How Much Does a B2B MVP Cost?
.png){kind=avatar}
-
May 12, 2025
Most founders don’t blow money on code. They blow it on guesses. Guesses about scope, team size, delivery time, and “must-have” features. In this article, we show what it really costs to build a B2B MVP in 2025 — using real startup benchmarks, GitHub repos, delivery timelines, and global rates.
Whether you're shipping a SaaS dashboard or a logistics app, this is the clearest budget map you'll find. Typical B2B MVP in 2025:
– Cost: $30K–$70K (global median)
– Timeline: 7–10 weeks (cross-platform, Flutter/React Native)
– Team: 3–5 people (frontend, backend, PM/QA)
– Savings: up to 40% with BaaS + no-code
We break down pricing by region, use case, and tech stack — and show how founders overspend (and how not to). Want your cost and timeline in 3 minutes? Use our free AI app cost calculator.
MVP Feature Cost Breakdown (B2B SaaS & Logistics Use Cases)
Every dollar you spend in MVP development ties to a feature. Here's what real founders pay (and how long it actually takes to build). These ranges are based on global agency quotes and timelines from 28 real MVPs built in 2023–2025.
Table: Key Features & Estimated Costs (Global Averages)
Related reading:
– How to Spot an Overpriced App Quote
– MVP Development Costs and How to Save
How Smart Founders Plan MVPs in 2025 — A Systems View
The biggest mistake first-time founders make? They plan their MVP like they’re launching the product.
But an MVP isn’t a product. It’s an argument. A test. A signal. Before you scope features or ask for estimates, answer these three questions:
The 3-Lens Framework for MVP Planning
Planning Lens 1: Runway
How many months until you run out of money or patience? Runway isn’t just your budget — it’s your stress limit.
If you have <6 months, avoid building from scratch. Use ready-made tools. Build fast, test smart.
Planning Lens 2: Signal
What are you trying to prove — and to whom? An MVP should send a signal: “This works.”
Pick one outcome: conversion, retention, or willingness to pay. Then cut everything else.
Planning Lens 3: Learning Loop
How will you know if it’s working? No feedback = no traction.
Include Mixpanel, interviews, usage logs — anything that helps you learn faster. If there's no insight, it's not an MVP. It's code.
What happens when you skip this thinking?
- You build too much, too slow — and learn nothing.
- Your “beautiful MVP” collects dust because no one needs it.
- You run out of budget before you find product–market fit.
Same Product, Three Different MVP Strategies
Let’s say you’re building a B2B logistics app for delivery tracking. Here’s how three different founders might scope their MVP — and what happens:
TL;DR Insight:
If your MVP doesn’t test a real-world hypothesis, it’s not an MVP — it’s a hobby project with a deadline.
Team & Timeline — Who You Need, and How Long It Actually Takes
.png)
You don’t need a full-stack army. You need a lean strike team that can ship fast, cut scope, and learn on the fly. Here’s how the best founders build MVPs in 2025 — and how long it really takes.
Team Structures That Actually Work (and Don’t Burn Runway)
Warning: adding people doesn’t speed things up linearly. A 5-person team can ship in 2 months. A 10-person team with no direction will still take 6.
Real Timelines (No Agency BS)
Pro Tip:
If you don’t have the budget for a full team, don’t cut quality — cut scope. It’s better to launch a sharp tool than a bloated toolbox.
Common MVP Team Setups (With Real Timelines)
- 2–3 people: for early validation MVPs
→ 1 frontend (no-code or dev) + 1 designer/PM
→ Time: 2–4 weeks
- 3–5 people: standard MVP with auth + dashboard
→ Frontend, backend, UI/UX, part-time QA/PM
→ Time: 6–10 weeks
- 6–8 people: regulated or mid-size SaaS
→ Multiple devs, DevOps, product owner
→ Time: 12–16 weeks
More people ≠ faster shipping. The best MVPs we’ve seen were built by 3–4 focused folks in 8 weeks.
Tech Stack Choices for B2B MVPs — Build Fast, Don’t Regret Later
Not sure what tech to pick? Here’s the cheat sheet:
- Mobile-first MVP (e.g. logistics, field ops) → Flutter + Supabase
- Web-based SaaS → React + Firebase
- Need to test idea fast (no devs yet) → FlutterFlow / Bubble / Airtable
- Back-end-heavy B2B product → React + Supabase
Don’t overthink — your stack should get out of the way, not slow you down. Scroll down for real-world combos, timelines, and cost breakdowns.
Recommended Stacks (and When to Use Them)
For 80% of B2B MVPs: Flutter or React + Supabase/Firebase hits the sweet spot. No-code = great for learning fast. Custom backend = only if you absolutely know you need it.
