The Problem with Most MVP Cost Estimates

Search "how much does an MVP cost" and you'll find numbers ranging from £5,000 to £500,000. That's not helpful.

The reason? Most cost breakdowns either:

• Assume you're building Instagram (you're not)
• Include six months of "post-launch iteration" in the "MVP" cost
• Quote hourly rates without showing actual hours needed
• Mix freelancer rates with agency rates without context
• Include costs that have nothing to do with validating your product idea

We're going to fix that. This guide breaks down real costs by product type, using actual builds we've delivered, with transparent pricing and realistic timelines.

How to Use This Guide

We've structured this by product complexity, not price. Find the type of product closest to yours, see what's included, then check the cost breakdown.

Product types we'll cover:

1. Simple SaaS dashboards (scheduling tools, booking systems, simple CRMs)
2. Mobile-first applications (iOS/Android consumer apps)
3. Marketplace platforms (two-sided marketplaces, booking platforms)
4. AI-powered applications (chatbots, document processing, recommendation engines)
5. Complex SaaS products (multi-tenant, enterprise features, advanced workflows)

What's included in our costs:

• Discovery and requirements documentation
• UX design and high-fidelity prototypes
• Core feature development (front-end + back-end)
• Database architecture
• Authentication and user management
• Basic analytics integration
• Testing and quality assurance
• Deployment to production

What's NOT included (but we'll show optional add-on costs):

• Branding and logo design
• Marketing website
• App Store submission and assets
• Content creation
• Ongoing maintenance

Simple SaaS Dashboards

Examples: Calendly-style booking, basic CRM, simple project management, form builders, waitlist managers

What You Get

Core features:

• User authentication (email/password, social login)
• Dashboard with data visualisation
• CRUD operations (create, read, update, delete data)
• Basic scheduling or workflow logic
• User settings and preferences
• Email notifications
• Responsive web interface
• PostgreSQL database
• Hosting and deployment

Technical stack:

• Frontend: React/Next.js
• Backend: Node.js or Supabase
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Hosting: Vercel, Railway, or Render

Cost Breakdown

Traditional Agency Approach:

• Discovery & wireframes: 2 weeks → £8,000-£12,000
• Design (high-fidelity mockups): 2 weeks → £8,000-£12,000
• Development: 6-8 weeks → £48,000-£64,000
• Testing & deployment: 1 week → £4,000-£6,000
• Total: £68,000-£94,000 | Timeline: 11-13 weeks

Precode MVP Sprint Approach:

• Week 1: Discovery, PRD, and complete UX design → £12,500
• Week 2: Core web app development and deployment → £12,500
• Total: £25,000 | Timeline: 2 weeks

Why the difference?

Traditional agencies:

• Run sequential phases (design finishes before development starts)
• Include revision rounds that extend timelines
• Build for scale you don't need yet
• Add unnecessary features "because you might need them"

Our sprint approach:

• Concurrent design and development planning
• Fixed scope prevents feature creep
• Build only what's needed for validation
• AI-accelerated development for boilerplate code

Real Example: SalesLite CRM

What we built:

• Mobile-first CRM for tradespeople
• AI voice notes that convert to structured data
• Automated quote generation
• Pipeline management
• Customer database
• Native iOS and Android apps

Cost: £25,000
Timeline: 2 weeks
Traditional estimate: £80,000-£120,000 over 12-16 weeks

Book a free discovery call to discuss your SaaS dashboard.

