Square

Nearshore Software Development for the Italian Market

Square is a Tirana-based software house that builds custom software, web and mobile apps for Italian SMEs and scale-ups. We work your hours in the CET timezone, we speak Italian, and we know the technical reality of fatturazione elettronica and the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) — Western-European engineering at EUR 35-55/hour, roughly 30-60% below an in-country agency.

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Why nearshore beats both onshore and offshore

Italian companies are squeezed between expensive domestic agencies and far-flung offshore teams that work the wrong hours and miss the cultural cues. Albania sits in the same Central European timezone as Rome and Milan, so there is no overnight handoff — a question asked at 10:00 gets answered by lunch. Tirana is a short, cheap flight from most Italian airports when you need people in the room, and decades of cultural and economic ties mean Italian is genuinely spoken, not approximated. You get true nearshore proximity at a cost closer to offshore.

  • Full CET overlap with Rome and Milan — same working day, no offshore handoff
  • Engineers who speak Italian fluently, not through a translation layer
  • 1.5-2 hour direct flights from Italian hubs for on-site sprints
  • EU-candidate legal and data framework aligned with the acquis
  • Rates of EUR 35-55/hour, typically 30-60% below an Italian agency

Built for fatturazione elettronica and the SdI

Selling software into Italy means dealing with rules that an offshore team rarely understands. Since 2019 electronic invoicing through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) has been mandatory for most B2B and B2C transactions, with FatturaPA XML, digital signing, SdI delivery codes and conservazione sostitutiva all in play. We build and integrate this into the systems you already run — ERP, gestionale, e-commerce or a custom platform — instead of forcing a closed product on you. If you also operate in Albania, we bridge fiskalizimi and the SdI from a single codebase.

  • FatturaPA XML generation, validation and SdI transmission
  • Digital signing, SDI delivery codes (codice destinatario / PEC) and receipts handling
  • Conservazione sostitutiva and audit-ready archival built in
  • Connectors for existing ERP, gestionale, POS and e-commerce systems
  • Dual Italy + Albania support: one codebase feeds SdI and fiskalizimi

What we build and how we engage

Square delivers end-to-end product engineering, not bodies on a timesheet. We design and build custom software, web applications and native or cross-platform mobile apps, and we plug into your roadmap through three clear models. Choose a dedicated team when you want a stable squad owning a product; project-based delivery when scope and outcome are fixed; or staff augmentation when you need to extend an Italian in-house team with senior engineers. Every engagement opens with a written estimate, so scope, timeline and the EUR 35-55/hour band are clear before any contract.

  • Custom software: internal tools, platforms, integrations and APIs
  • Web apps in React/Next.js, Node.js and TypeScript on PostgreSQL and cloud
  • Mobile apps in React Native and Flutter for iOS and Android
  • Engagement models: dedicated team, project-based, or staff augmentation
  • Written estimate upfront — scope, timeline and budget before you commit

Proof: the SunEasy platform

We hold ourselves to a product standard, not an agency one — and SunEasy is the evidence. It is a sunbed and beach booking platform we built and operate on the Albanian Riviera, letting visitors check real-time availability, reserve a spot and pay cashlessly from their phone. It ships in English, Italian and Albanian, handles live inventory and payments under real seasonal load, and was designed for an international, Italy-facing audience — concrete proof of the mobile, backend and multilingual engineering we bring to client work, not a slide deck of promises.

  • Real-time availability and instant booking across multiple beaches
  • Cashless in-app payments under genuine seasonal demand
  • Trilingual UX: Italian, English and Albanian
  • Designed for an international, Italy-facing user base
  • The same engineering standard we apply to every client product

How a project runs with Square

Engagements follow a predictable rhythm. We start with discovery and a written estimate, so scope, milestones and the EUR 35-55/hour band are clear before any contract. Delivery runs in short iterations with demos you can react to, sharing your CET working hours so feedback lands the same day rather than the next. You get direct access to the engineers doing the work — not a layer of account managers — plus transparent reporting on progress and spend. At handover you receive clean code, documentation and deployment, fully owned by you with no lock-in.

  • Discovery and written estimate before any commitment
  • Iterative delivery with regular demos during your CET working day
  • Direct contact with the engineers, not an account-management layer
  • Transparent reporting on progress, hours and budget
  • Clean handover: your code, your repos, no lock-in

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do you work specifically with Italian companies?
    Yes. The Italian market is a core focus for Square. Our engineers are fluent in Italian, we share the CET working day with Rome and Milan, and we understand Italian-specific requirements like electronic invoicing through the SdI. We work with Italian SMEs and scale-ups as a dedicated team, on a fixed project, or by augmenting an in-house team.
  • How much does nearshore software development cost for an Italian company?
    Square works within a band of EUR 35-55 per hour depending on seniority and engagement model. For Italian clients this typically means 30-60% savings versus an in-country agency, with no drop in engineering standards. Every project starts with a written estimate so scope, timeline and budget are clear before you sign anything.
  • Can you handle fatturazione elettronica and the SdI?
    Yes. We build and integrate electronic invoicing for the Italian Sistema di Interscambio — FatturaPA XML, digital signing, SdI delivery codes and conservazione sostitutiva — into your existing ERP, gestionale or e-commerce platform rather than selling a closed product. For companies that also operate in Albania, we can feed both the SdI and Albanian fiskalizimi from a single codebase.
  • Is the timezone and language really a non-issue?
    Yes. Tirana is in the same Central European timezone as Italy, so we share a full working day with no overnight handoff — questions get answered within hours. Italian is genuinely spoken on the team thanks to deep cultural and economic ties, and Tirana is a 1.5-2 hour direct flight from most Italian airports when on-site collaboration is useful.
  • Can you extend our existing Italian development team?
    Yes. Through staff augmentation we add senior engineers directly to your existing team, working in your tools, processes and CET hours. If you prefer a self-contained squad we provide a dedicated team that owns a product end to end, or fixed project-based delivery when scope is well defined. You choose the model that fits your roadmap.
  • Does Square have a real product to prove its work?
    Yes. SunEasy is a sunbed and beach booking platform we built and operate on the Albanian Riviera. It handles real-time availability, cashless in-app payments and a trilingual interface in Italian, English and Albanian under genuine seasonal load — concrete proof of the mobile, backend and multilingual engineering we bring to every client project.

Related

Nearshore Software Development for the Italian Market

Square is a Tirana-based software house that builds custom software, web and mobile apps for Italian SMEs and scale-ups. We work your hours in the CET timezone, we speak Italian, and we know the technical reality of fatturazione elettronica and the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) — Western-European engineering at EUR 35-55/hour, roughly 30-60% below an in-country agency.

Start your projectGet a free estimate