👉 Here’s how the top Flutter MVP agencies compare →
Real-World Combinations (Used by Funded MVPs)
Overbuilt ≠ Better
Founders who spend $80K+ on a full-stack backend for 20 beta users? They’re not “ahead of the game” — they’re burning runway trying to impress no one.
Pro Tip: Choose the stack that helps you learn faster
- Use Flutter if you need mobile and want clean design.
- Use React + Firebase if you’re shipping a SaaS.
- Use no-code if you’re pre-funding and need feedback yesterday.
Region-Based MVP Cost Benchmarks — What It Costs Around the World
A great product idea can come from anywhere. But your burn rate won’t be the same in New York, Warsaw, and Bangalore. Here’s how MVP budgets vary in 2025 depending on where your team’s based.
Average MVP Budgets by Region (Global 2025 Benchmarks)
How Founders Use This Table
- Tight budget? East Europe, India, or LatAm can cut costs by 40–70% vs the US — without killing quality.
- Need timezone overlap + top-tier design? Look at Poland, Argentina, or remote US freelancers.
- Going full in-house? Know that even a small team in SF means ~$40–80K/month burn — before marketing.
🤝 Where Ptolemay Fits In
Most of our engineering team is based in Eastern Europe, with English-fluent PMs and real MVP delivery history. That’s how we consistently launch production-ready MVPs in 7–9 weeks, with $30–70K budgets — not ballpark fluff.
Want the raw data?
You can view our open GitHub report comparing Ptolemay to 28 top MVP vendors: See the transparent performance comparison →
4 MVPs. 4 Founders. Here’s What Actually Happened.
These aren't polished startup stories. These are the kinds of things founders admit over coffee, not in pitch decks. No buzzwords. Just choices, trade-offs — and what happened next.
CASE 1: “We wasted $15K building a feature nobody used.”
Founder: Jakub, non-technical ops guy from Kraków
Product: Delivery dispatcher tool for courier services
Stack: Flutter + Supabase
Budget: $52,000
Timeline: 9 weeks
What they built:
- Multi-role system (dispatcher, driver, manager)
- Map view with live driver tracking
- Driver scoring dashboard
- What went wrong:
“We thought dispatchers needed analytics. Turns out they just wanted to stop texting drivers manually. The scoring dashboard? Not one user opened it in the first 30 days.”
What they learned:
“We cut 60% of the scope after that. Left only tracking and SMS. Signed our first client 3 days later.”
CASE 2: “We raised $500K with a janky MVP and killer logs.”
Founder: Mia, solo founder, ex-HR director
Product: Onboarding tool for hybrid teams
Stack: React + Firebase
Budget: $72,000
Timeline: 10 weeks
What they built:
- Role-based login
- Admin panel for HR
- Slack bot that pings new hires
- How it landed:
“The UI was bare. But every investor asked the same thing: ‘Are people using it?’ We pulled up Mixpanel — 23 active teams, daily logins, feedback loops. That closed the round.”
What they learned:
“The feature didn’t raise money. The usage did.”
CASE 3: “No devs. No backend. Just results.”
Founder: Anil, ops lead at a trucking company in Delhi
Product: Internal scheduling tool
Stack: FlutterFlow + Airtable
Budget: $14,000
Timeline: 4.5 weeks
What they built:
- Airtable backend with routes and schedules
- Basic mobile UI to view them
- No login, no notifications
- What changed:
“Our dispatch team stopped calling each other 20 times a day. Suddenly they had visibility. It wasn’t pretty — but it worked.”
What they learned:
“Forget investor-readiness. This MVP saved us 10 hours a week from day one.”
CASE 4: “We cut 80% of the roadmap and made our first $8K.”
Founder: Laura, bootstrapping from Berlin
Product: Lightweight CRM for logistics brokers
Stack: React Native + Node.js
Budget: $55,000
Timeline: 12 weeks
What they almost built:
- Full CRM with onboarding, email sequences, AI assistant
- What they actually built:
- Contact management + 1-click call log
- Report builder with export
- What happened:
“We landed a 6-month paid pilot with a freight broker. They didn’t ask about features. They asked, ‘Can we export to Excel?’”
What they learned:
“A perfect product wouldn’t have sold faster. A focused one did.”
Founder takeaway:
- MVPs that worked: shipped in under 3 months
- MVPs that raised or sold: solved one painful problem
- Fancy dashboards ≠ traction
- Nobody used 100% of what they built
Frequently Asked Questions About MVP Costs for B2B Startups in 2025
What is the typical budget for an MVP in 2025?
