How long does it take to build an MVP? Here’s the day-by-day plan.
How long does it take to build an MVP? About 15 days with us, if the scope is fixed and fits a small first version. By our rough estimates, a similar MVP takes 10 to 14 weeks with a freelancer and 7 to 12 weeks with a typical agency. Your feature list, how quickly you make decisions and any design work move those numbers most.
Reviewed by Anubhav Gupta, Bespoke Devs · Updated
The 15-day plan
- Day 1–2ScopeWe define the exact product scope, stack and success metrics. You decide what’s in and what waits.
- Day 3–5DesignUI and UX in Figma. You approve it before any code gets written.
- Day 6–12BuildFull-stack development, API integrations, Stripe billing, authentication and deployment.
- Day 13–14TestQA across devices and browsers, then your review.
- Day 15ShipLive on your domain, with monitoring set up. Support continues for 60 to 90 days.
How long it takes to build an MVP by other routes
These use one example scope: login, billing, admin, email and one API, with no designs, or about 296 build hours.
| Route | Rough timeline | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Bespoke Devs | 15 days | Scope closed before the build |
| Typical agency | 7–12 weeks | Team time, plus discovery and sign-off |
| Freelancer | 10–14 weeks | One person, often part-time on your project |
| AI builder or no code, by yourself | Days to weeks for a prototype | How much you learn along the way, and how far you take it |
Outside figures are our rough estimates from our cost model. They aren’t market research.
How to estimate your own timeline
Start with hours, because they’re easier to check than a guessed date. List your features and add up their build hours in our calculator. Then compare the total with the hours each route can really give you in a week.
Here’s a worked example using the scope above. It comes to about 296 build hours, which only just fits the 300 or so we treat as the limit for a 15-day build. Bring your own Figma file and that drops by 60 hours to 236. Add iOS and Android apps and it rises by 160 hours to 456, and 15 days is no longer realistic.
Hours alone don’t set the date. A freelancer who’s part-time on your project gets through the same hours more slowly than a team working on it full-time. Ask anyone quoting you how many hours a week your project will really get, then divide. If the answer doesn’t match their date, ask why.
What adds time
- More featuresA mobile app is about 160 build hours on its own, and marketplace payouts about 64.
- Slow decisionsWaiting on sign-off can cost more time than any technical problem.
- Scope changes mid-buildOne small addition can upset work that’s already finished.
- Third partiesApp store reviews and API approvals run on someone else’s schedule.
Mistakes that make a timeline slip
- Comparing a demo with a launchA builder can show you a prototype within days. That’s a different finish line from a tested product that takes payments, so check both dates mean the same thing.
- Forgetting your own partSomeone has to answer questions, approve designs and try the result. If you disappear for a week of a 15-day build, the date moves with you.
- Starting before the scope is writtenBuilding first and deciding later feels quick. It costs time as soon as finished work has to change.
- Treating launch as the endYour first customers will ask for things. Our support runs for 60 to 90 days after launch, and you’ll want time free during that period as well.
Common questions
Longer. Our model adds about 160 build hours for iOS and Android, which takes it out of a 15-day build. App store review adds time as well.
Ours does, on days 3 to 5. If you already have a Figma file, that’s less work and leaves more of the budget for features.
Longer than a plain SaaS. Our model adds about 48 build hours for AI features and a 1.15 multiplier for AI products, because they need more testing. With login, billing, admin and no designs, that’s about 366 hours, so it needs a smaller scope or a custom quote. See [AI MVP development](/ai-mvp-development).
Sometimes. Cut the scope, supply finished designs and answer questions quickly. Adding people late rarely helps, because they need time to learn the code first.
It depends on your scope. See [what has to be true for a 15-day build](/saas-mvp-development/questions/can-an-mvp-be-built-in-15-days).
Keep reading
- SaaS MVP developmentWhat’s included, what it costs and how a 15-day build works.→
- Can an MVP be built in 15 days?What has to be true for a 15-day build to work.→
- MVP features listWhat to include, what to leave out, and how to decide.→
- Freelancer vs agencyCost, timeline and risk compared, including when the freelancer wins.→
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