Get a SaaS MVP built: cost, scope and timeline in 2026
Getting a SaaS MVP built costs from €5,000 excluding VAT at Codavo and usually takes 6 to 8 weeks. That budget does not buy a collection of half-finished features. It buys one complete workflow that lets a real customer solve the main problem. A typical SaaS product with user roles, subscriptions, an admin area and integrations usually lands between €10,000 and €15,000.
The distinction between “from €5,000” and “typically €10,000–€15,000” matters. The starting price fits a small validation product with one user type and one core action. Add multiple roles, payments, data imports, notifications or an external API and the scope grows. The SaaS MVP development page explains what Codavo delivers in such a project.
What is a SaaS MVP?
A Minimum Viable Product is the smallest working version of your SaaS that a customer is willing to pay for. It does not need every future feature, but the core experience must be complete: sign in, finish the main task and save or share the result.
An MVP is therefore not:
- a clickable design without working software;
- a landing page that only measures interest;
- half a product covered in “coming soon” labels;
- a cheap first stage of an enormous, predetermined roadmap.
Its purpose is to collect evidence for three questions:
- Does this workflow solve a problem that occurs often enough?
- Can customers use the product without you explaining every step?
- Will they pay for it or replace their current process with it?
Only those answers tell you which feature should come next.
What belongs in the first version?
Good MVP scope starts with one outcome for one type of user, not with a feature list. “A platform for installation companies” is too broad. “A planner converts a completed work order into a verifiable invoice line” is focused and testable.
| Build now | Build later |
|---|---|
| Secure login and basic roles | Detailed permissions per team or location |
| One complete core workflow | Every exception and secondary process |
| Simple admin area | Fully configurable back office |
| Payment when it validates the proposition | Multiple pricing models and discount logic |
| Essential email notifications | Complete notification preferences |
| Basic logging and error reporting | Advanced reporting and dashboards |
A useful rule: if a feature is not part of the moment a customer receives value or pays, it can probably wait for version two.
Example of a focused MVP
Imagine you are building software for coaches. The MVP may include an account, a client record, one intake form and a paid appointment. A community, native mobile app, extensive analytics and twenty templates sound attractive, but none is required to prove coaches will pay for the core solution.
How much does a SaaS MVP cost in 2026?
The amounts below are indicative development prices for one experienced engineer. They exclude 21% VAT.
| Scope | Indicative investment | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Focused validation MVP | From €5,000 | One user type, one core workflow, simple admin function |
| Typical SaaS MVP | €10,000–€15,000 | Multiple roles, payment, dashboard and one or more integrations |
| Complex first release | From €15,000 | Data migration, complex permissions, multiple integrations or heavy business logic |
After launch, a lightweight application can often run on Cloudflare for €0 to €20 per month. If you want monitoring, updates and regular changes handled actively, maintenance starts at €175 per month. Use the website and web app cost calculator for a first estimate for your situation.
What drives the price?
The biggest cost factors are rarely the number of screens. These five decisions matter more:
- User roles. An administrator and customer are simpler than permissions per organisation, team, location and employee.
- Integrations. Adding Stripe or Mollie is straightforward; synchronising with a non-standard ERP or poorly documented API requires more testing.
- Existing data. Importing a clean CSV is different from merging and deduplicating years of spreadsheets.
- Exceptions. The standard path is quick to build. Ten alternative approval routes make the same workflow significantly larger.
- Security and compliance. Medical, financial or other sensitive data requires additional logging, retention policies and access controls.
That is why a useful proposal starts with a clearly defined workflow, not a price per screen or feature.
A practical 6-to-8-week MVP timeline
Before the build: problem and success metric
We describe the first user, the problem they currently solve manually and what must measurably improve after launch. A useful success metric might be “five paying customers complete the workflow independently” or “processing time drops from 30 to 10 minutes”.
Talk to at least ten people in the target group before development. Ask how they solve the problem today, what that costs and what would make them switch. An enthusiastic compliment is less valuable than someone who makes time, supplies data or agrees to pay.
Weeks 1-2: foundation and first working route
We set up the database, authentication, basic roles and production environment. By the end of this phase, the main user route already works in a rough form. You do not spend weeks looking at designs while no product exists.
Weeks 3-5: complete the core workflow
We build the business rules, forms, status changes and necessary notifications. You test with realistic examples as we go. Wrong assumptions surface while they are still inexpensive to change.
Weeks 6-7: payment, administration and real users
If payment is part of the validation, we connect it now. You also get a simple admin area for accounts, errors and exceptions. A small group of trial customers runs through the entire process.
Week 8: controlled launch
We resolve blockers from user testing, configure monitoring and agree on the metrics you will track. The MVP then goes live for the first group. The next sprint follows usage and payment behaviour rather than the longest wish list.
Which technology fits a SaaS MVP?
For most SaaS MVPs, I use Nuxt and Vue for the interface, Supabase for the database and authentication, Stripe or Mollie for payments and Cloudflare for hosting. This combination is quick to develop, scales well and avoids expensive enterprise licences.
Technology is not the selling point, though. Customers do not pay for Nuxt or PostgreSQL; they pay for a task that becomes easier, faster or more reliable. The architecture should support that core and leave room to grow. How AI accelerates web development explains where AI helps during development and where human technical judgement remains essential.
Evidence from real products
Opairly began with a concrete problem in au pair households: agreements, tasks, hours and important information were spread across different places. Its first version brought the central household workflow together. Later features followed from daily use.
Golfly grew out of software originally built for one golf coach. The recurring need proved broader: scheduling, clients and training information in one place. That is how healthy SaaS products often emerge—solve one real situation first, then generalise.
This route produces stronger evidence than spending months building for a theoretical market.
Common mistakes
Treating the first release as the final product
An MVP is not a smaller version of your five-year roadmap. It is a tool for removing the biggest uncertainty. Build everything immediately and you discover incorrect assumptions too late.
Confusing free usage with willingness to pay
People try plenty of free products. Ask early for a paid pilot, deposit or clear commercial commitment. “Interesting” is not revenue.
Measuring features instead of outcomes
“The export works” says nothing about product-market fit. Measure whether people return, complete the core action, save time and pay.
Optimising for scale too early
You do not need infrastructure for a hundred thousand users on day one. You do need clean code, secure access and a reliable database. You can solve scale problems when growth creates them; repairing a messy foundation later is much more expensive.
When should you not build an MVP yet?
Wait if you do not know who the product is for, have not spoken to anyone in the target group or cannot reach the first test users. Buying an existing SaaS product is also smarter than custom development when it already solves 90% of the problem.
The right first step may instead be a landing page, manual service or clickable prototype. Those can test the message and workflow before you finance software.
Next step
Do you have a defined audience, a recurring problem and access to the first users? A 6-to-8-week MVP may be the right next move. Book a free call; in 30 minutes we will map the core workflow, biggest risks and a realistic cost range.
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