Short answer: at our studio, a fixed-scope MVP sprint typically costs $9,500 to $18,500, a custom multi-platform product build typically costs $25,000 to $65,000 or more, and a dedicated team typically costs $8,500 to $14,000 per month. These are typical ranges, not quotes. Where your project lands depends on scope, integrations, compliance needs and how quickly decisions are made. A written quote follows a scoping conversation, and anyone who names an exact price from a one-line description is guessing.
This article explains what is inside those ranges, what pushes a project towards the low or high end and how to compare quotes without being misled.
Three typical engagement models
Fixed-scope MVP sprint, typically $9,500 to $18,500. A defined core feature set delivered in about 30 to 45 days, paid by milestone. This suits a founder who wants the smallest product that can be put in front of real users.
Custom product build, typically $25,000 to $65,000 or more. A larger product, often covering web and mobile, built over about 8 to 16 weeks in staged sprints with an architecture and security review. The upper end is open because bigger scopes exist.
Dedicated team, typically $8,500 to $14,000 per month. A small senior team on a monthly retainer, about 160 hours of senior engineering output, working in your tools. This suits ongoing product work where priorities change. Our article on choosing between a sprint and a team goes into the trade-offs.
What you are actually paying for
Software cost is mostly people's time, and the time goes into more than typing code. A typical project includes:
- Scoping and writing down the requirements.
- Designing the user flows and screens.
- Planning the architecture and data model.
- Building the front end, the back end and the integrations.
- Testing, fixing and a security review.
- Setting up hosting, deployment and monitoring.
- Handover, documentation and the first period after launch.
A quote that only mentions coding is leaving something out. Ask where testing, deployment and handover sit.
What pushes the price up
- More user types and roles. Each role needs its own screens, permissions and tests.
- More platforms. A web app, an iOS app and an Android app are three surfaces to build and test, even when some code is shared.
- Integrations. Payments, accounting, identity and messaging services each take time, and poorly documented ones take more.
- Money logic. Wallets, commissions, refunds and payouts need precise rules and thorough testing. Mistakes are expensive.
- Regulated areas. Finance, health and crypto products need extra care with access control, logging and data handling. Licensing and compliance remain the client's responsibility, and legal review is a separate cost.
- Smart contracts. A contract that cannot be changed after launch needs more careful review and testing. A review lowers risk but cannot remove it.
- Custom design. A bespoke interface with animation costs more than a clean standard one.
- Changing requirements. Changes after the scope is signed are normal, but each one takes time and is quoted separately.
- Slow feedback. If a milestone waits two weeks for approval, the team's time is still reserved.
What can bring the price down
- A smaller first release. Cut features until the product tests one idea.
- A clear written spec. Fewer questions and fewer misunderstandings. See our guide on writing a spec your developers can quote.
- Standard components. Using proven services for login, payments and email is cheaper than building them from scratch.
- Existing designs. If you already have brand files and wireframes, design time shrinks.
- Prompt decisions. One person with authority who replies the same day is worth more than a long approval chain.
Why a range and not one number
Two projects described with the same sentence can differ by a factor of two once the details appear. One online store needs a single payment method and a handful of products. Another needs subscriptions, tax rules in several countries and a connection to a warehouse system. A range is the honest way to say that the answer depends on details we have not seen yet. As the spec becomes clearer, the range narrows, and the written quote is the point at which it becomes a number you can plan around. If you are early in your thinking, a short scoping conversation is a cheap way to find out which end of a range your idea sits near.
Costs outside the build
The build is not the whole bill. Plan for hosting and cloud services, third-party fees such as payment processing and email, app store accounts, domain names, and maintenance after launch. Software needs updates, security patches and fixes as real users find real problems. Your estimate should include a line for ongoing work, even if the number is small at first.
How to compare quotes
- Compare what is in scope, not just the total. A lower price with a thin scope is not cheaper.
- Check how payment is split. Milestone payments tied to delivered work protect both sides.
- Ask what is paid before anything is delivered.
- Ask who owns the code, the repository and the accounts. You should own what you pay for.
- Ask what happens when scope changes and how it is priced.
- Look for assumptions written next to the estimate. Honest estimates have them.
Be careful with promises of fixed outcomes. No studio can promise revenue, users or a launch date that is independent of how the project goes. What a studio can do is give you a written scope, a price range, regular working builds and straight answers.
You can see how we lay out each model on our pricing and engagement page. If you would like a range for your own project, chat on WhatsApp at +1 (929) 450-3261 and tell us what you want to build, who will use it and when you would like to launch.