How much will your MVP actually cost?
Ideas2IT’s 2026 cost guide puts a startup MVP at $5,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on how complex it is.
Our calculator sizes your own feature list in engineering days, with a timeline in weeks and a milestone plan. It takes a few minutes and it’s free. You see your total and timeline without giving us your email.
What MVPs cost in 2026: industry estimates
These ranges come from Ideas2IT’s 2026 MVP cost guide (checked 29 September 2026). They are third-party estimates, not First Mate’s prices. Use them to sanity-check quotes from agencies and freelancers. The calculator further down works in engineering days and weeks for your own feature list.
Simple MVP
A basic app built around one workflow, usually to find out whether anyone wants the idea before you spend more on it.
Standard MVP
A SaaS or B2B product with sign-in, a real data model, a few workflows and some integrations.
Complex MVP
Products with AI features or custom workflows, where more of the budget goes into data work, testing and edge cases.
The same guide says privacy and industry compliance rules add 10 to 40% to a budget, and generative AI features like RAG, chat or copilots add 15 to 30% for data prep, evaluation and guardrails.
More sourced MVP cost figures on our startup statistics page →
What you get
Your scope, in engineering days
One total for the features you select, shown as soon as you finish. Share your email to see how the days split across each feature.
A timeline in weeks
A range in weeks, set by how soon you need to launch, so you can plan your runway around it.
A milestone plan + PDF
Your build split into milestones with the weeks for each, shown right away. A PDF copy to send a co-founder or investor needs your email, and First Mate may contact you about the estimate.
How the MVP cost estimate is built
How the features you pick turn into an engineering-day estimate, a timeline and a milestone plan.
- 1
Pick the features your MVP actually needs
You choose from a checklist of real product features, like sign-in, payments, an admin dashboard and AI-powered search.
- 2
Each feature has a day estimate
Every feature on the list has a day value for a simple, standard and complex version. First Mate's engineering team set these as starting estimates. They help you plan, and they are not a quote.
- 3
We add a buffer for the unknowns
Every project runs into something nobody scoped up front: an edge case, a third-party API that misbehaves, a design change. The estimate adds a buffer for that, because a number worked out before the build starts is never exact.
- 4
Effort as one number, time as a range
Your effort comes out as a single figure in engineering days, with the buffer already included. Your timeline is a range in weeks: the likely finish, and a later date in case the build slips.
- 5
How soon you need it sets the calendar
The same scope takes longer with a smaller team than a larger one. The sooner you need to launch, the more engineers we put on it, and the calculator adjusts your weeks to match. The engineering days stay the same.
What your result looks like
| Milestone | Week | Working days |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation & core | Week 1 | 5 |
| Feature build | Week 2 | 5 |
| Hardening & launch | Week 3 | 5 |
Example: a web app with Google sign-in, one-off payments and an admin screen, launching soon but not urgently. 30.5 engineering days, finished in 3 to 4 weeks. Working days count days on the calendar, with engineers working in parallel. Yours is built from the features you select.
What drives the cost
Four factors move an MVP budget the most: feature scope, complexity, AI involvement, and who’s building it. Rates vary widely by team and location, so two quotes for the same scope can land far apart.
- Feature scope
- The more features you select, the more engineering days stack up. This is the single biggest lever in your estimate.
- Complexity
- A complex version of a feature, such as custom permissions, real-time sync or a multi-step workflow, takes much longer than a simple list-and-form screen. The calculator lets you pick simple, standard or complex on the features where it makes a difference.
- AI features
- Search, recommendations, or LLM-powered features add data-pipeline and evaluation work on top of the feature itself, not just an API call.
- Team & location
- Who builds it and where they're based changes your cost basis. The calculator doesn't ask about location. It only asks how soon you need to launch, which changes the weeks and leaves the engineering days the same.
Curious how team location changes the math? See how Filipino developer costs compare →
Want proof this timeline is realistic? See how we shipped a production MVP in days with an AI agent team →
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MVP cost calculator: FAQ
How accurate is an MVP cost calculator?
Only as accurate as the numbers behind it. Each feature in ours has a day value set by First Mate's engineering team as a starting estimate, and we add a buffer for the surprises every project runs into. Use the result to plan and to compare quotes. It is not a quote itself: a firm price needs a scoping conversation, and anyone offering a fixed price before one is guessing.
How much does it cost to build an MVP in 2026?
Ideas2IT's 2026 cost guide (checked 29 September 2026) puts a startup MVP at about $5,000 to $150,000 or more. These are market figures, not First Mate's prices. Our calculator sizes the features you pick in engineering days and weeks, which gives you something concrete to hold any quote against.
What's included in the estimate?
Without signing up, you see your total effort in engineering days, a timeline range in weeks based on how soon you need to launch, and a milestone plan. If you share your email, you also get the per-feature day breakdown and a PDF copy you can send to a co-founder or investor. Sharing your email means First Mate may contact you about your estimate.
Do I need a technical co-founder to use this?
No. You pick product features described in plain language, like signing in with Google or taking payments, and the calculator does the sizing. If nobody on your team is technical yet, a product-minded engineering partner can fill that gap.
How long does an MVP actually take?
It depends on the features you pick and how soon you need to launch. Examples from the calculator (as fast as possible / soon but not urgent):
- Web app, starting features: 2 to 3 weeks / 3 to 4 weeks
- Native mobile app, starting features: 3 to 4 weeks / 4 to 5 weeks
- SaaS with subscriptions, an AI feature and an admin dashboard: 3 to 4 weeks / 4 to 5 weeks
- Marketplace with payments, payouts, search and an AI feature: 3 to 4 weeks / 5 to 7 weeks
Your result depends on what you pick.
What happens after I get my estimate?
Your engineering days, timeline and milestones show on screen straight away. To unlock the per-feature breakdown and the PDF, you fill in a short form: your name, email, funding stage and whether you have a technical co-founder, plus a box agreeing that First Mate can contact you about the estimate. Any email address works, except a throwaway inbox. When you submit, our team is notified, the breakdown unlocks on the page, you can download the PDF there, and we email you a copy. Nobody books a call for you. If you want one, you can book it from your result page.
Ready to scope your MVP?
Pick your features and get your scope in engineering days, a timeline in weeks, and a milestone plan. It takes a few minutes.
Prefer to talk first? Reach out directly →