01 Cost guide · MVP
MVP development cost: how much does it cost to build an MVP?
MVP development cost is typically ₹8–15 lakh ($10,000–18,000) for a cross-platform MVP with one core flow, an admin panel and analytics. A simpler single-platform first version can cost ₹3–6 lakh. A 2–3 week Discovery Sprint (₹1.5–3 lakh) fixes the scope first. The core flow and its integrations move the price most.
A typical MVP from ₹8 lakh
03 The scope cut
What does an MVP include?
An MVP includes the design, build and launch of one core flow, an admin panel and analytics. Everything else waits until real users have tried that flow, because their behaviour, not a guess, should decide what comes second.
Example: a booking app. Version 1 has sign-up, booking, payment and an admin list; version 2 adds reviews, referral codes and more cities.
- The one flow a user must complete
- Login
- An admin panel
- Analytics
- Launch on the app stores
- Extra user roles
- Secondary flows
- Advanced settings
- Automations
- Extra integrations
How to decide: keep what the first paying user needs, and defer the rest. This cut, more than any rate, decides whether a first version sits at the low end of the MVP Launch range or near its top.
04 Timeline
Building an MVP: how long does it take?
On our MVP Launch package, building an MVP takes 8–14 weeks, after a 2–3 week Discovery Sprint. The sprint fixes the scope, so the build runs against a written plan instead of a guess. Plan a raise or a launch date around the whole span, sprint included.
- 2–3 weeks
Discovery Sprint
Workshops and user research end in a ranked feature list, wireframes, a clickable prototype and a build estimate.
- 8–14 weeks
Design, build and launch
The core flow, the admin panel and analytics are designed, built and launched against the agreed scope.
Measure
Analytics run from the first user, so the first weeks after launch show how people really use the flow.
Plan version two
What the analytics show decides which of the deferred features is built next.
How we run an MVP build is on MVP development, and every step of how we work is on our process page. Want a date for yours? Book a call.
05 Cost drivers
What drives MVP app cost?
The scope of the core flow drives MVP app cost most, then the outside services that flow depends on. Six things move a first version up or down its band.
The feature-by-feature table, with why each one adds cost, is in our app development cost guide. What AI costs to run each month is in the AI app development cost guide.
- Core-flow scope
- How many steps, screens and edge cases the one flow has. A flow with a buyer side and a seller side is really two flows.
- Integrations
- Payments, maps, identity checks (KYC) and messaging each bring their own set-up, fees and failure cases to build and test.
- Platforms
- Android, iOS, the web, or more than one: each platform adds testing on its own devices or browsers.
- Design depth
- Custom illustration and motion take longer than a clean layout on standard components; a first version can earn its custom design once the flow is proven.
- AI features
- Search, summaries or an assistant add ₹2–8 lakh to the build, plus a monthly bill for model usage.
- Compliance
- Rules on data, payments or health records add reviews, logging and documents, and cost less planned in than added later.
06 After launch
What does an MVP cost to run, and to grow?
Running an MVP costs 15–20% of its build cost a year in maintenance, plus hosting, store fees and any AI usage, each billed at cost.
Billed at cost, line by line
- Cloud hosting
- Apple and Google developer accounts
- Payments, maps and messaging services
- AI model usage, if the MVP has AI
What they usually cost
| Maintenance | 15–20% of the build cost a year |
|---|---|
| Cloud hosting | ₹2,000–40,000 a month, by scale |
| Apple developer account | $99 a year |
| Google Play developer account | $25 once |
| AI usage, low (under 5,000 conversations) | ₹3,000–15,000 a month |
Or grow it with a monthly team
Product Squad
A PM, a designer, 2–3 developers and QA, with weekly releases.
₹6–12 lakh a month
$7,000–14,000 a month
Growing past version one, the next version usually falls in the mid-complexity band of ₹15–30 lakh ($18,000–36,000), or runs as the monthly squad. Raising money for the MVP? Put the first year's running costs in the budget beside the build, so launch day is not the day the money runs out. Every package is on our pricing page.
08 FAQ