What an MVP should include and leave out
A minimum viable product is the smallest product that tests your riskiest assumption with real users. Its job is to answer one question, such as "will clinics pay to automate appointment reminders?" Everything in it should help answer that question.
- One core workflow, done well from start to finish.
- Sign-up and login, if users need accounts to get value.
- Payments, if willingness to pay is what you are testing.
- Analytics and a feedback channel, so you learn from real usage.
- Basic security: access control, input validation, HTTPS and backups.
Leave out, for now: multiple pricing tiers, native mobile apps when a responsive web app will do, admin features you can handle manually, complex roles and permissions, integrations nobody has asked for, and custom illustration work. Put them on a written "later" list so the decision is visible, not forgotten.
MVP cost by type
"MVP" covers very different projects. The ranges below are general patterns for Indian studios and agencies, not quotes. Agencies in the US or UK commonly charge much more for the same scope, mostly because of labor costs.
| MVP type | What you get | General cost range | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page + waitlist | A page that explains the offer and collects sign-ups, with analytics | A few thousand rupees on a builder; more for a custom page | 1–3 weeks |
| Clickable prototype | Linked Figma screens for user tests and investor demos, no code | Usually well below a coded MVP | 1–3 weeks |
| Single-workflow web app | Accounts, one core workflow, a database, a simple admin | A few lakh | 4–8 weeks |
| SaaS MVP with billing | The above plus subscriptions, plans and trials via Stripe or Razorpay | A few lakh to tens of lakhs | 6–10 weeks |
| AI MVP | An LLM feature, search over your documents or an agent, plus testing of its output | Above a comparable non-AI MVP, plus model usage | 6–10 weeks or more |
StackWise's anchor prices: the Starter Build starts at ₹34,999 (about US$400) for landing pages and marketing sites, and the Product Build starts at ₹98,999 (about US$1,050) for web apps and SaaS, including sign-up, login, user dashboards and Stripe or Razorpay subscriptions. Design-only prototypes and AI MVPs are quoted after discovery. See MVP development for how a build runs.
How long an MVP takes
A focused web app MVP typically takes 4–8 weeks, split across four phases:
- 1Discovery: agree the users, the core workflow, what is out of scope, the timeline and a written quote.
- 2Design: clickable Figma prototypes, so you test the flow before any code is written.
- 3Build: weekly demos on a live staging URL, so you see progress and correct course early.
- 4Launch: device and browser testing, a speed and security pass, then launch and handover.
That is StackWise's process, and well-run teams follow a similar shape. If a plan for an MVP runs past three months, ask what can be cut. For a full product, see how long it takes to build a SaaS.
How to avoid rewriting your MVP later
Many MVPs get thrown away, not because the idea failed but because the code cannot carry the next version. A few early decisions prevent that:
- Use a mainstream, production-ready stack. Next.js, TypeScript and PostgreSQL, for example, carry a product from MVP to maturity and are easy to hire for.
- Model the data properly. If you will have teams or many customer accounts later, design for it now. Adding tenancy to a single-user schema is one of the costliest changes; see multi-tenant SaaS architecture.
- Test the core workflow. You do not need full coverage, just automated tests on the paths that make money.
- Bill through a real gateway. Stripe or Razorpay subscriptions from day one avoid moving customers off manual invoices later.
- Own everything. The repository, design files, documentation and every account should be yours. StackWise hands all of these over at the end of a project, with no licensing fees.
Ways to lower MVP cost
- Do by hand what you can for the first users: onboarding, reports, even some of the "automation".
- Use a clean component library instead of a custom design system.
- Launch a responsive web app before native mobile apps.
- Integrate existing services for email, authentication and payments instead of building them.
- Write a one-page brief, so discovery is short and quotes are comparable.
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