Mobile-First Applications

Examples: Fitness trackers, habit tracking, social apps, content consumption apps, productivity tools

What You Get

Core features:

• Native iOS and Android apps (or React Native/Expo)
• User authentication and profiles
• Core interaction flows (feed, create, view, edit)
• Push notifications
• Image upload and media handling
• Offline functionality (basic caching)
• Backend API
• Database
• App analytics

Technical stack:

• Mobile: React Native (Expo) or Capacitor
• Backend: Node.js + Supabase or Firebase
• Database: PostgreSQL or Firestore
• File storage: S3 or Supabase Storage

Cost Breakdown

Traditional Agency Approach:

• Discovery & wireframes: 2 weeks → £8,000-£12,000
• Design: 2-3 weeks → £10,000-£15,000
• iOS development: 6-8 weeks → £36,000-£48,000
• Android development: 6-8 weeks → £36,000-£48,000
• Backend development: 4-6 weeks → £24,000-£36,000
• Testing: 2 weeks → £8,000-£12,000
• Total: £122,000-£171,000 | Timeline: 22-29 weeks

Precode MVP Sprint Approach:

• Week 1: Discovery, PRD, complete UX design → £12,500
• Week 2: Web app + iOS/Android (React Native) → £12,500
• Total: £25,000 | Timeline: 2 weeks

Key cost drivers:

Native app development (Swift + Kotlin) costs more than cross-platform (React Native/Expo):

• Native approach: Build everything twice → 2x development time
• Cross-platform approach: Single codebase → 90% code reuse

For MVPs, cross-platform makes sense. You can always rebuild native later if validation succeeds.

When Mobile Development Costs More

Certain features increase costs significantly:

• Complex animations: +20-40% development time
• Real-time features (messaging, live updates): +30-50%
• Offline-first architecture: +40-60%
• Bluetooth/hardware integration: +100-200%
• AR/VR features: +200-400%
• Custom camera/video processing: +50-100%

For an MVP, strip these out or use the simplest implementation possible.

Add-On Costs

If you need to launch on app stores:

App Store Assets Package - £3,000

• Screenshots for iOS and Android (all required sizes)
• App descriptions (short and long)
• Keyword research and optimisation
• Preview video
• App icons (all sizes)
• App Store Connect and Play Console setup
• Submission assistance

Important: Apple and Google require a website with Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Account Deletion pages for app submission. If you don't have a website, you'll need the Marketing Website package below.

Marketing Website - £5,000 (required for app store submission if you don't have one)

• Homepage design and development (Webflow)
• Privacy Policy page (required by Apple/Google)
• Terms of Service page (required by Apple/Google)
• Account Deletion page (required by Apple for apps with accounts)
• Contact/Support page
• Copy written for all pages
• Basic SEO setup
• Mobile responsive
• Managed hosting: +£25/month (optional)
• Blog/CMS setup: +£1,500 (optional)

Branding Package - £5,000

• Logo design (primary and variations)
• Brand colour palette
• Typography system
• Brand guidelines document
• Social media profile images

Book a free discovery call to discuss your mobile app.

Marketplace Platforms

Examples: Airbnb-style booking, freelance marketplaces, rental platforms, appointment booking with providers

What You Get

Core features:

• Two-sided authentication (buyers and sellers/providers)
• Listing creation and management
• Search and filtering
• Booking/transaction flow
• Payment processing (Stripe integration)
• Messaging between users
• Reviews and ratings
• Admin dashboard (basic)
• Email notifications

Technical stack:

• Frontend: React/Next.js
• Backend: Node.js + PostgreSQL
• Payments: Stripe Connect
• File storage: S3 or Cloudflare R2

Cost Breakdown

Traditional Agency Approach:

• Discovery & requirements: 2-3 weeks → £10,000-£18,000
• ‍
• Design: 3-4 weeks → £15,000-£24,000
• Development: 12-16 weeks → £72,000-£96,000
• Payment integration: 1-2 weeks → £6,000-£12,000
• Testing: 2 weeks → £8,000-£12,000
• Total: £111,000-£162,000 | Timeline: 20-27 weeks

Precode Approach:

• Week 1: Discovery, PRD, UX design → £12,500
• Week 2-3: Core marketplace development → £25,000
• Week 4: Payment integration and testing → £12,500
• Total: £50,000 | Timeline: 4 weeks

Why marketplaces cost more:

• Two user types = 2x the flows to design and build
• Payment processing requires security compliance
• Matching algorithms add complexity
• Trust features (reviews, verification) take time
• Admin tools for managing both sides

