Lo que debería
realmente costar
para construir.
Un compromiso de estimación de costos MVP para fundadores, CTOs y líderes de operaciones que están definiendo su próximo software a medida, SaaS, ERP o CRM. Convertimos tu idea en un presupuesto defendible — con rangos a nivel de módulo, veredictos de construir versus comprar, y una hoja de ruta por fases — entregada como un resumen escrito en diez días hábiles. Sin ventas de proveedores, sin inflación de alcance impulsada por comisiones, sin cotización fija que se infla silenciosamente. Solo números que un consejo, un inversionista o un CFO pueden aprobar.
Most software
estimates fail
before week one.
They fail in two directions. Agency quotes pad the number with a fixed-fee buffer that hides the assumptions you should be questioning. Friend-of-a-friend developer quotes leave out integrations, security, ops, the second-most-senior engineer, and the four months of edge cases that always appear after launch. The MVP Cost Estimator gives you the third option — a defensible written brief, with assumptions on the table, scope per module, build-vs-buy verdicts, and a confidence band around every number. Nothing hidden. Nothing inflated.
Six cost dimensions.
One defensible total.
Every estimate is built bottom-up across the same six dimensions, each with its own assumptions, ranges, and confidence band. That's where defensibility comes from — not from a single round number, but from the structure underneath it.
Senior engineering
The actual build hours, broken down by module and feature. Costed against senior rates only — because juniors on a custom MVP cost more in rework than they save up front. Includes code review, testing, and documentation time.
Architecture & data model
Systems design, data model, integration map, build sequence. Often the cheapest line item — and the one that decides whether the next twelve months stay on budget or quietly double.
Integrations & APIs
Every API, webhook, ETL pipeline, and SSO connection priced individually. Integrations are where most fixed-fee quotes silently break — we list them line by line so nothing gets bundled into a hopeful round number.
Cloud & infrastructure
Hosting, environments, CI/CD, observability, backups. One-off setup costs separated from the monthly run rate — so you can model burn cleanly. Vendor-neutral across AWS, GCP, Azure, and Hetzner.
Build vs. buy verdicts
Per module: should you build it, buy a SaaS for it, or stitch together open-source? We give a verdict with rationale — and a comparison number for the alternative — so you can see exactly what the build premium is buying.
Operate & contingency
Post-launch support, the first three months of operate, the buffer for the things you don't yet know. Most estimates skip this line entirely. We make it explicit — because pretending it's zero is the single biggest reason MVP budgets get blown.
Ten working days. Four phases. One written brief.
Every MVP cost estimator engagement follows the same arc. Senior-led from kickoff to delivery, fixed-fee, and structured so the brief lands in your inbox on day ten — ready for the next board, investor, or leadership meeting.
Capture
We sit with you and walk the idea end to end. Users, jobs-to-be-done, must-haves, nice-to-haves, the ten things you've already half-decided about. Output: a one-page scope statement we both sign off on before any number is written.
Decompose
We break the MVP into modules, each one priced bottom-up across the six cost dimensions. Build-vs-buy is decided per module, not at the top. Every assumption logged, every range justified.
Phase
Modules sequenced into a build phasing — what ships in the MVP, what ships in v1.1, what waits for product-market fit. Each phase carries its own number, so you can fund the next stage rather than the whole thing.
Deliver
Written brief, scoring spreadsheet, phased roadmap, indicative monthly run rate. Walk-through with you and one or two stakeholders. The document is yours — implement with us, with another team, or take it to market.
A written brief your CFO, board, or investors can defend.
"We took the brief into a Series A pitch and the lead investor said it was the cleanest budget they'd seen all quarter. The round closed eleven days later."
Built for the moment
before the cheque is signed.
Founders raising a round
You're going into a seed or Series A and need a build budget that survives diligence. Investors discount founder-built numbers by reflex — a third-party cost estimator brief gives them something to actually anchor on.
CTOs scoping a rebuild
Legacy ERP, CRM, or internal platform that's hit its ceiling. Leadership is asking what a rebuild costs. You want a number you can take to the executive team without three vendors padding it differently.
