost of operation depends on what it includes: hosting and running the system, updates, bug fixes, further development, and for AI features the language model fees. We tailor the scope of operation to the specific system. More: [pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing). ### How do we move from the old system to the new one? We plan the migration of data from the old system as part of the project, already during the requirements stage. The size measurement flags data migration separately, so it is visible in the offer too. More: [business software](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/services/business-software). ### Can the system be developed further later? Yes. We measure and schedule new functions the same way as the first round, so the price and schedule of further development are predictable as well. More: [pricing](https://www.mestersegesintelligenciakozpont.hu/en/pricing).