Real Costs of Marketplace Features

Essential (included in MVP):

• Listing creation: £3,000-£5,000
• Search and filters: £4,000-£6,000
• Basic booking flow: £5,000-£8,000
• Stripe payment integration: £6,000-£8,000
• Basic messaging: £4,000-£6,000

Nice-to-have (save for post-MVP):

• Advanced search (map-based, AI-powered): £8,000-£15,000
• Instant messaging with notifications: £8,000-£12,000
• Video calls: £10,000-£18,000
• Multi-currency support: £5,000-£8,000
• Dispute resolution system: £8,000-£12,000

Book a free discovery call to discuss your marketplace platform.

AI-Powered Applications

Examples: ChatGPT-style interfaces, document processing, recommendation engines, content generation, AI assistants

What You Get

Core features:

• User authentication
• AI model integration (OpenAI, Anthropic, or custom models)
• Input handling (text, documents, images)
• Processing and result display
• Usage tracking and rate limiting
• Credit/token system
• API integration
• Prompt management
• Basic fine-tuning or RAG implementation

Technical stack:

• Frontend: React/Next.js
• Backend: Python (FastAPI) + Node.js
• AI: OpenAI API, Anthropic Claude, or Hugging Face
• Vector database: Pinecone or Supabase pgvector
• Database: PostgreSQL

Cost Breakdown

Traditional Agency Approach:

• Discovery & AI strategy: 2-3 weeks → £10,000-£18,000
• Design: 2 weeks → £10,000-£15,000
• AI integration and testing: 4-6 weeks → £24,000-£36,000
• Frontend development: 4-6 weeks → £24,000-£36,000
• Backend development: 4-6 weeks → £24,000-£36,000
• Testing and optimisation: 2 weeks → £8,000-£12,000
• Total: £100,000-£153,000 | Timeline: 18-25 weeks

Precode Approach:

• Week 1: Discovery, AI strategy, UX design → £12,500
• Week 2: Core AI integration and interface → £12,500
• Week 3: RAG/fine-tuning and refinement → £12,500
• Total: £37,500 | Timeline: 3 weeks

What drives AI app costs:

Using existing APIs (OpenAI, Claude):

• Faster development (2-3 weeks possible)
• Lower upfront cost
• Ongoing API costs (variable)
• Less control over model behaviour

Fine-tuning or RAG:

• Requires data preparation: +1-2 weeks
• Testing and optimisation: +1-2 weeks
• Better results for specific use cases
• Potentially lower ongoing costs

Training custom models:

• Don't do this for an MVP
• Costs start at £50,000+ just for model development
• Requires significant data and ML expertise
• Only makes sense post-validation

AI MVP Cost Gotchas

1. API costs aren't included in development

If you're using OpenAI or Claude:

• Budget £500-£2,000/month for testing
• Budget £2,000-£10,000/month for early production use
• Costs scale with usage

2. Quality data is expensive

If you need to fine-tune:

• Data collection: £5,000-£20,000
• Data labelling: £0.10-£2.00 per label
• Expect to need 500-5,000 labelled examples

3. Vector databases add costs

• Pinecone: £70/month minimum
• Supabase pgvector: Free tier available
• Weaviate self-hosted: Infrastructure costs

Add-On Costs for AI Apps

Analytics Package - £1,500

• PostHog integration
• Event tracking for AI interactions
• Conversion funnels
• Custom dashboards
• Usage monitoring

Email Marketing Setup - £2,500

• Welcome sequence (3-5 emails)
• Transactional templates
• Email service provider setup
• Lead magnet creation
• Basic automation flows

Book a free discovery call to discuss your AI application.

