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MVP development and software development for startups

Build a first version, test it with users and decide what comes next

Many first products are too big. Founders spend the budget on features nobody asked for, then have nothing left when users show what actually matters. We help you cut the scope to the one journey that proves your idea, build it for a fixed price and show you a working demo every week. You launch with real users in 6 weeks to 3 months, and the code, repositories and accounts are yours.

Book a call See our work
  • Scope cut to what proves the idea
  • A fixed price agreed before the build
  • A working demo every week
  • Your code, repositories and accounts

Why it works.

  • 01

    A scope that fits the budget

    We start from the question your MVP must answer (will people sign up, pay, come back?) and cut everything that doesn’t help answer it. The rest goes on a list for later.

    Smaller first version

  • 02

    A fixed price you can plan around

    The price is agreed after the project workshop and doesn’t grow with the hours. You know what the first version costs before development starts.

    Fixed price

  • 03

    Something to show every week

    A working demo every week, so you can put the product in front of test users and investors before launch and change course while it’s still cheap.

    Weekly demos

  • 04

    A base, not a throwaway prototype

    We pick the stack per product, no-code where it’s enough and code where it isn’t. Either way, your next developers can take it over.

    Room to grow

From launch to the next decision.

An MVP is a tool for learning. Once it’s live, this loop repeats every couple of weeks, and the product gets better each time round.

  1. First users sign up From your waiting list, pilot customers or a small campaign
  2. They try the core journey The one thing the product must do well, without workarounds
  3. Usage is measured Sign-ups, activation, drop-off points and what people pay for
  4. Feedback is grouped AI sorts interview notes, support messages and survey answers by theme
  5. You decide what’s next Build, change or drop, based on evidence rather than opinions
  6. The next release ships A small update in a 2-week stage, then the loop starts again
The fifth step is where most MVP money is saved or wasted. A product that measures nothing leaves founders guessing.

What we’ve learned.

From the projects we’ve built in this area.

  • 3 months

    Three months is enough to launch.

    Cardino, a Berlin marketplace for used EVs, had its MVP built in 3 months and started serving its first clients. The company has since raised €5 m in seed funding to expand the platform. Early customers and investors look at whether people use the core journey, not at the length of the feature list.

  • 80%

    No-code is a fair choice for a first version.

    When we rebuilt Novuma’s booking apps with no-code tools, they saved 80% of development time and cost compared with custom code. The catch comes later: complex permissions, heavy logic and scale get harder, and moving to code is a rebuild, not an export. Choose it knowingly.

  • Decide what you’re testing before you scope.

    “Will people pay?” needs payments and pricing. “Will they come back?” needs accounts, history and notifications. “Can we deliver it?” needs internal tools for your team. Each question leads to a different MVP, so write yours down first.

  • AI features are quick to demo and slow to get right.

    A model from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google can power a convincing demo in days. A feature that works on five examples often fails on the fiftieth. Test AI on real user inputs early, and budget for its running cost per user, which grows with every new customer.

What we can build.

  • Product types

    • SaaS products with accounts and subscriptions
    • Two-sided marketplaces with search and payments
    • Web and mobile apps
    • Back-office tools that run the product behind the scenes

  • First-version essentials

    • Sign-up, login and user roles
    • Payments and subscriptions through Stripe
    • Email and SMS notifications
    • An admin panel for your team

  • After launch

    • Analytics on sign-ups, activation and drop-off
    • Feedback collected inside the product
    • New releases in 2-week stages
    • Monthly support or a handover to your own team

  • Stack and AI

    • No-code tools such as Xano and WeWeb where they are enough
    • Code such as React and Supabase where no-code isn’t enough
    • AI features such as search, summaries or generated content
    • Moving a no-code product to code when it outgrows it

Build it yourself, hire by the hour or agree a fixed price?

All three are reasonable. The right one depends on your budget, your time and how sure you are about what to build.

Build it yourself in no-codeAgency or freelancers by the hourFixed-price build
Cash cost of the first version Lowest Open-ended Agreed up front
Founder time needed High Medium Low
Help cutting the scope No Partly Yes
Predictable budget Partly No Yes
Complex logic and integrations Partly Yes Yes
Code and accounts in your name Partly Partly Yes
Easy to change course mid-build Yes Yes Partly
Still testing whether anyone wants the product? A no-code prototype you build yourself may be enough. Once you know what to build and need it to work for paying users, a fixed scope and price protect your runway.

Projects like this.

What we’ve built for clients in this field.

  • Startup product

    Planodu

    Interactive configurator platform · Europe

    The problem

    The startup wanted to turn its passive-home offering into an interactive product that customers could configure and understand.

