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MVP Cost - A Buyer's Guide

Why one MVP costs 10k
and another costs 100k.

MVP is not a defined unit of work, so quotes vary wildly for what looks like the same thing. This is a buyer's guide to what actually drives the cost, where cheap gets expensive, and how to compare quotes that are not comparable. For our own numbers, see the pricing page.

See our fixed pricing →

What moves the cost

The five things
behind any MVP price.

Prototype or production software

A clickable prototype with no real backend is a fraction of the cost of working software with auth, a database, and deployment. Many cheap quotes are quietly for the former. They are not the same product, and not a fair comparison.

Who actually builds it

Junior or offshore hours are cheap per hour and expensive in rework, missed architecture, and management overhead. Senior delivery costs more per hour and usually less in total, because the thing is built right the first time.

Scope and complexity

One user type or several. A simple workflow or real-time and approval logic. Web only or mobile too. An admin panel or none. Each is a real cost driver, and the single most common reason one quote dwarfs another.

Ownership and stack

A no-code build you rent forever, or real code you own outright. The cheaper-looking no-code option carries a recurring cost and a ceiling. Owned code on a mainstream stack costs more up front and protects you after.

Fixed price or hourly

An hourly quote is an open question, not a price, and the risk of overrun sits with you. A fixed price puts that risk on the builder, which is only possible when the work has been scoped properly first.

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Reading a quote

How to compare
numbers that do not match.

Ask what is delivered

Real code or a prototype. Deployed to production or a demo. The answer can explain a 5x price gap on its own.

Ask who owns it

If you do not own the code outright, the low price has a recurring tail you have not been shown.

Ask about the stack

Mainstream and hireable, or proprietary and locked. The stack decides your freedom after launch.

Ask fixed or hourly

Hourly is a starting point that can double. Fixed is a commitment. Only one of them is actually a price.

Ask who builds it

Senior delivery or junior hours behind a polished sales front. This is often the real difference under two similar numbers.

Our position

Where Wall & Fifth
sits on this.

MVP Build

From 16,000 GBP

Production software, owned by you, senior-led, fixed price, 8-week delivery. Not a prototype and not junior hours. See the pricing page for the full breakdown of both tiers.

Not the cheapest

By design

We are not competing with no-code assemblies or offshore hours on price. We compete on building something you do not have to rebuild in a year. The full cost of cheap usually lands later.

Common questions

Before you get in touch.

How much does an MVP cost?

Genuine builds range from roughly 10,000 to over 100,000 GBP: freelancer and offshore at the low end, agencies in the middle, large studios at the top. The spread is driven by scope, seniority, and whether it is real software or a prototype. We build fixed-price from 16,000 GBP.

Why do quotes vary so much?

MVP is not a defined unit of work. One quote is a clickable prototype, another production software with auth, billing, and deployment. One is junior offshore hours, another senior local delivery. The numbers mean nothing until you compare what they include.

Is a cheaper MVP false economy?

Often. A cheap no-code or junior build frequently has to be rebuilt within a year once it hits a ceiling on cost, performance, or control. The headline saving is paid back with interest. Cheap is only cheap if you never need to scale.

What is the realistic floor?

For genuine production software, owned by you and built to scale, the floor is in the mid five figures. Below that you are usually buying a prototype, a no-code assembly, or junior offshore time, each with a cost that lands later.

How do I read a quote properly?

Ask what is delivered, who owns it, what stack, whether it is deployed to production, and whether the price is fixed or hourly. Two quotes are only comparable once you know they are for the same thing, which they rarely are.

How much does it cost to build an MVP?

Building an MVP typically costs from roughly £10,000 to over £100,000, depending on scope, who builds it, and whether it is real production software or a prototype. We build MVPs fixed-price from £16,000, with the full codebase owned by you.

How long does it take to build an MVP?

A focused MVP typically takes around eight weeks, and a larger build eight to ten, when scope is tight and senior people do the work. Timelines slip most often when scope grows mid-build or a junior team needs rework.

How much should I spend on an MVP?

Enough to get real, owned production software that proves your core idea, and no more. For most founders that is the mid five figures: enough to avoid a rebuild within a year, not so much that you fund features before validating demand.

What are your actual prices?

Two fixed tiers from 16,000 GBP, with the full breakdown on our pricing page. This page is the general buyer's guide; the pricing page is our specific numbers and what each tier includes.

See exactly what we charge.

See our fixed pricing →