Complex SaaS Products

Examples: Multi-tenant platforms, enterprise features, advanced workflows, team collaboration tools

What You Get

Core features:

• Multi-tenancy (organisation/team structure)
• Role-based access control (RBAC)
• Advanced user management
• Complex business logic
• Integration APIs
• Advanced reporting
• Team collaboration features
• Audit logs
• Billing and subscription management

Technical stack:

• Frontend: React/Next.js
• Backend: Node.js or Python
• Database: PostgreSQL (with row-level security)
• Payments: Stripe Billing
• Auth: Custom RBAC implementation

Cost Breakdown

Traditional Agency Approach:

• Discovery & architecture: 3-4 weeks → £18,000-£24,000
• Design: 3-4 weeks → £18,000-£24,000
• Development: 16-24 weeks → £96,000-£144,000
• Integration and testing: 3-4 weeks → £18,000-£24,000
• Total: £150,000-£216,000 | Timeline: 25-36 weeks

Precode Approach:

• Phase 1: Core single-tenant MVP → £50,000 (4 weeks)
• Phase 2: Multi-tenancy and RBAC → £25,000 (2 weeks)
• Phase 3: Enterprise features → £25,000 (2 weeks)
• Total: £100,000 | Timeline: 8 weeks

Why we split it up:

Complex SaaS products shouldn't be built as one big MVP. The risk is too high.

Better approach:

1. Validate core workflow first (4 weeks, £50K)
   • Build single-tenant version
   • Focus on main user problem
   • Test with 10-20 beta users
   • Make sure people will actually pay for this
2. Add multi-tenancy after validation (2 weeks, £25K)
   • Refactor for organisations/teams
   • Add basic RBAC
   • Set up billing
3. Layer in enterprise features (2 weeks, £25K)
   • SSO integration
   • Advanced permissions
   • Audit logs
   • API access

This approach means you're not spending £100K on something that might not work.

What Makes SaaS Complex (And Expensive)

Multi-tenancy adds 40-60% to development:

• Data isolation architecture
• Organisation management
• Team member invites
• Permission systems
• Billing per organisation

Enterprise features add 50-100%:

• SSO integration (SAML, OAuth): £8,000-£15,000
• Advanced RBAC: £10,000-£18,000
• Audit logging: £5,000-£8,000
• API access with rate limiting: £8,000-£12,000
• Webhooks: £5,000-£8,000

For MVP: Build single-tenant first

Most complex SaaS starts with individual users or small teams. Add enterprise features only after validation proves the core value proposition works.

Book a free discovery call to discuss your SaaS platform.

Hidden Costs Traditional Agencies Don't Mention

1. Revision Rounds

Traditional agencies quote "2 revision rounds" which sounds reasonable. Here's what actually happens:

• Week 1-2: Agency designs something
• Week 3: You request revisions
• Week 4: Agency makes some changes
• Week 5: You request more revisions
• Week 6: Agency pushes back, calls them "out of scope"
• Week 7: You pay extra for "additional revisions"

Hidden cost: £5,000-£15,000 in "scope creep"

Our approach: Fixed scope, daily check-ins, no revision rounds needed because you're involved throughout.

2. Project Management Overhead

Agencies charge 10-20% for "project management."

On a £100K project, that's £10,000-£20,000 for:

• Status update emails you don't need
• Weekly meetings where nothing happens
• Gantt charts that are wrong by week 2
• Jira tickets you'll never look at

Our approach: Lightweight daily standups, end-of-day prototypes you can actually test. No PM overhead charges.

3. The "Technical Architecture" Phase

Some agencies charge £10,000-£25,000 for a "technical architecture document" before starting development.

For an MVP, this is overkill. You need:

• Database schema
• API structure
• Basic deployment plan

That's 2 days of work, not 2 weeks.

4. Post-Launch "Stabilisation"

Agencies often quote the build cost, then add 2-4 weeks of "stabilisation" at full rate after launch.

Translation: "We might have bugs, and you're paying us to fix them."

What this actually costs: £12,000-£24,000

Our approach: Testing happens during development. Launch means launch, not "launch into extended debugging phase."

5. Knowledge Transfer

Some agencies charge £5,000-£10,000 to "hand over the codebase" and "train your team."

This should be included. If the code is well-documented and the architecture is sensible, you don't need a 3-day handover workshop.

