You need to hire a developer to build your MVP. But how much will it actually cost?

After building 50+ MVPs for startups over the past decade, I can tell you: most founders get quoted wildly different prices and have no idea what's reasonable.

You might get quotes ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 for the same project. One developer says 6 weeks, another says 6 months. One charges $50/hour, another charges $200/hour.

This guide breaks down exactly what MVP developers cost in 2025, based on real project data. You'll learn what drives pricing, how to evaluate quotes, and what you should actually budget.

Quick Answer: MVP Developer Cost in 2025

Here's what you'll actually pay to hire an MVP developer:

By Complexity:

Simple MVP: $8,000-$18,000 (4-8 weeks)
Medium MVP: $18,000-$35,000 (8-12 weeks)
Complex MVP: $35,000-$60,000 (12-16 weeks)

By Developer Type:

Junior/Offshore: $25-$75/hour ($8K-$25K total)
Mid-level US/Senior Offshore: $75-$125/hour ($18K-$40K total)
Senior US/Technical Partner: $125-$200/hour ($25K-$60K total)

By Pricing Model:

Hourly: $50-$200/hour (budget unpredictable)
Fixed-price: $15,000-$60,000 (budget predictable)
Monthly retainer: $5,000-$15,000/month (flexible, ongoing)

Real-world average from my projects: $28,000 for a medium-complexity MVP built in 8-10 weeks.

Want a detailed estimate for your specific MVP? Use our interactive SaaS cost calculator.

What Is an MVP and What Should It Cost?

An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the simplest version of your product that solves your core problem for users. Not feature-complete, not perfectly polished—just enough to validate your idea with real customers.

What an MVP includes:

Core functionality that solves the main problem
Basic user authentication (login/signup)
Simple, clean UI (not award-winning design)
Essential features only (no nice-to-haves)
Works reliably, but might not scale to 100,000 users yet

What an MVP does NOT include:

Advanced features ("we'll add that later")
Complex integrations (unless core to the value prop)
Mobile apps (usually start web-only)
AI/ML features (unless that's your core product)
Enterprise-level infrastructure

The goal: Launch in 6-12 weeks, get paying customers, validate demand, iterate based on feedback.

Budget rule of thumb: Your MVP should cost 20-30% of your total first-year budget. If you have $100K for year one, spend $20-30K on MVP, save the rest for iteration and growth.

For a complete breakdown of total SaaS costs beyond just development, see: How Much Does It Cost to Build a SaaS in 2025?

MVP Developer Cost Breakdown by Complexity

Simple MVP: $8,000-$18,000 (4-8 weeks)

What you get:

User authentication (email/password login)
One core feature or workflow
Basic dashboard
Simple database (users, one or two data models)
Deployed and accessible online

Examples:

Simple SaaS tool with one main function
Internal tool for your team
Waitlist or early access signup page with basic functionality
Single-player productivity app

Real example from my projects: A client needed a simple job application tracker for their recruiting team. Just login, create job postings, track applicants, leave notes. Built in 6 weeks for $14,000.

Best for:

Solo founders testing an idea
Internal tools
Simple B2B SaaS with narrow use case

Developer type: Mid-level developer or senior offshore developer

Medium MVP: $18,000-$35,000 (8-12 weeks)

What you get:

User authentication with social login (Google, LinkedIn)
3-5 core features
Admin panel for managing users/content
Payment integration (Stripe for subscriptions)
Email notifications
Basic analytics
File upload (if needed)

Examples:

B2B SaaS with multiple features
Marketplace with buyers and sellers
Course platform with content delivery
Booking/scheduling tool

Real example from my projects: A fitness coach needed a platform for clients to book sessions, track workouts, upload progress photos, and handle payments. Built in 9 weeks for $26,000.

Best for:

Most B2B SaaS products
Founders with some initial funding
Products that need payments from day one

Developer type: Senior developer or technical partner

Complex MVP: $35,000-$60,000 (12-16 weeks)

What you get:

Everything in Medium MVP, plus:
Real-time features (chat, notifications, live updates)
Complex workflows or multi-step processes
Third-party API integrations (2-3 services)
Advanced permissions (teams, roles, workspaces)
Custom reporting/analytics dashboard
Search functionality (basic or advanced)

Examples:

Team collaboration tools
Project management software
Real-time dashboards
Platforms with complex data relationships

Real example from my projects: A client needed a platform for construction companies to track projects, assign tasks to crews, upload photos, and generate reports. Real-time updates, mobile-responsive, role-based permissions. Built in 14 weeks for $48,000.

