How long does it take to go from idea to launched product?

A Discovery Sprint runs 1–2 weeks. MVP delivery takes 6 to 10 weeks. Most clients have a live product within 3 months.

Who owns the code and the product?

You do. All source code, designs, documentation, and infrastructure configurations are transferred to you upon delivery.

Do you work on a fixed-price or time-and-materials basis?

Discovery Sprints are always fixed-price. MVP builds are scoped with a fixed estimate after Discovery. Monthly retainers are flat rate.

How Much Does It Cost to Build a SaaS MVP in 2026?

The honest answer: between $35,000 and $150,000 for a production-ready MVP, depending on complexity. But that number means nothing without context.

We've launched 27 products at M8 Apps. Here's what we've learned about pricing.

The Three-Phase Model

Every product we build follows the same structure:

1. Discovery Sprint — $4,500 (1-2 weeks)

Before writing code, we define the product scope, user flows, wireframes, and technical architecture. You walk away with a clear blueprint and a fixed development estimate.

This is non-negotiable. We don't quote without Discovery because blind estimates are how projects go 3x over budget.

2. MVP Build — Starting at $35,000 (6-10 weeks)

UI/UX design, full-stack development, deployment, bi-weekly demos. The price depends on:

Number of core features — A diet planning app with AI is simpler than a multi-tenant legal platform
Integrations — Payment processing, third-party APIs, SSO add complexity
Platform — Web-only is cheaper than web + mobile
AI/ML components — LLM integration adds development and ongoing API costs

3. Iteration — $3,500/month

Launch is day zero. Monthly retainer for analytics-driven improvements, new features, bug fixes, and infrastructure management.

What You Get for $35,000

A real example: Nutricionista.ai. For roughly this budget, the client got:

AI-powered diet generation with LLM integration
Patient onboarding portal
Nutritionist dashboard with approval workflows
Full authentication and role-based access
Deployed on Vercel with Supabase backend
70% reduction in operational time per patient

Red Flags in Pricing

If someone quotes you $5,000 for a SaaS MVP, they're either building a template with your logo on it, or they'll be back asking for more money in month two.

If someone quotes you $500,000, they're either building enterprise software (different game) or they have a very expensive office.

The Real Question

The question isn't "how much does it cost?" — it's "what's the fastest path to revenue?" A $35,000 MVP that ships in 8 weeks and starts generating revenue is worth more than a $200,000 product that takes a year.

That's why we gate everything behind Discovery. It's the cheapest insurance policy in software development.

Ready to scope your product? Book a 30-minute call and we'll tell you exactly what it would take.