How to choose the right partner?

For most mid-sized and large deployments, your partner matters as much as the software - they are who you'll actually work with, and the quality of your implementation rests largely on them. Frappe has a network of 180+ partners across 50+ countries, of varying size, specialisation, and experience. This page is about choosing well.

How partners are organised

Frappe certifies and tiers its partners, with tiers reflecting their scale of business and track record with Frappe. A higher tier signals volume and experience, but it is not the only thing that matters - fit for your situation matters more. You can find partners through Frappe's partner directory.

What to look for

Weigh these when evaluating a partner:

• Relevant experience. Have they implemented for businesses like yours - your industry, your size, your complexity? An implementer who knows your sector will anticipate needs a generalist won't.
• Functional depth, not just technical. The best partners understand business processes - accounting, manufacturing, supply chain - not only how to configure the software. Ask how they'd handle a process specific to you.
• A real methodology. Good partners have a structured approach to discovery, configuration, testing, and go-live - not an ad-hoc "we'll figure it out" style. Ask them to walk you through how they run a project.
• References you can talk to. Ask for customers of similar size and industry, and actually speak to them - about what went well, what didn't, and how the partner handled problems.
• Local presence and language, if that matters to your operation and support expectations.
• Capacity and continuity. Do they have the people to staff your project properly, and will the team that sells it be the team that delivers it?
• A clear view of support after go-live. Implementation ends; the relationship doesn't. Understand how they support you once you're live.

Questions worth asking before you sign

A few questions that surface a lot, quickly:

• How many implementations like ours have you done, and can we speak to two of those customers?
• Who specifically will be on our project, and what's their experience?
• How do you scope and price - fixed, time-and-materials, or phased - and what happens when scope changes?
• How do you approach data migration, and how do you handle messy source data?
• How do you handle customisation requests - do you push back when standard would serve us better?
• What does support look like after go-live, and what does it cost?

Red flags

Be cautious of a partner who: promises a timeline or price before understanding your processes; agrees to every customisation without questioning whether it's needed; can't provide relevant references; is vague about who will actually do the work; or treats the project as purely technical with no interest in your business outcomes.

A note for smaller businesses

If you're a small business with standard needs, you may not need a partner at all to start - Frappe Cloud's self-serve model and free onboarding can get you live (see how Frappe works). Consider a partner when your processes are complex, when you lack the internal time, or when the cost of getting it wrong is high enough to want expert hands. You can always engage one later.

Read this blog to know more: A guide to working with Frappe partners