Best for:

Well-funded startups ($100K+ runway)
B2B products with complex workflows
Products requiring real-time collaboration

Developer type: Senior developer or small agency

Hourly vs Fixed-Price: What Should You Choose?

Hourly Rates ($50-$200/hour)

How it works: You pay the developer for every hour worked. They track time, send you weekly invoices.

Actual hourly rates in 2025:

Junior offshore (Philippines, India): $25-$50/hour
Mid-level offshore (Eastern Europe): $50-$75/hour
Senior offshore (Argentina, Poland): $75-$100/hour
Mid-level US (2-5 years experience): $100-$125/hour
Senior US (5-10 years): $125-$175/hour
Expert/Technical Partner (10+ years): $150-$200/hour

Pros:

✓ Flexible—easy to add or remove features
✓ Pay only for time worked
✓ Good for ongoing projects or unclear scope

Cons:

✗ Budget unpredictable (can easily balloon)
✗ You bear the risk if project takes longer
✗ Requires active management from you

Total MVP cost (hourly):

Junior offshore: 200 hours × $40/hr = $8,000 (but often requires rework)
Mid-level offshore: 150 hours × $65/hr = $9,750
Senior US: 120 hours × $150/hr = $18,000
Technical partner: 100 hours × $175/hr = $17,500 (faster due to experience)

When to choose hourly:

Your scope will change frequently
You need ongoing development after MVP
You're technical and can manage closely
You have flexible budget

Fixed-Price ($15,000-$60,000)

How it works: You and the developer agree on scope and price upfront. They deliver the MVP for that price, regardless of hours worked.

Actual fixed prices in 2025:

Simple MVP: $12,000-$18,000
Medium MVP: $20,000-$35,000
Complex MVP: $35,000-$60,000

Pros:

✓ Predictable budget
✓ Developer bears risk of overruns
✓ Clear deliverables upfront
✓ Forces you to define scope clearly

Cons:

✗ Less flexibility for changes mid-project
✗ Requires detailed specifications upfront
✗ Changes usually cost extra (change orders)
✗ Developer might cut corners to stay in budget

Hidden fixed-price gotchas:

"That feature wasn't in the original scope" (scope creep charges)
Quality issues near deadline (rushing to finish in budget)
Missing features you assumed were included

When to choose fixed-price:

You have a clear, detailed spec
Budget is constrained
You're non-technical and can't manage hourly
You want predictability

For more on pricing models, see: Developer vs Agency vs Technical Partner Comparison

Monthly Retainer ($5,000-$15,000/month)

How it works: You pay a fixed monthly fee for X hours of development per week. Common arrangements: 10 hours/week ($5-7K/month), 20 hours/week ($10-15K/month).

Pros:

✓ Predictable monthly cost
✓ Flexible scope (pivot as you learn)
✓ Developer is invested long-term
✓ No "start/stop" costs

Cons:

✗ Pays whether you use all hours or not
✗ Can be expensive if you don't have enough work
✗ Requires clear communication and planning

When to choose retainer:

You're past MVP and iterating
You need ongoing development + support
You value long-term relationship over cost
You're growing and need consistent development capacity

My recommendation: Start with fixed-price for MVP, switch to retainer post-launch for iterations.

Regional Pricing Differences (2025 Rates)

United States

Average rates:

Junior: $75-$100/hour
Mid-level: $100-$150/hour
Senior: $150-$200/hour

MVP cost range: $18,000-$60,000

Pros:

Same time zone (easy communication)
Cultural alignment
Strong English communication
High code quality standards

Cons:

Most expensive option
Competitive hiring market (hard to find good talent)

Western Europe (UK, Germany, France)

Average rates:

Junior: $60-$90/hour
Mid-level: $90-$120/hour
Senior: $120-$160/hour

MVP cost range: $15,000-$48,000

Pros:

High code quality
Good English (especially UK)
Professional work culture

Cons:

Time zone challenges (5-9 hours ahead of US)
Still relatively expensive

Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Romania)

Average rates:

Junior: $35-$50/hour
Mid-level: $50-$75/hour
Senior: $75-$100/hour

MVP cost range: $10,000-$30,000

Pros:

Good balance of cost and quality
Strong technical education
Reasonable English skills
Growing tech ecosystem

Cons:

7-10 hour time difference from US
Cultural differences in communication style

My take: Eastern Europe offers the best cost/quality ratio for funded startups. I work with several developers in Poland—excellent quality at 50-60% of US rates.

