Who will build your MVP? This affects the daily rate used in estimates.
More developers = faster delivery but same total cost. Affects timeline estimate.
AI-augmented engineering reduces boilerplate and accelerates delivery — savings vary by feature type.
Check each feature you need, then set its complexity. Medium is selected by default.
Estimates are indicative and based on industry averages. Actual costs depend on detailed requirements, integrations and your team's experience. Use this as a starting point, not a final budget.
FAQ
Common questions about MVP cost and development
How much does it cost to build an MVP?
MVP development costs depend on scope, team type, and complexity. A focused MVP — authentication, a core workflow, and one or two integrations — typically ranges from £15,000 to £50,000 with a senior engineering team. Products with AI features, mobile apps, or multi-tenancy can reach £80,000–£150,000. The most reliable way to get an accurate range is to define your feature set precisely before any development starts. That is what this estimator is for.
How long does it take to build an MVP?
A focused MVP with a fixed scope takes 6–12 weeks with a senior engineering team. Timelines stretch when scope is not locked at the start, when coordination overhead grows with team size, or when the product requires complex infrastructure. The biggest driver of delays is rarely development speed — it is decision-making speed. Teams that fix scope upfront and limit changes mid-build consistently ship on time.
What is the difference between an MVP and a prototype?
A prototype proves a concept — typically a clickable mockup or a non-functional demo built quickly to test an idea. An MVP is a deployable product with real functionality that real users can interact with. A prototype costs very little but tells you almost nothing about actual user behaviour. An MVP costs more but gives you real usage data to justify your next round of investment or product decisions.
Should I hire developers or work with an engineering partner for my MVP?
Hiring gives you long-term team ownership but takes 3–6 months to get a senior engineer in place, costs significantly more in salary and equity, and carries the risk of a poor hire. An engineering partner starts immediately, brings senior judgment from day one, and carries none of the hiring risk. For an MVP where speed and cost certainty matter most, a fixed-scope engagement typically outperforms in-house hiring at the early stage. Once you have a live product and a clear direction, building in-house makes more sense.
What features should an MVP include?
An MVP should include only the features that directly test your core hypothesis — the single assumption your business model depends on. Anything beyond that is scope creep, regardless of how useful it seems. Authentication, a core workflow, and a mechanism to capture user feedback are almost always sufficient for a first release. Add analytics from day one so you have real data on what users actually do, not what you assumed they would do.