We build software for not quarters

MVP development

MVP development

Your MVP, live in three weeks — for $7,990: not a template with your logo on it, but custom code for your actual flow — built by a team, reviewed by a senior engineer and deployed to your own cloud, with the repository yours from the first commit.

What an MVP is and why it pays for itself

MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest version of your product that real people can actually use.

When an MVP is the right call

Almost always worth it — and especially when being wrong is expensive.

Signs you should start with an MVP

  • you have a product idea but no proof anyone will pay for it;
  • the budget is finite and a year of building for nobody would end it;
  • you need something working by a date: a pitch, a demo day, a conference;
  • the market moves fast and the niche will shift while you build the full version;
  • the team argues about features — users should settle it, not meetings;
  • agencies quoted the full product at $40,000+ and six months.
Signs to start with an MVP: the hypothesis is untested, the budget is capped, the product is needed by a date

Price

Prototype from $4,690 · MVP from $7,990

Timeline

Prototype 1 week · MVP 3 weeks

Payment

By milestone · 30% / 30% / 40%

What's included

What's inside MVP development

Six stages, from the hypothesis to the plan for version two:

  • Product analysis.
    Hypothesis, audience, flows: we decide what belongs in the core and what waits for version two.
  • Prototype.
    Clickable screens within days — testable with users and usable in a pitch before a line of code exists.
  • Building the core.
    Only the features that test the hypothesis, on a proven stack — no architecture built for a scale you haven't reached.
  • Metrics from day one.
    Event tracking, funnels, retention — the MVP answers in numbers, not impressions.
  • Launch and first users.
    Deployment, onboarding and feedback collection — the product meets the market.
  • The plan for version two.
    Based on what the MVP measured: what to double down on, what to drop, when to scale — a roadmap built on facts.
Formats

The MVPs we build

Four formats — from a mobile app to a funnel inside a messenger.

Mobile app MVP

A cross-platform app carrying the core value.

Faster and cheaper than native — enough to test demand.

Web product MVP

SaaS, portals, platforms: the product in a browser.

No store review queues and instant updates.

Marketplace MVP

A platform with a basic catalogue and the first suppliers.

Tests the niche before you invest in a full platform.

Bot or mini-app MVP

The fastest, cheapest format: a funnel inside a messenger instead of an app.

Custom-built — no website builders.

Comparison

Full product up front or an MVP

The economics side by side: what the same budget buys you.

What changes
All at oncethe full product
Iterativethe MVP approach
Time to first users
2–3 months
3 weeks
Budget before demand is proven
All of it — tens of thousands on an assumption
Minimal — the core only
Risk
Finding out nobody wants it a year later
Finding out in three weeks and pivoting
Features
Decided in meetings and specifications
Decided by what real users do
Growth
Expensive rework
Version two follows the metrics
Cost

What custom software MVP development

Prototype from $4,690; MVP Sprint $7,990 for three weeks. Agencies in this market quote $50–150 an hour and projects from $40,000. We fix the figure after the hypothesis review.

Prototype

$4,690

Clickable prototype of the key screens plus a landing page to test demand

1 week

MVP + iterations

$18,900

MVP plus 2–3 months of metric-driven iterations: monetisation, integrations, growth

2–3 months

Rescue an existing MVP

from $3,000

Audit and finishing of an existing MVP: fixes, integrations, stabilisation to release

in 3 weeks

What moves the price: the platform (web, mobile, bot), the number of integrations and how complex the core is.

Process

Process MVP development

Weekly sprints with a demo: the decision to continue is made on data, not hope.

  1. Hypothesis review — 2–3 days.
    What we're testing and with which metric; we cut the scope to the minimum that answers it. If the hypothesis can be tested before any development, start with customer interviews.
  2. Prototype — 3–5 days.
    Clickable screens: testable with people and usable with investors — before development starts.
  3. Building the core — 3 weeks.
    Only the features without which the hypothesis can't be tested.
  4. Launch and metrics.
    Deployment, tracking, first users: the product collects data instead of opinions.
  5. The decision, on data.
    Grow it, pivot or stop — decided by what the MVP measured.
Why us

Why founders choose us for Cast & Ship

The MVP is our default approach on most projects, not a service we invented for the website.

MVP in three weeks

The core of the product in front of users in three weeks — speed of testing is the whole point of the approach.

30–50% below market

AI on the code-writing share and senior review on every merge: $7,990 where agencies quote $40,000.

230+ projects in 17 years

We know which features a first version genuinely needs and which are 'we'll want it later' — and we won't let you pay for the second kind.

The code and the data are yours

100% of the rights to the code are yours by contract: the product can grow with us or with any other team — nothing is held hostage.

Industries

Industries we know

We build with the domain in mind — from fintech and retail to manufacturing and healthcare.

18 sectors

  • IT companies and digital agencies
  • Insurers and brokers
  • Lenders and microfinance
  • E-commerce
  • Wholesale and distribution
  • Manufacturing
  • Freight and forwarding
  • Clinics and medical centres
  • Dental
  • Car dealers and service centres
  • EdTech
  • Legal and consulting firms
  • Equipment rental
  • Real estate agencies
  • Property developers
  • Travel and events
  • Beauty and wellness
  • Construction and renovation
FAQ

Frequent questions about MVP development

How much does MVP development cost?

Prototype from $4,690, MVP Sprint $7,990, MVP with iterations from $18,900. Agencies in this market quote from $40,000.

How long does an MVP take?

Prototype 1 week, MVP three weeks. The market says 2–4 months; the speed comes from cutting scope hard, not from cutting quality.

What's in the MVP and what isn't?

In: up to three user flows, auth, payments where the model needs them, an admin panel, deployment and 30 days of support.

Will we have to rewrite the MVP when it grows?

The core is built on a proven stack so it extends: version two is growth, not a rewrite. A full replacement is rarely needed, and only after demand is proven.

How is an MVP different from a prototype?

A prototype is clickable screens with nothing behind them: good for testing the interface and for a pitch.

Could we just build it with a no-code tool?

Sometimes yes — and we'll say so if a builder or a bot would test your hypothesis.

Is an MVP good enough to show investors?

Yes — that's the classic case: a working product with early metrics convinces better than a deck. Analytics are part of the MVP from the first release.

What if the hypothesis doesn't hold?

That is the result the MVP exists to produce: you learned the truth in weeks on a small budget. We build it so that pivoting doesn't mean starting over.

Who owns the code?

You do: 100% of the rights to the source code and documentation by contract, with the repository in your account from the first sprint.

How do we start?

With a hypothesis review: tell us the idea and we'll propose the format (prototype or MVP), the scope of the core and a fixed price.

2–4×
faster on the code-writing share
in 3 weeks
from idea to MVP
230+
projects delivered
17 years
of engineering experience
Work

Work we can show you

Tell us the idea — we'll propose how to test it (prototype or MVP), what goes in the core, and fix the price.

We normally reply within one business day.