MVP DEVELOPMENT
Mobile app MVP development.
A focused first release.
A first release built around your essential user journey. Scoped MVP packages start at $5k–$12k with a 2–8 week planning range. Design, development, QA and submission to the agreed stores are included; larger scopes receive a separate proposal.
Who this is for
- ▸Founders validating an idea who need a real, production-quality app — not a prototype.
- ▸Pre-seed and seed startups with a fixed budget who need predictable delivery.
- ▸Operators in non-tech industries who want a mobile front-end for an existing business.
And who it's not for: if you just need a landing page, a no-code tool, or a quick prototype for a pitch deck, an agency build is overkill — we'll tell you that on the scoping call and point you at cheaper options. We recommend a smaller starting point when it better fits your needs.
What's included
Pricing
For budgeting beyond the build, read the total app development cost guide. For choosing a delivery team, use our app developer hiring checklist.
Indicative packages, paid in milestones. Your proposal confirms scope, exclusions, price and schedule.
- • $5k — Lean MVP, single platform, 3–5 core features, 2–3 weeks.
- • $8k — Standard MVP, iOS + Android, auth, backend, push, 4–6 weeks.
- • From $12k — Extended MVP, scoped integrations and backend/admin, 6–8 week planning range.
Payments are split across milestones — typically a deposit to start, a payment at design approval, and the balance at delivery. Exact terms are set in your signed agreement. Your signed proposal confirms the price; if scope grows mid-project, we re-quote the addition before building it.
Process
- Discovery. Discuss the idea, confirm requirements and agree a written scope, price and acceptance criteria.
- Design. Figma wireframes and high-fidelity screens for every flow.
- Build. Daily standups, daily git pushes, weekly demo videos.
- QA + submission. Real-device testing, submission to the agreed stores and source-code handover.
- Post-launch. 30 days of bug fixes included. Continued development at $45/hr.
Throughout the build you get daily standup notes in Slack, real-time Jira access, and QA reports every two days — the full system is documented on the how we work page.
Choose the first release by what you need to learn
Name the customer, the problem and the action that makes the app useful. A booking MVP might let a member choose a session, reserve a place and cancel it. Staff still need an agreed way to manage availability. A screen list alone misses those responsibilities.
- Must work at launch: the main journey, required integrations, administration and the failure states needed to use it reliably.
- Can wait: secondary roles, extra languages, advanced reporting or social features that do not decide whether the first journey is useful.
- Needs investigation: undocumented APIs, legacy data, hardware or complex synchronization. We resolve the uncertainty before fixing a delivery price.
These are planning examples, not a quoted feature bundle. For a product with several essential journeys, explore complete mobile app development and a staged delivery plan.
Acceptance criteria, technology and handover
We agree how each flow should behave, including loading, validation and failure states. The release plan names the selected platforms, test devices, store submissions, known limitations and handover documents. Store review is an external dependency, not a guaranteed approval date.
Flutter is one implementation option for shared iOS and Android work. We assess platform capabilities, integrations and existing systems before choosing the approach. You commission a working mobile product; the framework follows its requirements. Read our Flutter and React Native comparison if you need to evaluate that choice.
Content, account access and client approvals have deadlines in the plan. Hosting, third-party fees and later features are separate unless included explicitly. Your agreement defines source-code transfer, licensing and the support period.
A scoped learning app MVP: Bible Mastery
Bible Mastery is a cross-platform Bible learning app with gamified lessons, Bible API integration, offline sync and an admin tool. It went from spec to the App Store and Google Play in six weeks according to our published project account, on a fixed scope:
- • Week 1: spec locked, user journey mapped, Figma wireframes, Flutter and Firebase projects set up.
- • Weeks 2–4: sign-in, the lesson player, Bible API, offline sync, gamification and the admin tool.
- • Week 5: polish and QA on real iOS and Android devices.
- • Week 6: store listings and submission to both stores.
Read the full week-by-week story →
That release excluded in-app purchases, push notifications, extra languages and a web companion. Its reported timeline is one project, not a promise for every MVP. Explore learning app development for lesson and content workflows, or fitness app development for workout and member journeys.
Common questions
Do I need to choose the technology first?
No. Describe your users, workflows and required integrations. We recommend an implementation after reviewing those needs. Shared code can reduce duplication, but each selected platform still needs testing and release work.
How long does a mobile app MVP take?
Our indicative planning range is 2–8 weeks for scoped packages. The agreed feature list, integrations, content readiness, feedback and store review determine the schedule. Larger or uncertain requirements need a separate plan.
What if the scope changes mid-project?
The agreed feature list locks the price. If the build takes longer than we estimated, that's our cost. New features you add mid-project are scoped as a separate, clearly priced milestone so the original agreement stays intact.
Who owns the code?
You receive the project source code. The signed agreement defines IP transfer, payment conditions, third-party licenses and handover; we review these before work starts.
What happens after the 30-day support window?
Keep building with us at $45/hr, scope the next fixed-price milestone, or take the codebase fully in-house. You lose nothing by walking away.
Related
- All services — compare the three ways to work with us
- Flutter App Development — everything we build in Flutter
- Team Extension — vetted Flutter engineers for your existing team
- White Label Apps — pre-built Flutter apps you can rebrand
- Case study: Toyota Connect Middle East
- How we built the Bible Mastery MVP in 6 weeks — a fixed-scope Flutter MVP, week by week
- How to scope a mobile app MVP — what to include, what to cut
- What $5K–$12K gets you — features and timelines at each budget
- About dedev — founder story and track record