How Much Does MVP Development Cost in 2025? Complete Breakdown
"How much will my MVP cost?" It's the first question every founder asks—and the answer is frustratingly complex. But after building 50+ MVPs, we've learned to cut through the noise. Here's the real breakdown.
The TL;DR: MVP Cost Ranges in 2025
These ranges assume you're working with an experienced development team (not freelancers) and building a production-ready product (not a prototype).
What Actually Affects MVP Cost?
1. Complexity of Core Features
The biggest cost driver. A simple CRUD app costs less than a real-time marketplace with matching algorithms. Some examples:
- Low complexity: Landing page with waitlist, basic SaaS dashboard, content management
- Medium complexity: User auth + payments, booking systems, basic e-commerce
- High complexity: Real-time features, AI/ML integration, two-sided marketplaces
2. Platform Requirements
Building for web only? That's the cheapest. Add mobile and costs go up:
- Web app only: Baseline cost
- Web + React Native mobile: +40-60% more
- Web + Native iOS + Native Android: +100-150% more
Our recommendation: Start with web. If mobile is essential, use React Native (one codebase for both platforms).
3. Third-Party Integrations
Every integration adds cost and complexity. Stripe is straightforward. Custom enterprise CRM integrations? Budget extra. AI APIs (OpenAI, Claude) have become commoditized—usually just 1-2 days of work now.
4. Design Requirements
Using a component library (like we do) with customization is faster and cheaper than custom designs from scratch. For MVPs, this is usually the right call—you can always refine the design once you have product-market fit.
The Hidden Costs Most Founders Miss
Beyond the build, budget for:
- Infrastructure: $50-500/month for hosting, databases, CDN
- Third-party services: Auth (Clerk/Auth0), analytics, error tracking
- Ongoing maintenance: $1K-5K/month for bug fixes, updates, minor features
- Post-launch iteration: Most MVPs need 2-3 iterations based on user feedback
How to Spend Smartly on Your MVP
Start With the Core Hypothesis
What's the ONE thing you need to prove? Build that. Everything else is distraction. We've seen founders save $30K+ by being disciplined about scope.
Choose Fixed Price Over Hourly
Hourly billing incentivizes your development team to take longer. Fixed price means you know exactly what you'll pay, and the team is motivated to be efficient. (Yes, this is how we work.)
Invest in Discovery
A proper discovery phase (even just a few hours) can save you from building the wrong thing. Most agencies skip this. Don't let them.
Plan for Post-Launch
Your MVP isn't the finish line—it's the starting line. Reserve 30-50% of your budget for iteration after you get user feedback.
Red Flags: When Pricing Is Too Low (or Too High)
Too Low (<$10K)
- •Probably offshore with communication issues
- •You'll get a prototype, not production code
- •Hidden costs will appear later
- •No ongoing support included
Too High (>$150K for MVP)
- •Scope creep disguised as "best practices"
- •Enterprise sales process, not startup-fit
- •Over-engineering for future scale you don't need
- •Hourly billing with no incentive to be efficient
Our Approach: Fixed Price, Fast Delivery, Guaranteed
At Pacific Software Ventures, we price based on outcomes, not hours. Our packages start at $15K for starter MVPs and go up to $75K for complex builds. Every project includes:
- Fixed price quoted upfront—no surprises
- 4-week delivery for standard MVPs
- 50% money-back if we miss the deadline
- 30 days of post-launch support included
- Full code ownership—it's yours
Get an Instant Estimate
Use our budget calculator to get a ballpark figure for your MVP in 60 seconds.