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How much does it cost to build an MVP

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Cabot Technology Solutions
How much does it cost to build an MVP

As an entrepreneur, you have to bring your ideas to life. You have to develop a product. However, by creating a full-fledged product, you might realize that there are similar products in the market already. Your customers may feel that they no longer need your product. The time, effort, and cost spent in developing a full-fledged product go to waste. So, you have to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

The advantage of building an MVP is that it saves a lot of time and cost to validate the product idea. The MVP:

  • A set of minimalistic working features that the early adopters can use
  • Should be developed so that it validates the main product idea
  • Let the customers give feedback based on their needs.
  • Should have the prioritized product features that perform the core actions of your product.
  • The company begins modifying the product based on the features and develop the product.

The MVP benefits the startups to save costs. They include

  • Cut costs because of only a few essential features
  • Shorter go to market time
  • Minimizes risks as the company can pivot if the market does not accept the MVP
  • Validates the product idea faster

Now, let us talk about the cost it would take to build out an MVP. The word MVP might sound simple, but the price of developing the MVP would be high. The MVP is different from a prototype. The customers will use the MVP and decide whether they want to buy the product when it is ready, or they will give feedback based on what they experience. Hence it would help if you did proper planning before deciding what needs to build an MVP.

 

Factors affecting MVP development cost

 

1.Number of features and complexity

The cost to develop the MVP depends on the type of features that goes into the app. The price is also proportionate to the complexities o the features. The prioritization in terms of what components need to go into the MVP is an important step. It will be tempting to add all the features or add the features you are thinking about. However, you will have to plan it from the customer's point of view and make it minimalistic. The cost of developing an MVP will also come down. You can prioritize the features based on Must have Vs. Nice to have and include only those essential features

 

2.Design cost

The design constitutes a good portion of the MVP. The design and UI is the first thing that catches a customer's attention. The customer is not necessarily looking at your solution. The customers are happy with what they are doing right now. You are convincing the customer to use the MVP and give you feedback. The customer will choose to use it only when they like what they see. A good design with the proper persona mapping and the user flow will cost more than a standard UI.

 

3.Technologies used

The technology to be used in the MVP is another critical factor in the cost. The cost is directly proportional to the developer's cost based on the latest technologies to legacy technologies. The cost varies based on how easy it is to develop functionalities using specific technologies. The cost will also increase based on the support you would require once the MVP is developed.  

 

4.Time taken to build an MVP

The cost is also proportional to the time it takes to build the functionalities required for the MVP development. The re-usable components, the drag and drop functionalities help in reducing the time that it brings. The cost anywhere is between $20 to $25 an hour for a developer in a low-cost location. The cost will be around $100 to $150 an hour for a developer in a high-cost location. You would also require a full stack development team that will be anywhere between 3 to 4 developers. The time that it takes to develop an MVP will be around three months. 

 

Who is developing the MVP – Outsourcing / In-house?

 

You have two choices. You can either hire a team to do the entire development in-house, or you can outsource the work to another software development company. The software development company can be in your location or be in a low-cost location . Let us examine the cases separately.

 

1.Inhouse team

Hiring an in-house team has its advantages. The founding team can spend the time with the dedicated team and give them instant inputs on the questions the team would have. The in-house teams will develop the applications robust because of the constant interactions. The domain knowledge of the team will also increase. However, it takes a lot of time to locate these resources, interview them, offer them, onboard them, and train them. The founding team also loses focus on the business as they have to manage the team. The salary component will alone be anywhere between $60 to $100 an hour. You would need to add the other costs and tax components to house the team in your organization.

 

2.Freelancers

Freelancers are the cost-effective ways to start building an MVP. They are plenty in number, they moonlight and work in flexible time. They charge very little compared to the software development companies. They can double up on weekends and get the job done fast. With all the pluses towards them, there are enough negatives. The freelancers might take more time to develop, may not have the domain knowledge and may not adhere to a process, and finally may not be that committed to the project all the time. The cost of a freelancer will be anywhere between $30 to $60 an hour.

 

3.The outsourced entity in a low-cost country

This option is a combination of the best of both worlds. The software development company in a low-cost country comes in with the cost of the freelancers. The company also comes in with the ability to adopt a process and have proper documentation. You will be able to re-use or modify the MVP at a later stage. The dedicated software development teams that are hired from the company is the best option because it has a reputation to worry about. The cost per developer will be anywhere between $15 to $30 an hour.  

 

Conclusion

MVP is a critical part of your product development initiative. You will need to watch out for the cost but not compromising on the quality or the features. You will need to spend time researching the market, the competitors and prioritizing the features. You will have to do the due diligence and select the correct type of team you would want on board. The MVP can make or break your business or the chances of funding. So, do not mind the cost if it has to be high but do not rush into developing an MVP with half efforts. The cost can vary anywhere between $5000 up to $75000 depending on the features and the complexity you build into the scope.

 

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