Ongoing Costs After Your MVP Launches

Building the MVP is just the start. Here's what you'll pay after launch:

Essential Ongoing Costs

Infrastructure and hosting:

• Small MVP (< 1,000 users): £50-£200/month
• Growing product (1,000-10,000 users): £200-£800/month
• Scaled product (10,000+ users): £800-£3,000+/month

Typical stack costs:

• Vercel/Netlify hosting: £20-£100/month
• Database (Supabase/PlanetScale): £25-£100/month
• File storage (S3/Cloudflare R2): £10-£50/month
• Authentication service: £25-£100/month
• Monitoring (Sentry): £25/month
• Analytics (PostHog): £0-£50/month

API costs (if using AI):

• OpenAI: £0.002-£0.06 per 1K tokens
• Anthropic Claude: £0.003-£0.015 per 1K tokens
• Budget £500-£2,000/month for moderate use

Optional Ongoing Services

Development support:

On-Demand: £200/hour

• No commitment
• Pay only for hours used
• Perfect for occasional updates, bug fixes, and small features

Monthly Retainers:

• Starter: 10 hours/month - £1,600 (£160/hour effective rate)
• Growth: 20 hours/month - £3,000 (£150/hour effective rate)
• Scale: 40 hours/month - £5,600 (£140/hour effective rate)

Retainers include priority scheduling, faster response times, rollover hours (with limits), and better planning alignment. Save 20-30% versus hourly rates.

Book a free discovery call to discuss ongoing support.

Complete Launch Package Pricing

Bundled Launch Packages

If you need everything for a public launch, bundled packages save you money:

Launch Ready Package - £10,000 (save £200)

• Branding Package (£5,000)
• App Store Assets (£3,000)
• Social Media Setup (£1,200)

Note: This package does not include a website. Apple and Google require a website with Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Account Deletion pages for app submission. Consider the Go-To-Market Package below (which includes the Marketing Website) or add the Marketing Website separately for £5,000.

Go-To-Market Package - £16,500 (save £3,200)

• Everything in Launch Ready plus:
• Marketing Website (£5,000)
• Email Marketing Setup (£2,500)
• Content Starter Pack (£3,000)

Premium Launch Package - £22,000 (save £1,200)

• Everything in Go-To-Market plus:
• AI Video Content Package (£2,000)
• Analytics & Tracking (£1,500)

Individual Add-On Services

Branding Package - £5,000

• Logo design (primary and variations)
• Brand colour palette (5 colours with hex/RGB values)
• Typography system (heading and body fonts)
• Brand guidelines document (PDF)
• Social media profile images

Marketing Website - £5,000

• Homepage design and development (Webflow)
• Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Account Deletion pages
• Contact/Support page
• Copy written for all pages
• Basic SEO setup
• Mobile responsive
• Managed hosting: +£25/month (optional)
• Blog/CMS setup: +£1,500 (optional)

App Store Assets - £3,000

• iOS App Store screenshots (all required sizes)
• Android Play Store screenshots (all required sizes)
• App icons (all sizes)
• App descriptions (short and long)
• Keyword research and optimisation
• Preview video (screen recording with captions)
• App Store Connect and Play Console setup assistance

Important: To submit apps to Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you must have a website with Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Account Deletion pages. If you don't have a website, you'll need the Marketing Website package above.

Social Media Setup - £1,200

• Account creation (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook)
• Profile images designed (all platforms)
• Cover/header images designed
• Bio copy written (optimised for each platform)
• 10 initial posts drafted (launch announcement, feature highlights)
• Scheduling setup (Buffer/Hootsuite)

Email Marketing Setup - £2,500

• Welcome email sequence (3-5 emails)
• Transactional email templates (receipt, password reset)
• Email service provider setup (Mailchimp/ConvertKit/SendGrid)
• Email list setup
• Lead magnet creation (PDF guide or checklist)
• Basic automation flows

