The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, a B2B SaaS MVP costs 50,000 to 110,000 EUR with a Berlin agency, 30,000 to 60,000 EUR with a nearshore francophone studio, and 600 to 900 EUR a day with freelancers you will have to coordinate yourself. The realistic timeline is 10 to 14 weeks for one well-built core feature, with authentication, Stripe subscriptions and an admin back office. For a non-technical founder preparing a pre-seed round, combining a nearshore studio with EXIST or the Gründungszuschuss brings personal cash down to a few thousand euros.
Agency, nearshore studio or freelancers: the comparison
The real risk for a non-technical founder is not price, it is ending up with nobody to make technical calls. The comparison has to include that hidden cost.
| Criterion | Berlin agency | Nearshore francophone studio | Freelancers |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP budget | 50,000 to 110,000 EUR | 30,000 to 60,000 EUR | 600 to 900 EUR/day, 50,000 to 80,000 EUR in total |
| Timeline | 10 to 14 weeks | 10 to 14 weeks | 12 to 20 weeks, depending on availability |
| Project manager included | Yes | Yes | No, that is you |
| Time zone | Same | Same or 1 to 2 h difference | Variable |
| Code ownership | Check the contract | Full IP assignment in the contract | Assignment needed freelancer by freelancer |
| Post-launch maintenance | 1,000 to 2,500 EUR/month | 500 to 1,200 EUR/month | Uncertain |
| Main risk | High budget for a pre-seed | Scoping quality to verify | Coordination and mid-project dropouts |
The budget line by line
Here is the typical split of a 45,000 EUR MVP with a nearshore studio, for a B2B SaaS with one core feature, team accounts and a monthly subscription.
| Item | Share of budget | Indicative amount | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping, user journeys, prioritisation | 8% | 3,600 EUR | 1 week |
| UX/UI, clickable mock-ups | 15% | 6,750 EUR | 2 weeks |
| Back end, database, API | 30% | 13,500 EUR | 4 weeks |
| Application front end | 22% | 9,900 EUR | 3 weeks, in parallel |
| Authentication, roles, Stripe billing | 10% | 4,500 EUR | 1 week |
| Admin back office | 7% | 3,150 EUR | 1 week |
| Testing, production launch, monitoring | 8% | 3,600 EUR | 1 week |
Add hosting (150 to 400 EUR a month on a European cloud with data in Frankfurt), tooling (transactional email, analytics, 50 to 150 EUR a month) and a 15% reserve for adjustments after the first customer feedback.
Funding the MVP before the round
| Programme | 2026 amount | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|
| EXIST Gründerstipendium | Monthly stipend per founder plus material and coaching budgets | Link to a German university or research institute |
| Gründungszuschuss | Unemployment benefit plus 300 EUR/month for 6 months, extendable | Founder coming from ALG I entitlement |
| Berlin Startup Stipendium and regional programmes | Monthly stipend for up to 12 months | Innovative project based in Berlin |
| KfW start-up loans | Up to 125,000 EUR | Via your house bank |
| Business angels and pre-seed funds | 100,000 to 750,000 EUR | Traction and a working product |
Amounts depend on applications and committee decisions: treat them as an order of magnitude, not a given.
Mini case study
Lena, non-technical founder of a Berlin startup building supplier contract management software, must show a product used by 5 pilot customers before her 500,000 EUR pre-seed round.
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- Berlin agency: 85,000 EUR, 12 weeks
- Freelancers: 750 EUR × 90 days = 67,500 EUR, plus about 15 hours a week of coordination on her side
- Nearshore francophone studio: 45,000 EUR, 12 weeks, project manager included
- Public support secured (stipend and material budget): about 27,000 EUR of costs covered
- Left to fund: 18,000 EUR plus 3,000 EUR of hosting in year one, i.e. 21,000 EUR, covered by a small angel ticket
Gap versus the agency: 40,000 EUR, roughly 6 months of a first developer's salary after the round.
FAQ
Can a SaaS MVP really ship in 10 weeks?
Yes, if scope is limited to one core feature and 3 to 5 main screens. Each secondary feature adds on average 1 to 2 weeks and 4,000 to 8,000 EUR.
Do I own the code with a nearshore studio?
You must: require a full IP assignment in the contract and access to your own Git repository from week one.
Which stack for a B2B MVP?
A mainstream, hireable stack (TypeScript, Next.js, PostgreSQL) on a European cloud. It eases handover to your future team and reassures investors during due diligence, including on GDPR.
What does the product cost after the MVP?
Plan 500 to 1,200 EUR a month for maintenance, 150 to 400 EUR for hosting, then iterations of 8,000 to 20,000 EUR per quarter based on customer feedback.
Do investors care who built the MVP?
They mostly care about usage: 5 active pilot customers and first recurring revenue weigh more than the vendor. Code quality matters at due diligence.
Let's scope your project. B2B SaaS MVP with a core feature, Stripe subscriptions and back office: we price your scope between 30,000 and 60,000 EUR, with delivery in 10 to 14 weeks. 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.
