Glossary · MVP · Product
What is an MVP in software development?
The minimum version that validates whether there is a real market.
+300
Projects delivered
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The minimum version that validates whether there is a real market.
+300
Projects delivered
15+
Years of experience
100%
Senior team
MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product: the simplest version of a product that allows you to validate the main business hypothesis with real users. It is not a prototype, not a demo — it is a functional product with just enough features to learn whether there is real demand before investing in building more. The concept was popularised by Eric Ries in The Lean Startup and is now the industry standard for launching new products. See how we build MVPs.
In practice, the biggest mistake founders make is confusing an MVP with a stripped-down version of the final product. A well-built MVP doesn't have all the features — it has the right features to validate the most important hypothesis. Defining what goes in and what stays out of the MVP is exactly what a good Product Discovery solves: without Discovery, the MVP becomes a roulette of assumptions.
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Frequently asked questions
A well-defined MVP takes between 8 and 16 weeks of development. Before starting, 3-4 weeks of Product Discovery to define the exact scope and avoid building unnecessary features. Total time from project start to launch is usually 3 to 4 months. Projects with greater integration complexity or user flows can reach 6 months.
No — but it has to be good enough for real users to use it and provide actionable feedback. An MVP with too much friction validates nothing because users don't complete it. The balance is doing the minimum that allows learning, not the minimum that is technically possible. UX quality in critical flows is not optional — it is what differentiates an MVP that learns from one that fails silently.
After the MVP comes data-driven iteration: measuring what works and what doesn't, prioritising the next developments and building towards product-market fit. An MVP is the first step — most successful products are recognisable as version 10 of the original MVP. This post-launch evolution phase is what our Product Growth & Evolution service covers.
The cost range for an MVP varies greatly by complexity: from €25,000 for simple apps with basic features up to €80,000+ for products with complex integrations, payment systems, AI or enterprise features. Product Discovery (€4,000-10,000) is the prior step that turns that wide range into a precise number.
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