Analytics & Tracking Package - £1,500

• PostHog complete setup
• Event tracking implementation
• Conversion funnels configured
• Custom dashboards
• Weekly analytics report template

Content Starter Pack - £3,000

• 3 blog posts (1,500+ words each)
• 1 case study (your MVP sprint experience)
• 10 social media posts
• Email announcement copy
• Press release template
• Product Hunt launch copy

AI Video Content Package - £2,000

• 10 short-form videos (15-60 seconds)
• AI-generated UGC-style content for social channels
• Platform-optimised formats (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts)
• Captions and hooks included

How to Reduce Your MVP Costs Without Compromising Quality

1. Strip Out "Nice to Have" Features

The biggest cost driver is feature creep.

Example: Building a booking platform

Essential features:

• Create listing
• Search listings
• Book listing
• Pay for booking

Nice to have (add later):

• Instant messaging
• Reviews and ratings
• Favourite/save listings
• Email reminders
• Calendar sync
• Advanced filters
• Map view

Each "nice to have" adds £3,000-£8,000 and 3-7 days.

For MVP: Build the simplest possible version that proves the concept. Add features after validation.

2. Use Existing Design Systems

Custom UI design adds 2-3 weeks and £10,000-£20,000.

Alternative approach:

• Start with Shadcn/UI, Chakra UI, or Material-UI
• Customise colours and typography
• Focus on user flows, not pixel-perfect custom components

Savings: £10,000-£15,000

You can always custom design later if the MVP validates.

3. Start Web-Only, Add Mobile Later

Native mobile apps double development time.

Better approach for most MVPs:

1. Build responsive web app (1-2 weeks)
2. Test with users on mobile browsers
3. Add React Native wrapper if validation succeeds (1 week)

Savings: £15,000-£30,000 and 4-8 weeks

4. Use Managed Services Instead of Building Custom

Don't build:

• Authentication system → Use Clerk or Supabase Auth
• Payment processing → Use Stripe Checkout
• Email system → Use Resend or SendGrid
• File uploads → Use Supabase Storage or Cloudflare R2

Why: These take 2-6 weeks each to build properly. Managed services work out of the box.

Savings: £20,000-£40,000 and 6-12 weeks

5. Deploy to Modern Platforms

Expensive approach:

• Set up AWS from scratch
• Configure EC2 instances
• Set up load balancers
• Configure auto-scaling
• Set up monitoring

Cost: £8,000-£15,000 just for deployment setup

Better approach:

• Deploy to Vercel, Railway, or Render
• Zero-config deployment
• Automatic scaling
• Built-in monitoring

Savings: £8,000-£15,000

How to Budget for Your MVP: Decision Framework

If You're Pre-Revenue (Bootstrapping)

Budget: £12,500-£37,500

Strategy:

• Start with Week 1 sprint only (£12,500)
• Get complete UX design and PRD
• Test with potential users
• Decide if you want to build it based on feedback
• Add Week 2 development only if validation is strong

Timeline: 1-2 weeks for validation, 1-2 weeks for build if you proceed

If You Have Pre-Seed Funding (£50K-£150K Raised)

Budget: £25,000-£50,000

Strategy:

• Full 2-week sprint for core MVP (£25,000)
• 1-2 add-on packages for launch (£3,000-£10,000)
• Keep 1-2 months of runway for ongoing development (£12,000-£24,000)

Timeline: 2-4 weeks to launch, 8-12 weeks to first traction

If You're Seed-Funded (£500K-£2M Raised)

Budget: £50,000-£100,000

Strategy:

• Full MVP sprint plus refinements (£37,500-£50,000)
• Complete launch package (£16,500-£22,000)
• 3-6 month development retainer (£18,000-£33,600)

Timeline: 4-6 weeks to launch, 12-24 weeks to product-market fit

If You're an Enterprise Innovation Team

Budget: £50,000-£150,000

Strategy:

• Proof of concept sprint (£25,000-£37,500)
• Test internally with 50-100 users
• Phase 2 development with enterprise features (£25,000-£50,000)
• Integration with existing systems (£25,000-£75,000)

Timeline: 8-16 weeks to internal launch, 16-32 weeks to full rollout

Warning Signs You're Being Overcharged

1. Quotes Over £150K for an MVP

Unless you're building something genuinely complex (marketplace with video calls and payment processing), £150K+ for an MVP is too much.