Operations leaders proposing custom
You've outgrown off-the-shelf SaaS and want to propose building. The CFO will ask the obvious question. The estimator brief is what you bring to that meeting — defensible, phased, and honest about run rate.
Boards comparing proposals
You have two or three vendor quotes that don't compare. We rebuild the estimate from first principles so the board can see what each proposal is — and isn't — actually pricing. Independent, vendor-neutral, on the record.
Honest note —If you already have a detailed product spec, a clear stack decision, and just need a vendor quote: skip the estimator and brief us directly for the build. We'll save you ten days.
"A defensible MVP budget isn't the lowest number — it's the number with every assumption written down. The moment you can argue every line, the budget stops being a guess and starts being a plan."
Fixed scope. Fixed fee. Fixed timeline.
The estimator is deliberately bounded. Ten working days, one senior, one written deliverable. No scope creep, no rolling retainer, no upsell at the end of the brief.
Single fixed fee
One number, agreed before kickoff. Covers the senior, the framework, the bottom-up costing, the write-up, and the leadership walk-through. Indicative ranges shared on request.
- —Fixed fee, no hourly billing
- —No vendor commissions or referral fees
- —Fee is creditable against a follow-on build
10 working days
Day 1 is kickoff. Day 10 is delivery. Most of your team's time goes into Phase 01 — roughly 4–6 hours of stakeholder time across the two weeks.
- —Fixed start and end dates
- —Roughly 4–6 hours of your team's time
- —Conducted on-site or remote (EN/ES/DE)
Vendor-neutral by default
We don't resell models, platforms, or licences. The brief's only job is to give you a defensible budget — including the cases where the right answer is to buy off-the-shelf or not build at all.
- —No commissions from any vendor
- —Recommendations include "buy not build"
- —You own the deliverable in full
Ten-day, fixed-fee planning engagement · senior-led · written brief on day 10
Brief the estimator teamQuestions before you commit.
What founders, CTOs, and ops leaders typically ask before signing the engagement letter — answered honestly.
How accurate are the numbers in the brief? +
Each line item carries a confidence band — typically ±20% on a well-scoped MVP, wider on modules with unknowns we flag explicitly. That's tighter than the industry default of ±50–80%, and it's tight because we cost bottom-up against senior rates with every assumption logged. The brief is engineered to survive a CFO's challenge: every number can be unpacked into the assumptions underneath it.
What does the estimator engagement cost? +
It's a single fixed fee, scoped before kickoff. The exact number depends on the breadth of the MVP and the number of modules in scope, but it's deliberately set well below the cost of a single bad scoping decision. We share indicative ranges on the first call. The fee is creditable against a follow-on build engagement, so you're not paying twice.
Can I use the brief to negotiate with other vendors? +
That's exactly what it's designed for. The deliverable is yours — many of our clients use it to compare incoming agency or contractor quotes line by line. About half of estimator clients engage us for the build. The other half take the brief, run a tender, and pick the right vendor for them. That's the point.
How is this different from a free MVP cost calculator? +
Online MVP cost calculators ask you to pick three checkboxes and return a round number with a ±70% range. They can't be defended in a board meeting because there's no underlying logic. Our estimator is a senior-led engagement with a written brief, bottom-up costing per module, build-vs-buy verdicts, and assumptions on every line. You can hand it to an investor, a board, or a CFO and answer every question they ask.
What if my idea changes during the ten days? +
Expected. The Phase 01 scope statement is the anchor — small refinements are absorbed without changing the engagement. If the scope materially shifts (a new module, a different user, a different stack), we re-baseline and tell you transparently if the timeline or fee needs to flex. No silent scope creep, no surprises on day ten.
Will you recommend not building at all? +
Sometimes, yes. If the build-vs-buy verdict per module says off-the-shelf SaaS does 80% of what you need at 10% of the cost, that's in the brief. If the underlying problem is operational rather than software, that's in the brief too. We don't have a build quota to fill — the brief's only job is to give you the truth, including the inconvenient version of it.
Ten working days to a
budget you can defend.
A 30-minute call with the senior who'd lead the estimator. We'll scope the engagement, share indicative pricing, and tell you honestly whether the brief is the right next step — or whether you can skip straight to a build conversation.