A mobile MVP that proves the idea
before you spend on the rest
Most mobile MVPs fail for a reason that has nothing to do with code: they try to ship ten features instead of proving the one assumption that decides whether the app is worth building further. We cut the list down to that one flow, build it properly, and leave the architecture able to grow.
What it is and who needs it
A mobile app MVP is the smallest version of your app that still lets a real user complete the one action that proves your idea works: booking a slot, finishing a purchase, logging a habit, whatever that single action is for your product. It is for a founder who has a clear hypothesis and needs a real build, not a clickable prototype, to test it with actual users on real phones, and for a team that has validated an idea on the web and now needs to prove it holds on mobile before committing to a full build.
This is not a cut-down version of the final app with half the features done badly. It is one flow, built properly, with the sign-in, the data model and the analytics it needs to produce an honest answer about whether to keep building.
What is inside
The MVP ships as a React Native and Expo client running on both iOS and Android from a single codebase, backed by a FastAPI or Node service sized for the one flow it needs to support. Sign-in is social or email, whichever your users expect. Analytics events are wired specifically around the flow being tested, not a generic dashboard, so the data answers the actual question. We set up crash reporting and basic monitoring from the first build, because an MVP that crashes silently on a tester’s phone teaches you nothing.
Every MVP ships with a short, written handover: what the build does, what it deliberately does not do yet, and a ranked list of what the next phase should be based on how the flow actually performed, not on an abstract roadmap drawn up before anyone touched the app.
How we build it
- Brief and cut. We write down the one assumption the MVP needs to test and cut everything that does not serve it, even features that feel obviously necessary. This step saves more time than any later optimization.
- Architecture that will not need a rewrite. The data model and API are sized for the MVP but shaped so the next phase extends it instead of replacing it.
- Build in weekly demos. You see a working build every week, on your own phone, not a mockup.
- Test with real users. TestFlight and a Google Play internal track, so feedback comes from actual usage before a public launch.
- Decide with data. We hand over what the analytics showed and a ranked next-step list, and the decision to continue is yours.
Timeline and price
| Tier | Price | What’s included | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | from $4,500 | One core flow, iOS and Android, sign-in, analytics on that flow, TestFlight and Play testing track | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Production | from $9,000 | MVP scope hardened for a public launch: full onboarding, push notifications, store listing assets, crash monitoring | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Full control, handover-ready | from $15,300 | Everything in Production plus a complete handover package (architecture docs, CI/CD, access audit) so your own team or another vendor can run it without us | 8 to 12 weeks |
What you own at the end
The repository, under your organization from the first commit. Your own Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts, with the app registered under your name, not ours. The backend’s source code, its database schema, and deployment scripts, documented well enough that another developer can read them. Analytics access with the events already defined. Nothing in this MVP requires us to keep running it for it to keep running.
Related
See the development service page for how we scope and price any build, and the e-commerce mobile app and booking and appointments app pages for MVPs that start from a specific flow. For platform-specific pieces once the MVP needs them, see offline-first mobile app and push notifications infrastructure. For real examples of what we ship on mobile, see TaskWall’s native wallpaper modules and the fitness app’s 1,077 backend tests.
Have an idea you need to test on a real phone, not a slide deck? Get in touch and we will help you cut it down to the one flow that proves it.
FAQ
How much does a mobile app MVP cost?
From $4,500 for one platform-ready flow on iOS and Android, built on React Native with a backend sized for the MVP. A second flow, payments, or a native module usually adds $1,500 to $4,000. We give the exact number in a written plan after the brief.
How long does it take?
4 to 8 weeks from a scoped brief to a build you can hand to real users on TestFlight and a Google Play testing track. Scope creep is the only thing that reliably extends this, which is why we fix the flow before we start.
What stack do you build the MVP on?
React Native and Expo for the client so iOS and Android ship from one codebase, Python and FastAPI or Node and TypeScript for the backend depending on what your team will maintain, PostgreSQL for data, and native Kotlin or Swift modules only where the platform genuinely requires them.
Who owns the code and the store accounts after?
You. The repository is yours from the first commit, and we create or use your own Apple Developer and Google Play accounts, never ours. There is no dependency on us continuing the relationship for the app to keep running.
What happens after the MVP if it works?
We hand over a ranked list of what the MVP's real usage showed should come next, and you can take that list anywhere. If you want us to keep building, the next phase is scoped and priced the same way, as a fixed plan you approve first.