What they're probably including:

• 6+ months of post-launch development
• Full custom design for every screen
• Multiple revision rounds
• "Future-proofing" for scale you don't need
• Features you won't use for 12+ months

Red flag phrases:

• "We need to build it scalable from day one"
• "We recommend building the full roadmap so you don't have technical debt"
• "We should include [enterprise feature] just in case"

2. Timeline Over 16 Weeks

If building an MVP takes more than 4 months, you're not building an MVP.

What's happening:

• Feature creep
• Waterfall approach (design → build → test in sequence)
• Inefficient processes
• Padding the timeline

Reality check: Most MVPs can be designed, built, and launched in 2-8 weeks with the right process.

3. Charging for "Discovery" as a Separate Project

Some agencies charge £10,000-£25,000 for a "discovery phase" with no guarantee they'll build anything.

What you get:

• Requirements document
• Wireframes
• Maybe some user research
• Technical architecture document

What you should get:

• Discovery included in the build cost
• Working prototype at the end of week 1
• Option to stop before development if validation fails

4. Hourly Rates Over £250

UK agency rates typically range:

• Junior developers: £50-£100/hour
• Mid-level: £100-£150/hour
• Senior: £150-£200/hour
• Specialist (AI, blockchain, etc.): £200-£300/hour

If you're quoted £300-£500/hour for "senior" developers building a standard CRUD app, you're being overcharged.

Case Study: Real Cost Comparison

Project: Mobile CRM for small businesses

What it included:

• Native iOS and Android apps
• AI voice note transcription
• Automated quote generation
• Customer database
• Pipeline management
• Basic analytics
• User authentication
• Cloud sync

Traditional Agency Quote

Agency A (London-based, 20-person team):

• Discovery: 2 weeks → £12,000
• Design: 3 weeks → £18,000
• iOS development: 8 weeks → £48,000
• Android development: 8 weeks → £48,000
• Backend: 6 weeks → £36,000
• AI integration: 2 weeks → £12,000
• Testing: 2 weeks → £12,000
• Total: £186,000 | Timeline: 31 weeks

Agency B (Leeds-based, 10-person team):

• Discovery and design: 4 weeks → £20,000
• Development (native): 14 weeks → £84,000
• AI integration: 2 weeks → £12,000
• Testing: 2 weeks → £8,000
• Total: £124,000 | Timeline: 22 weeks

Precode Approach

What we actually delivered:

• Week 1: Discovery, PRD, complete UX design → £12,500
• Week 2: React Native app + backend + AI integration → £12,500
• Total: £25,000 | Timeline: 2 weeks

Why the massive difference?

1. Cross-platform instead of native: React Native means one codebase, not two
2. AI API instead of custom: Used OpenAI Whisper API, didn't build transcription from scratch
3. Modern stack: Supabase handled auth, database, and file storage - didn't build these
4. Fixed scope: No revision rounds, no scope creep, no project management overhead
5. Concurrent work: Design and development planning happened simultaneously

Result: Production-ready app in 2 weeks that traditional agencies quoted 5-7 months for.

Book a free discovery call to get a custom quote for your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I really build a production-ready MVP in 2 weeks?

Yes, if you:

• Have a clear vision of the core problem you're solving
• Can make decisions quickly during the sprint
• Don't try to build everything at once
• Use modern development tools and frameworks

We've delivered 50+ MVPs in 2-week sprints. It works when scope is fixed and the process is disciplined.

What if I need changes after the sprint?

We offer ongoing support on an hourly basis (£200/hour) or through monthly retainers (starting at £1,600/month for 10 hours).

Most clients need 5-10 hours per month in the first 3 months post-launch for small tweaks and bug fixes.

