The verdict in three sentences
A field technician scheduling SaaS MVP costs 60,000 to 120,000 EUR with a Berlin agency in 2026, driven by day rates of 800 to 1,000 EUR, while the same scope built by a senior remote studio lands at 30,000 to 50,000 EUR in 10 to 12 weeks. Hosting stays small, 150 to 400 EUR per month up to the first 50 customers, and German programmes such as EXIST or Berlin's Pro FIT can fund a large share of the build. The real risk is not technical: it is coding for three months without three signed pilot maintenance companies.
What a credible MVP contains for maintenance SMEs
Maintenance SMEs (heating, lifts, commercial refrigeration, alarms) often run 8 to 40 technicians on a shared spreadsheet and phone calls. Your MVP must prove one thing: fewer kilometres and more jobs per day. Everything else waits for V2.
| MVP module | Minimum content | Estimated effort | Berlin agency cost | Remote studio cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dispatcher board | Week view, drag and drop, job statuses | 12 to 16 days | 11,000 to 16,000 EUR | 7,000 to 11,000 EUR |
| Technician PWA | Daily list, navigation, photo, customer signature, offline mode | 14 to 20 days | 13,000 to 20,000 EUR | 8,500 to 13,000 EUR |
| Route optimisation | Visit order via routing API, time-window constraints | 8 to 12 days | 8,000 to 12,000 EUR | 5,000 to 8,500 EUR |
| Multi-company accounts | Data isolation per customer, admin, dispatcher, technician roles | 6 to 8 days | 5,500 to 8,000 EUR | 3,500 to 5,500 EUR |
| Subscription billing | Stripe Billing, 14-day trial, 2 plans | 4 to 6 days | 4,000 to 6,000 EUR | 2,500 to 4,000 EUR |
| Design, QA, go-live | Mockups, acceptance, CI/CD, monitoring | 8 to 12 days | 8,000 to 12,000 EUR | 3,500 to 8,000 EUR |
| Total MVP | 10 to 12 weeks | 52 to 74 days | 60,000 to 120,000 EUR | 30,000 to 50,000 EUR |
Berlin agencies often add a discovery phase of 8,000 to 15,000 EUR and project management at 15 to 20 % of the build, which explains why quotes climb past 100,000 EUR for a lean product.
Keep out of the MVP: ERP connectors, spare parts inventory, automated recurring maintenance contracts, end-customer portal. Each adds 4,000 to 12,000 EUR and delays proof of value.
Running costs and funding options
A routing SaaS mostly consumes routing and geocoding API calls. These costs stay low below 1,000 active technicians.
| Monthly item | 0 to 10 customers | 10 to 50 customers | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| App hosting and database | 60 to 120 EUR | 150 to 250 EUR | EU cloud, daily backups |
| Routing and geocoding API | 30 to 80 EUR | 80 to 150 EUR | Per-request pricing, caching essential |
| Transactional email and SMS | 20 to 50 EUR | 50 to 100 EUR | Visit reminders to end customers |
| Monitoring and logs | 0 to 30 EUR | 30 to 60 EUR | Error and latency alerts |
| Total infrastructure | about 150 EUR | 300 to 400 EUR | Excluding feature work |
| Corrective and evolutive maintenance | 800 to 1,500 EUR | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR | 1 to 4 days per month |
On funding, the EXIST start-up grant covers founder salaries and up to 30,000 EUR of material costs for university spin-offs, while Berlin's Pro FIT programme combines grants and loans for innovative products. In France, the equivalent is the Bpifrance French Tech grant of up to 30,000 EUR. Allow 2 to 4 months for approval: start the application before signing the build quote.
Mini case study
Jonas, founder of a B2B start-up in Berlin and former operations manager in HVAC services, signs three pilot companies with 12, 18 and 25 technicians. He receives a Berlin agency quote of 95,000 EUR and a remote studio quote of 42,000 EUR for the same 11-week scope. Choosing the studio saves 53,000 EUR, roughly nine months of runway.
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His price: 39 EUR per technician per month. With 55 pilot technicians, he books 2,145 EUR of MRR from month four. The largest pilot measures 11 % fewer kilometres and 0.6 more jobs per technician per day, about 3,200 EUR of extra monthly revenue for that company. With 20 customers of 15 technicians each, Jonas reaches 11,700 EUR of MRR, enough to hire a full-time developer and fund V2.
FAQ
Can a scheduling MVP really ship in 10 weeks?
Yes, if scope is frozen in week 1 and pilots approve mockups within 5 days. About 80 % of delays come from scope back-and-forth, rarely from code.
Native app or PWA for technicians?
A PWA is enough for an MVP: photos, signature, geolocation and offline mode work on Android and iOS. A native app adds 15,000 to 25,000 EUR and 4 to 6 weeks, worth it after about 30 customers.
Should route optimisation be custom-built?
No, the MVP relies on an existing routing API with a few business constraints (time windows, skills). A proprietary algorithm costs 20,000 EUR or more, justified only if optimisation becomes your main differentiator.
Who owns the source code?
You do, fully, with an IP assignment clause in the contract. Investors check this during a seed round, often between 300,000 and 800,000 EUR.
What does V2 cost after the MVP?
Budget 25,000 to 45,000 EUR for accounting connectors, recurring contracts and the end-customer portal. It is best funded by MRR and a raise, after 15 to 20 paying customers.
Let's scope your project. Send us your MVP scope and pilot customers: we will price a build between 30,000 and 50,000 EUR with a 10 to 12 week plan. 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.