Asia (India, Philippines, Vietnam)

Average rates:

Junior: $15-$30/hour
Mid-level: $30-$50/hour
Senior: $50-$75/hour

MVP cost range: $5,000-$22,000

Pros:

Lowest cost option
Large talent pool
Many experienced developers

Cons:

9-12 hour time difference (almost no overlap)
Variable code quality (wide range)
Communication challenges (English proficiency varies)
Higher rework rates in my experience

Reality check: Many founders pay $10K for an offshore MVP, get unusable code, then pay me $25K to rebuild it properly. Cheap per hour ≠ cheap total cost.

For guidance on evaluating developer quality regardless of location, read: How to Hire a Developer When You Don't Know Code

Latin America (Argentina, Mexico, Brazil)

Average rates:

Junior: $30-$50/hour
Mid-level: $50-$75/hour
Senior: $75-$110/hour

MVP cost range: $10,000-$33,000

Pros:

Better time zone overlap with US (1-4 hours difference)
Cultural alignment with US work style
Growing tech scene
Good English skills

Cons:

Smaller talent pool than Asia or Eastern Europe
Less established remote work infrastructure

My take: Latin America is the "sweet spot" for US founders—good time zone overlap, reasonable costs, cultural fit.

Hidden Costs Most Founders Forget

1. Project Management (Your Time)

Cost: 10-15 hours/week of your time

If you hire a freelancer at $50/hour, you're managing them. That's:

Daily standups (30 min)
Reviewing work (1-2 hours/day)
Answering questions (1 hour/day)
Testing features (2-3 hours/week)

Value of your time: If you could be doing sales or fundraising instead, that's expensive.

Solution: Hire a technical partner who manages themselves, or budget for a project manager ($3,000-$5,000).

2. Fixing Mistakes

Cost: $5,000-$20,000 (very common)

Low-cost developers often deliver:

Code that works but doesn't scale
Security vulnerabilities
Poor database design
Missing features you assumed were included

Real example: A client hired a $40/hour developer, paid $12,000, got code that couldn't handle 50 concurrent users. I rebuilt it for $22,000. Total: $34,000 instead of $25,000 if done right first.

3. Post-Launch Bug Fixes

Cost: $2,000-$8,000 in first 3 months

MVPs have bugs. Budget for:

Critical bugs (break functionality): Fix immediately
High-priority bugs (annoying but not blocking): Fix in weeks 1-2
Low-priority bugs (cosmetic): Fix when you have time

Average: 20-40 hours of bug fixes in first 3 months.

4. Design

Cost: $2,000-$8,000

Most developers are not designers. You'll need:

DIY (Figma templates): $0-$500 (you do it)
Freelance designer: $2,000-$4,000 (5-10 screens)
Agency design: $5,000-$15,000 (full brand + UI)

Many developers include "basic design" but that usually means "Bootstrap template with your logo."

5. Third-Party Services

Cost: $200-$800/month

Hosting (Vercel, Railway, AWS): $50-$200/month
Database (Planetscale, Supabase): $0-$100/month
Email (SendGrid, Postmark): $15-$50/month
Payments (Stripe fees): 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Auth (Clerk, Auth0): $0-$100/month
Monitoring (Sentry, LogRocket): $50-$100/month

First 6 months: ~$1,500-$4,800 in service fees.

6. Deployment & DevOps

Cost: $1,500-$5,000 (one-time)

Getting your MVP online requires:

Domain setup
SSL certificates
CI/CD pipeline
Environment configuration (dev, staging, production)
Monitoring and logging setup

Some developers include this, many charge extra. Ask upfront.