How much does it cost to maintain an MVP?

Infrastructure: £50-£800/month depending on usage
Development support: £200-£5,600/month depending on how much help you need
API costs (if using AI): £500-£2,000/month

Budget £1,000-£3,000/month for the first 6 months post-launch.

Can you build [specific complex feature]?

Maybe, but probably not in the MVP.

Complex features like real-time collaboration, video calls, blockchain integration, or custom ML models should be added post-validation. They add 4-12 weeks and £20,000-£80,000 to the cost.

Do you offer payment plans?

For 2-week sprints (£25,000): 50% upfront, 50% on completion.

For longer projects (£37,500+): We can split into milestones with payment on delivery of each phase.

Do I need a website to submit my app to the App Store?

Yes. Both Apple and Google require:

• Privacy Policy page (mandatory)
• Terms of Service page (mandatory)
• Account Deletion page (mandatory for apps with user accounts)
• Support/Contact page (recommended)

These must be publicly accessible web pages, not PDFs or in-app text. Our Marketing Website package (£5,000) includes all required pages with professionally written copy that meets Apple and Google requirements.

If you already have a website, we can add these pages for £1,500-£2,000.

What if I already have designs?

If you have complete, production-ready designs:

• We can skip the design phase
• Focus the first week on technical planning and PRD
• Reduces total cost by approximately £5,000-£7,500

Can I hire you to build just the backend or just the frontend?

Yes. We can work on specific parts of your stack:

• Backend only: £12,500-£18,000 for 1-2 weeks
• Frontend only: £12,500-£18,000 for 1-2 weeks
• Mobile wrapper for existing web app: £6,000-£12,500 for 1 week

Do you work with non-technical founders?

Absolutely. Most of our clients are non-technical founders.

We handle:

• Translating your vision into technical requirements
• Making technology decisions (what framework, which database, etc.)
• Explaining trade-offs in plain English
• Setting up hosting and deployment
• Showing you how to make simple content changes

What happens if the MVP doesn't work out?

That's the point of building an MVP - to find out quickly and cheaply.

If your MVP doesn't validate, you've spent £25,000 and 2 weeks, not £120,000 and 6 months.

You can then:

• Pivot to a different approach
• Refine the concept based on user feedback
• Decide to pursue a different idea entirely

The goal is fast, cheap validation - not building the perfect product on the first try.

Ready to Build Your MVP?

Stop wasting time with bloated agency quotes and 6-month timelines.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call and we'll:

• Review your product idea
• Identify the core features needed for validation
• Give you an honest assessment of cost and timeline
• Show you examples of similar builds we've delivered

Book your free discovery call

What to prepare before the call:

• Brief description of your product idea (what problem does it solve?)
• Target users (who will use this?)
• Core features (what must it do to prove the concept?)
• Any existing designs or wireframes (if you have them)
• Your timeline and budget constraints

No sales pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether we're the right fit for your project.

Bottom Line

Real MVP costs in 2025:

• Simple SaaS dashboard: £25,000-£37,500 | 2-3 weeks
• Mobile-first app: £25,000-£37,500 | 2-3 weeks
• Marketplace platform: £50,000-£75,000 | 4-6 weeks
• AI-powered app: £37,500-£62,500 | 3-5 weeks
• Complex SaaS: £50,000-£100,000 | 4-8 weeks

Add for launch:

• Branding: £5,000
• Marketing website: £5,000-£6,500 (required for app store submission)
• App Store assets: £3,000
• Launch packages: £10,000-£22,000 (Note: Launch Ready doesn't include website)

Ongoing costs:

• Infrastructure: £50-£800/month
• Development support: £200/hour or £1,600-£5,600/month retainer
• API costs: £500-£2,000/month (if using AI)

Traditional agencies will quote 2-5x these amounts and take 3-8x longer.

The difference? Modern tools, fixed scope, and a process that actually works.

Get your custom quote and find out exactly what your MVP will cost.

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