If you're trying to budget for your MVP, expect to spend between $30K and $70K for a real, usable product. Most funded B2B MVPs we analyzed landed in that range, especially if built with Flutter or React + Firebase. This includes a small team (3–5 people), basic features, and 7–10 weeks of work. Some founders launch for under $20K using no-code tools — but those usually require rebuilding later.
What does a B2B MVP actually include?
If you're building a B2B MVP, you don't need “everything.” You need just enough to test a painful use case. Think: basic user flows, one core feature that delivers value, and some way to track behavior (like Mixpanel or log events). No need for full billing, onboarding flows, or admin portals at this stage. One founder launched a logistics MVP with just a dispatcher screen and SMS status updates — and got paying clients in 3 weeks.
Check the typical feature breakdown and costs here →
Should I charge users for my MVP?
Yes — if they get real value, charge something. Even a token fee gives you signal. Free pilots are fine for enterprise, but if you're targeting SMBs or mid-market, a small monthly price helps validate willingness to pay. Most successful MVPs we’ve seen include either a paid beta or freemium-to-paid path. Founders who charged even $50/month got way clearer feedback than those who ran “free forever” betas.
How do you decide what to include in your MVP?
Start with this question: “What’s the smallest thing I can build that solves a real problem?” Don’t build for what you hope users want — build for what they're already hacking together with spreadsheets or email. Then cut everything that doesn’t help them do that one thing faster. One team we worked with slashed their scope from 6 features to 2 — and signed a paid pilot before the full app was done.
Does your MVP need to be perfect?
No. In fact, if it's perfect, you're probably too late. A good MVP is 80% execution and 100% learning. It should be good enough to test your assumption — not to win a design award. Clarity > polish. Several teams in our dataset got funding with UI mockups and working backends held together by Zapier and Airtable.
How much does a qualified B2B lead cost in 2025?
If you're acquiring B2B leads via outbound or paid channels, expect to spend $150–$500 per qualified lead. LinkedIn paid campaigns average $75–$120 per click, and only 5–10% convert. That’s why many founders focus on warm intros, early pilots, or SEO-driven inbound — like offering an MVP calculator or teardown. In one example, a founder closed 3 paid pilots from 42 calculator completions — effectively ~$35 per lead.
What is the best tech stack for a B2B MVP in 2025?
If you're building fast and want to stay lean, go with Flutter or React for frontend, plus Firebase or Supabase for backend. This combo gets you to market faster, avoids DevOps overhead, and gives enough flexibility to iterate. It’s what we saw in 80% of funded MVPs across logistics, SaaS, and HR tools. Unless you're building for hardcore compliance or AI infra — don't over-engineer. Save custom stacks for after PMF.
Why do startup MVPs go over budget?
MVPs usually go over budget because founders add too much too early. Common traps: full custom UI, multiple user roles, complex onboarding, or integrations that no one’s asked for. In our research, cutting 1–2 “nice-to-have” features saved teams $10–25K and 2–4 weeks. The faster you launch the core flow, the sooner you’ll know what actually matters.
What does traction look like for an MVP?
For early-stage founders, traction means behavior, not buzz. It could be 10 users coming back every week, a waitlist converting at 20%, or 3 unpaid pilots turning into paid plans. What matters is repeatable usage and a clear signal that someone finds this useful without you chasing them. Investors don’t need graphs — they need proof that something’s working.
How long should it take to build a B2B MVP?
If your team is focused, a B2B MVP should ship in 6 to 10 weeks. That’s with 3–5 people, no crazy features, and good async coordination. Any longer, and you're probably stuck in spec creep or building stuff you don’t yet need. Some of the best founders we’ve worked with shipped in 4–6 weeks — because they planned smart, not big.
Final Words — From One Builder to Another
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re not here for theory. You’re here because you’re building something real. So here’s the truth we’ve learned working with startup founders around the world:
You don’t need perfect. You need progress. Most great MVPs didn’t start with a beautiful UI. They started with a painful problem, a clear use case, and the courage to say, "Let’s build just enough to see if this really works." And that’s more than enough.
What’s next?
If your idea is already forming in your mind — let’s shape it into something you can actually test. No meetings. No fluff. Just fast, focused planning.
👉 Try our free MVP Estimator — it gives you a real-world spec, timeline, and budget in 3 minutes. No email required.
We built it so founders like you don’t have to guess anymore. Let’s make sure your MVP actually gets used — not just built. We’re rooting for you.
— The Ptolemay Team 💙
Meet Our Expert Flutter Development Team
Our full-cycle Flutter development team at Ptolemay specializes in building high-quality, cross-platform apps from start to finish. With expert skills in Dart, backend integrations, and seamless UX across iOS and Android, we handle everything to make your app launch smooth and efficient.
.png)
