The verdict in three sentences
A B2B SaaS MVP costs between EUR 30,000 and EUR 55,000 in 2026, over a 3 to 5 month timeline to your first paying customer. Recurring infrastructure costs run from EUR 200 to 800/month depending on traffic and storage. The right in-house / agency / no-code trade-off depends on your runway and target time-to-market.
MVP budget breakdown
An MVP is not a complete product: it is the smallest scope that proves value and triggers a payment. Here are the key items and their 2026 ranges (order of magnitude, product studio, day rate EUR 580-930).
| Component | 2026 range (EUR) | Indicative timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Product scoping + UX/UI design | 5,000 - 10,000 | 2-3 weeks |
| Authentication + multi-tenant | 6,000 - 12,000 | 3-5 weeks |
| Core feature (the product promise) | 10,000 - 20,000 | 5-8 weeks |
| Billing + subscriptions (Stripe) | 3,000 - 6,000 | 2-3 weeks |
| Dashboard + onboarding | 3,000 - 7,000 | 2-3 weeks |
| Deployment, monitoring, QA | 3,000 - 6,000 | 2-3 weeks |
Adding scoping, multi-tenant, core feature and billing lands between EUR 30,000 and 55,000. The discipline is to build only ONE core feature at launch.
In-house build vs agency vs no-code
The delivery vehicle radically changes cost and timeline. Here is the 2026 trade-off for an equivalent MVP.
| Criterion | In-house build | Agency / studio | No-code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | EUR 60,000 - 120,000 (4-6 months of salaries) | EUR 30,000 - 55,000 | EUR 8,000 - 20,000 |
| Time-to-market | 5-8 months (incl. hiring) | 3-5 months | 1-3 months |
| Scalability | High | High | Capped |
| Recurring cost | EUR 200 - 800/month infra | EUR 200 - 800/month infra | EUR 300 - 1,500/month licences |
| Code ownership | You | You | Vendor lock-in |
| Ideal for | Existing tech team | Non-tech founder, raise near | Ultra-fast validation |
For a non-technical founder aiming to raise within 6 months, an agency offers the best time-to-market / code-quality ratio. No-code excels at testing appetite before investing in custom development.
Mini case study
Jonas, founder of a B2B startup in Berlin, wants to validate a reporting tool for finance directors. He scopes his MVP at EUR 44,000 (scoping, multi-tenant, reporting core feature, Stripe billing) delivered in 4 months. With 15 paying customers at EUR 149/month from the third month post-launch, he generates EUR 2,235 MRR and hard traction for his seed round. Infrastructure costs him EUR 350/month, leaving a comfortable net margin from day one.
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FAQ
How many features should an MVP have?
One core feature, plus authentication and billing. Everything else (integrations, advanced analytics, roles) waits for market validation. Adding features quickly doubles the budget without accelerating traction.
Do we need Stripe at MVP stage?
Yes, if you target Europe: Stripe covers subscriptions, cards and VAT for EUR 3,000 to 6,000 of integration. For an African market, plan Wave and Orange Money on the same principle.
What recurring budget before the raise?
Allow EUR 200 to 800/month of infrastructure (hosting, database, monitoring, transactional email). That is well below the cost of an in-house team.
No-code or custom to start?
No-code to test a hypothesis in 1-3 months at low cost; custom as soon as business logic is complex or you aim to raise with owned code.
When to rebuild after the MVP?
Usually between 50 and 200 active users, when architecture or no-code licence limits appear. Budget a v2 of EUR 40,000 to 80,000 at that point.
Let's scope your project. Describe your core feature, target market and raise timeline, and we'll scope an MVP deliverable in 3 to 5 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
