MVP development services
What should be in an MVP, and what can wait?
Only what you need to test the hypothesis. Try it: below is the wish list for an example product. Move whatever can wait into “Later” and watch what happens to the complexity.
Example: a booking app for independent professionals.
The hypothesis to test: customers will book and pay a professional they've never met, online.
Complexity
Very highthis is the finished product, not an MVP.
The lilac mark shows the features the hypothesis rests on.
In the MVP 15
Later 0
Move here whatever can wait.
We make the real cut with you, on your hypothesis. This example is here to show the reasoning.
What does our MVP development include?
Everything it takes to put the product in front of real customers and see what happens. The code is only one part of it.
- The scope
- The hypothesis, the essential features, what stays out and why: written down and agreed before anyone designs a screen.
- The flows
- The journeys that matter, tested on a clickable prototype before the code. That's the job of our product design work.
- The code
- Next.js, React, TypeScript and PostgreSQL: the same stack we use for the group's own products.
- Measurement
- Events and metrics agreed before launch, so afterwards you know whether the hypothesis holds instead of guessing.
- The launch
- Release, a landing page or website if you need one, and the app in the stores when the test genuinely calls for it.
- Foundations that hold
- Access, permissions, backups and deployment done properly from day one, so a successful MVP doesn't have to be thrown away to grow.
How do you build an MVP, step by step?
In six steps, each ending in a decision. The cut comes before the estimate, not after it.
Understand
Who the customer is, what problem they have, which hypothesis we're testing. If the idea isn't validated yet, we start there.
Cut
The feature list and the cut, agreed together: what goes in, what waits and why.
Design
The main flows and a clickable prototype, tried with a handful of real users before any code.
Build
Short cycles with a usable version at the end of each one, so you watch the product grow and can change course.
Launch
Release to a first group of real customers, with measurement already running.
Learn
We read the data together and decide what to build next, what to change and what to drop.
MVP vs prototype vs proof of concept: what's the difference?
They answer three different questions. A proof of concept asks whether it can be built, a prototype whether people understand it, an MVP whether they actually want it.
| Proof of concept | Prototype | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question | Can it be built? | Do people get it and can they use it? | Do they want it enough to use it, or pay for it? |
| What gets built | One isolated piece of technology | Clickable screens with no real logic | A working product, cut to the essentials |
| Who uses it | The team, in an internal test | A few users, in a guided session | Real customers, in their own context |
| What's left afterwards | The answer; the code is usually thrown away | Validated flows and a design to build on | Usage data, first customers and a codebase to grow |
When don't you need an MVP?
When you can learn the same thing without building software. That happens more often than founders expect.
You haven't spoken to customers yet
Interviews and a test landing page come first. We cover them on our idea validation page.
The hypothesis can be tested by hand
A manually run service, a form and a spreadsheet will answer sooner, and for less, than any code.
The process is internal and well known
If the software is for your own team, doing work that already exists, it isn't an experiment: it's a custom web app.
You already have a product with users
Then you don't start over: you improve and grow what's there, with growth marketing.
First-hand
What did building Athleex teach us?
That you judge an MVP after launch, not before. Athleex, our SaaS for personal trainers and coaches, isn't a client project: we designed it, built it and keep growing it ourselves.
Read the Athleex case study
One codebase for web and apps
The platform runs on Next.js and PostgreSQL; the iOS and Android apps are built with Capacitor on the same web codebase. For an MVP, that means one thing to maintain while you learn.
The app stores are part of the scope
Apple's review rejected one release over its in-app purchase rules (guideline 3.1.1). We integrated purchases with StoreKit 2 and it went through. If your MVP is an app, plan for store review from the start.
Small features aren't small
Push notifications on iOS weren't arriving, for three unrelated reasons: configuration, permissions and delivery. Every extra feature is one more thing to check.
Questions about MVP development
How much does MVP development cost?
It depends on scope: the number of features, integrations such as payments and calendars, platforms (web, iOS, Android) and how much design is needed. We don't have a price list; we quote once we've cut the scope together. What drives the cost is on our pricing and timelines page.
How long does it take to build an MVP?
Mostly it depends on scope, which is why we cut before we estimate. Third-party integrations, app store review and decisions left open make it longer; a clear hypothesis makes it shorter. We don't promise a fixed number of weeks: we estimate on the agreed scope.
What's the difference between an MVP and a prototype?
A prototype tells you whether a flow makes sense and can be used: clickable screens with no real logic behind them. An MVP is a working product, cut to the essentials and used by real customers, and it tells you whether they actually want it.
Can I build an MVP with AI or no-code tools?
Yes, and for testing an idea it's often the fastest route. The limits show up with real users, personal data and payments, where security, cost and maintenance matter. If you already have a prototype built that way, we can take it to production.
What happens after the MVP launches?
You read the data and decide: carry on, change course or stop. If the MVP works, the same codebase grows into the full product, a SaaS for instance; if you're raising, the technical story you tell investors matters too.
Further reading
MVPWhat is an MVP? A founder's guide to building one that teaches you somethingRead 
MVPMVP vs prototype vs proof of concept: what each one tests and when to use itRead 
MVPMVP development cost: what drives the price and how to read a quoteRead 
MVPHow long does it take to build an MVP? Phases, delays and app store timelinesRead
Shall we cut your MVP together?
All we need is the hypothesis and the wish list. We'll make the cut on a call.
Tell us the idea