    What we built

    • Interactive floor-plan builder
    • Admin system for modules and metadata
    • Customer-facing product experience
    • Stripe integration for payments

    What changed: A product where customers configure a passive home and pay through Stripe.

  • Marketplace startup

    Cardino

    Marketplace product build · Europe

    The problem

    The team needed to move quickly on an EV marketplace and get the core workflows into production soon.

    What we built

    • Seller onboarding flow
    • Dealer auction workflow
    • Ticketing and internal operations tools

    What changed: The marketplace’s seller, auction and internal support features were ready for launch, with the MVP built in 3 months.

  • SaaS product

    Sprout

    SaaS for gyms and studios · USA

    The problem

    Gyms needed one product for class schedules, family accounts and billing instead of a stack of generic tools.

    What we built

    • Staff and family portals
    • Class enrollment, waitlists and attendance
    • Recurring billing per location through Stripe Connect

    What changed: A SaaS product that runs classes, enrollment and billing, with room to add features after launch.

How the first version comes together.

A typical timeline. We confirm yours after the project workshop.

  1. Day 1

    A 30-minute call

    You describe the idea. You leave knowing what we would build first and a rough price.

  2. Week 1

    Workshop and fixed price

    We map the core user journey, cut the scope to what proves the idea and agree a fixed price.

  3. Weeks 2+

    Build in 2-week stages

    A working demo every week, so you can show it to test users and investors before launch.

  4. Launch

    First real users

    The product goes live. The code, repositories and accounts are yours.

  5. +3 months

    Learn and iterate

    Free bug fixes for 3 months. New features come from what users actually do, in further stages or with monthly support.

Our past projects reached a first version in 6 weeks to 3 months. Mladilekari.sk’s MVP took 6 weeks; Cardino’s took 3 months.

Case studies.

Systems we’ve built that are close to this one.

  • Mladilekari.sk

    Healthcare · Bratislava, Slovakia

    Connecting healthcare professionals

    Platform that connects doctors & students with hospitals

    Read the case study

  • Objavte

    NGO, Tourism · Košice, Slovakia

    Activities discovery platform

    Custom-made booking platform for activities in Slovak regions.

    Read the case study

Further reading.

  1. Build or buy AI: when off-the-shelf is enough and when to go custom When an off-the-shelf AI tool is enough, when a custom build pays off, why most companies end up with a hybrid, and what to ask vendors before you sign. Read the article
  2. What an AI project really costs: build, run and maintain The three costs of an AI project, typical build prices, a worked example of monthly running costs and the levers that keep the bill under control. Read the article
  3. From AI pilot to production: why pilots stall and how to avoid it Why AI demos impress but pilots stall, what has to change before people rely on an AI system every day, and a checklist for moving a pilot into production. Read the article

Questions people ask.

What does an MVP cost?

A simple first version, one core journey connected to one or two services, usually costs €5–10k. An MVP with accounts, payments, an admin panel and 10+ features is typically €10–30k. Marketplaces and platforms with many integrations start at €30k. The price is fixed after the project workshop.

How long does an MVP take?

Our past projects reached a first version in 6 weeks to 3 months. The biggest factor is scope, not technology. Every extra user role, payment model or integration adds time.

Do we need a technical co-founder or a CTO?

Not to start. We work directly with founders, explain technical choices in plain language and document what we build. When you hire developers later, they take over a codebase and accounts you already own.

No-code or custom code?

Both have a place. No-code tools are faster and cheaper for many first versions. Code gives more control over complex logic, performance and long-term costs. We recommend one per product, say plainly when no-code is enough and move products to code when they outgrow it.

What if we change our minds during the build?

You will, and that’s fine. You see a demo every week and we plan in 2-week stages, so changes go into the next stage. If a change makes the scope bigger, we agree it with you first, so the price never grows without your say.

Can you add AI to our product?

Yes, when it serves the core journey, for example search, recommendations, summaries, generated content or an assistant that answers from your data. We test it on real inputs early and estimate the running cost per user, because AI costs grow with usage.

Who owns the code and the IP?

You do. The code, repositories and service accounts (hosting, payments, email) are in your name. That makes due diligence simpler when you raise money or hire your own team.

What happens after launch?

We fix bugs in our work for free for 3 months. After that you can continue with us in 2-week stages or with monthly support, or hand the product to your own developers.

Ready to build your first product?

Tell us the idea in a 30-minute call. You’ll leave knowing what we’d build first, what we’d leave out and a rough price.

JurajCEO, QikBuild

You leave the call with

  • What we would build first
  • A rough price range
  • Whether custom software makes sense for you
Book a 30-minute call

Or write to hello@qikbuild.com