The verdict in three sentences
A serious B2B SaaS MVP for a London startup costs between EUR 25,000 (one user role, tight scope) and EUR 70,000 (three roles, billing, dashboards) in 2026. The team model matters more than the stack: for the same scope, a nearshore team at EUR 350 a day halves the bill compared with a London agency at EUR 700 or more. The real risk for a non-technical founder is scope creep, not the day rate.
What a 12-week B2B MVP actually includes
An MVP is not a clickable mockup. It has to take its first paying customers, so it needs authentication, permissions per organisation, one complete business workflow and basic billing. The budget depends mostly on the number of user roles (admin, customer, operator), because each role adds screens, permissions and tests.
| MVP scope | User roles | Development days | London agency budget (EUR 700/day) | Nearshore budget (EUR 350/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple internal tool | 1 | 40 to 50 days | EUR 28,000 to 35,000 | EUR 14,000 to 17,500 |
| Single-role SaaS with Stripe subscriptions | 1 | 55 to 65 days | EUR 38,500 to 45,500 | EUR 19,250 to 22,750 |
| Admin + customer SaaS | 2 | 70 to 80 days | EUR 49,000 to 56,000 | EUR 24,500 to 28,000 |
| 3-role SaaS + dashboards | 3 | 90 to 100 days | EUR 63,000 to 70,000 | EUR 31,500 to 35,000 |
| Option: documented public API | + | 10 to 15 days | EUR 7,000 to 10,500 | EUR 3,500 to 5,250 |
| Option: mobile PWA | + | 8 to 12 days | EUR 5,600 to 8,400 | EUR 2,800 to 4,200 |
These ranges are 2026 estimates covering discovery, UI design, development, QA and go-live. Senior London agencies often bill GBP 650 to 900 a day, so the upper end can climb. A nearshore team usually logs slightly more days than an agency (coordination, documentation), which puts the real budget for most two-role MVPs between EUR 25,000 and EUR 40,000.
Stack, hosting and recurring costs
For a B2B MVP in 2026, Next.js + PostgreSQL remains the most rational choice: one language (TypeScript) front and back, a large talent pool, and a relational database that scales to several thousand customers. The founder owns the code and can switch vendors without a rewrite.
| Recurring item | MVP phase (0 to 50 customers) | Traction phase (50 to 500 customers) |
|---|---|---|
| App hosting (Vercel, AWS, Render) | EUR 20 to 80/month | EUR 100 to 250/month |
| Managed PostgreSQL + backups | EUR 25 to 60/month | EUR 80 to 150/month |
| Transactional email, monitoring, logs | EUR 15 to 40/month | EUR 40 to 100/month |
| Stripe payments (UK cards) | 1.5% + 20p per transaction | same, negotiable above GBP 100,000/year |
| Total infrastructure | about EUR 100/month | EUR 250 to 400/month |
| Corrective and evolutive maintenance | EUR 1,000 to 2,000/month | EUR 3,000 to 6,000/month |
On funding, UK startups can often offset part of the build through R&D tax relief and SEIS investment (up to GBP 250,000 raised under the scheme). Investors and the tax adviser will both ask for a detailed quote and a schedule: a costed specification split into lots speeds things up.
London agency or nearshore team: the decision grid
| Criterion | London agency | Nearshore team |
|---|---|---|
| Average 2026 day rate | EUR 650 to 800+ | EUR 300 to 400 |
| In-person workshops | easy, on site | video, occasional travel |
| Time zone | same | 0 to 1 h difference (Dakar is on GMT) |
| Working language | English | English or French |
| 2-role MVP budget | EUR 49,000 to 56,000 | EUR 25,000 to 30,000 |
| Time to kick-off | 3 to 6 weeks | 1 to 3 weeks |
Nearshore works when the founder sets three guardrails: a named product owner on the vendor side, demos every two weeks on a staging environment, and a Git repository in the startup's name from day one.
Mini case study
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Camille, founder of a London startup selling a scheduling tool to accounting firms, wants a two-role MVP (firm and staff member) in 12 weeks. London agency quote: 75 days at EUR 700, i.e. EUR 52,500. Nearshore quote: 82 days at EUR 350, i.e. EUR 28,700. The EUR 23,800 gap funds 9 months of run (infrastructure EUR 120/month and maintenance EUR 1,500/month, i.e. EUR 14,580) and leaves EUR 9,220 to acquire the first 20 customers. At EUR 89 a month, 20 firms bring EUR 21,360 a year: the nearshore MVP pays back in about 16 months, versus more than 29 months for the agency option.
FAQ
Can a SaaS MVP really ship in 12 weeks?
Yes, for 1 to 2 roles and 15 to 25 screens. Beyond 3 roles or with heavy third-party integrations, plan for 16 to 20 weeks.
How much of the budget should go to design?
About 10 to 15% of the total, i.e. EUR 3,000 to 8,000. A light design system at MVP stage avoids redoing screens during the traction phase.
Do I own the code if I use a nearshore team?
You must own it contractually: assignment of IP rights in the contract and a Git repository on your account. Require it before the first payment, whatever the vendor.
How much does a no-code MVP cost by comparison?
Between EUR 8,000 and 20,000 with Bubble or similar, plus EUR 100 to 500 a month in licences. It is fine to test a market, but a EUR 30,000+ rewrite is common after 100 customers.
Can R&D tax relief cover an external vendor?
Subcontracted R&D can qualify in part under the UK merged scheme, subject to conditions. Relief arrives after the accounting period, so plan 6 to 12 months of cash.
Let's scope your project. Send us your scope (roles, key screens, integrations): we cost your MVP lot by lot, with an indicative budget of EUR 25,000 to 70,000 and a 12-week schedule. 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.