Total MVP Cost: Real First-Year Budgets

Here's what you'll actually spend in year one (not just development):

Bootstrapped Budget ($30,000 total)

MVP development: $15,000 (simple MVP, mid-level developer)
Design: $2,000 (freelancer for key screens)
Hosting & services (6 mo): $1,200
Bug fixes: $3,000
Feature additions (6 mo): $6,000 (retainer)
Marketing: $2,000 (landing page, ads testing)
Legal/accounting: $800

Total: ~$30,000 to launch and run for 6 months

Funded Budget ($75,000 total)

MVP development: $28,000 (medium MVP, senior developer)
Design: $5,000 (professional UI/UX)
Hosting & services (12 mo): $3,600
Bug fixes: $5,000
Feature additions (12 mo): $24,000 (ongoing retainer)
Marketing: $8,000 (landing page, SEO, ads)
Legal/accounting: $1,400

Total: ~$75,000 to launch and run for 12 months

Well-Funded Budget ($150,000 total)

MVP development: $45,000 (complex MVP, technical partner)
Design: $12,000 (full brand + UI)
Hosting & services (12 mo): $6,000
Bug fixes: $8,000
Feature additions (12 mo): $48,000 (aggressive retainer)
Marketing: $25,000 (full funnel, content, ads)
Legal/accounting: $6,000

Total: ~$150,000 to launch and scale aggressively

For a complete interactive breakdown, try our SaaS cost calculator.

How to Evaluate MVP Developer Quotes

You've got 3 quotes:

Developer A: $12,000, 8 weeks
Developer B: $28,000, 10 weeks
Developer C: $55,000, 16 weeks

How do you know what's reasonable?

Red Flags in Quotes

🚩 Quote is 50%+ cheaper than others

Likely offshore junior developer
Missing scope items
Optimistic timeline

🚩 "We can build this in 2 weeks"

Underestimating complexity
Won't include testing, bug fixes, deployment

🚩 Vague scope ("basic MVP")

What's included? What's not?
Get detailed feature list in writing

🚩 No questions asked about your business

Just coding what you specify (no strategic input)
Might build the wrong thing

🚩 Won't show previous work

Can't share live URLs of projects
No references from past clients

Green Flags in Quotes

✅ Detailed breakdown

Feature-by-feature cost estimate
Clear timeline with milestones
Assumptions documented

✅ Asks about your users and business model

Wants to understand the problem
Suggests features to cut or add
Challenges assumptions

✅ Shows similar projects

Can demo live products they built
References from founders in similar stage

✅ Explains trade-offs

"We could do X for $5K more, or Y for $3K less"
Transparent about what drives cost

✅ Includes post-launch support

Bug fixes for 30-60 days
Training/handoff documentation
Transition plan

Should You Hire Junior, Mid, or Senior Developer?

Junior Developer ($25-$75/hour)

When it makes sense:

You're very technical and can review their work
Your MVP is extremely simple
You have tons of time (slow is okay)

When it doesn't:

You're non-technical
You need speed
Your idea is time-sensitive

Reality: Junior developers need guidance. If you can't provide it, this will cost you more in the long run.

Mid-Level Developer ($75-$125/hour)

When it makes sense:

Standard B2B SaaS MVP
You have clear requirements
Timeline is 8-12 weeks

When it doesn't:

Highly complex technical challenges
You need strategic guidance
Lots of unknowns in scope

Reality: This is the sweet spot for most MVPs. They can execute well if you give clear direction.

Senior Developer / Technical Partner ($125-$200/hour)

When it makes sense:

You're non-technical
You need strategic guidance ("should we build X or Y?")
Complex product with unknowns
You value speed and quality over cost

When it doesn't:

Extremely simple MVP
You're technical and just need execution
Budget is very constrained

Reality: Senior developers finish faster (fewer mistakes, less rework) and guide you to build the right thing. Often cheaper total cost despite higher hourly rate.

I'm biased here (I'm a senior technical partner), but I've seen founders spend $15K with a junior dev, then $30K with me to rebuild. Costs 3x more and takes 6 months longer than starting with a senior.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call →

Want to see examples of MVPs I've built?

MVP Developer Cost: Complete 2025 Pricing Guide (Real Numbers from 50+ Projects)

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