What a realistic MVP budget looks like in 2026
The line items that decide the cost of a first release, and the ones founders usually leave out.
Product engineering
Custom software
that fits your process.
Web apps, portals and integrations for growing businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets or off-the-shelf tools.
10 yearsBuilding software
250+Projects delivered
90%Client retention
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Trusted by teams in the US, UK, Canada & Europe
What we build
Six kinds of work we take on most
Most projects combine two or three of these. A portal usually needs integrations; a modernisation usually ends with new reporting.
01
Internal platforms and portals
Customer, partner and staff portals with roles, permissions and a full audit trail.
For exampleA distributor ordering portal with regional price lists
02
Workflow and operations tooling
Replace the spreadsheets and email chains behind approvals, scheduling, inventory and field work.
For exampleField-service scheduling that replaces a shared spreadsheet
03
System integrations and APIs
Connect your CRM, ERP, payments and third-party services so data is entered once and stays correct.
For exampleCRM to ERP sync, so each order is entered once
04
Legacy modernisation
Move an ageing system to a modern stack in stages, while the business that depends on it keeps running.
For exampleA ten-year-old .NET system moved module by module
05
Admin dashboards and reporting
Live views of the numbers your team checks every morning, built on the data you already have.
For exampleA daily operations dashboard on existing databases
06
Maintenance and support
Fixes, security updates and small improvements on a monthly retainer, with agreed response times.
For exampleA monthly retainer with agreed response times
Why Leapstrat
Why businesses choose a Leapstrat custom build
Off-the-shelf compared with a custom build. Discovery checks your case against each row before anyone recommends a build.
Compare
Off-the-shelf
Custom build
Fit to your processYour team adapts to the toolThe tool fits how your team works
Time to startDays6 to 10 weeks to a first release
Upfront costLowHigher, fixed per release
Cost as you growPer-seat licences rise with headcountHosting and support, not per seat
IntegrationsLimited to what the vendor supportsBuilt for the systems you already run
Who owns itThe vendorYou: the code, the data and the roadmap
01
A founder on every project
One of our two founders joins discovery and stays on the project as your point of escalation.
02
Hours that overlap yours
Engineers on shift 09:00–23:00 IST: 4.5 hours with US Eastern, a full working day with the UK and Europe.
03
Handover planned from day one
Code, docs and the release process are kept ready for your own team to take over.
If an existing product does the job, the discovery plan will say so and name it.
Read the one-page build-or-buy test →How a project runs
First working release in 6 to 10 weeks
You approve the scope and the designs before build starts, and see working software every two weeks after that. The bar shows a typical project, week by week.
011–2 weeks
Discovery
We map the current process with the people who run it, list the requirements and agree what the first release must do.
You get: Written scope and estimate021–2 weeks
Design and architecture
Clickable screens for the main flows and a short architecture note covering stack, hosting, security and integrations.
You get: Approved designs and tech plan034–6 weeks
Build in sprints
Two-week sprints with a demo at the end of each. You test on a staging link as features land.
You get: Working software every two weeks04About 1 week
Launch
Data migration, user training and a planned go-live, with engineers on hand through the first days.
You get: Live system and handover docs05Ongoing
Support and next releases
Fixes, monitoring and the next set of features, on a monthly retainer or sprint by sprint.
You get: A release every sprint
Every sprint:
A demo call with the engineers
A staging link to test on
Written sprint notes
An updated estimate if scope changes
Ways to work with us
Pick how the build is run
Most clients start with a fixed scope first release, then move to a pod or add engineers as the roadmap grows. You can switch between releases.
Fixed scope projectA defined first releaseMost first releases
Dedicated podA team that keeps building
Staff augmentationEngineers inside your team
Best for
New systems and staged rebuilds
Platforms with a long roadmap
Teams with in-house leadership
Pricing
Fixed price per release
Monthly rate for the whole pod
Flat monthly rate per engineer
Led by
Our delivery lead, against milestones
Our delivery lead, reporting to you
Your own engineering lead
Team
Set by the scope in the estimate
Lead, engineers and QA
From one engineer, month to month
How it works →
How it works →
How it works →
Fixed scope project
A defined first release
Most first releases- Best for
- New systems and staged rebuilds
- Pricing
- Fixed price per release
- Led by
- Our delivery lead, against milestones
- Team
- Set by the scope in the estimate
Dedicated pod
A team that keeps building
- Best for
- Platforms with a long roadmap
- Pricing
- Monthly rate for the whole pod
- Led by
- Our delivery lead, reporting to you
- Team
- Lead, engineers and QA
Staff augmentation
Engineers inside your team
- Best for
- Teams with in-house leadership
- Pricing
- Flat monthly rate per engineer
- Led by
- Your own engineering lead
- Team
- From one engineer, month to month
Client result · SaaS / B2B · United States
$75k
Taken out of annual infrastructure cost
A decade-old platform, rebuilt without downtime
ChallengeA decade-old platform had grown unmaintainable and expensive to run.
ApproachWe re-architected it in stages, with no downtime for existing users.
ResultRunning cost cut by $75k a year on a stack the client’s team can maintain.
AWSNode.jsPostgreSQLKubernetes
See all client results →
Not sure what to build first?
Bring the spreadsheet or the process that costs you the most time. On a 30-minute call we will suggest a first release and what it should cost.
Industries and technologies
Shipped across seven sectors, on tools any team can maintain
The sector changes the rules around data, uptime and compliance. We choose well-supported technology so your own team, or any other, can take the code over later.
Industries
HealthcareFintechRetail and ecommerceSaaS and B2BLogisticsMedia and publishingTravel Sector not listed? Book a call →
Front endReact · Next.js · TypeScript · Vue.js · Tailwind CSS · Angular
Back endNode.js · Python · Django · .NET · Java · Laravel
DatabasePostgreSQL · MySQL · MongoDB · SQL Server · Firebase
Cloud and DevOpsAWS · Azure · Docker · Kubernetes · CI/CD
Security and ownership
✓ NDA signed before discovery✓ Code, repos and cloud accounts in your name✓ IP assigned to you in the contract✓ Code review on every change
FAQ
Questions about custom software
Cost, ownership and what happens when plans change. Anything else, ask on the call.
Most first releases fall between $25k–$60k. It depends on scope, integrations and team size. After a 30-minute call we send a written estimate within one working day. It lists the team, the timeline, the assumptions and what is excluded.
Fixed scope suits a defined first release with clear acceptance criteria. Ongoing work after launch is usually billed monthly. The estimate says which model we recommend and why.
You do, from the first commit. Repositories, cloud accounts and documentation sit in your name, and we hand everything over if you move the work in-house.
Yes. Most projects connect to something already in place, such as an ERP, a CRM or an old database. We plan integrations and data migration during discovery, before any build starts.
They usually do. Changes go into the backlog, we show the effect on timeline and cost in writing, and you decide before anything moves.
Role-based access, encryption in transit and at rest, code review on every change and dependency scanning in the pipeline. We can work to your security policy and sign an NDA before discovery.
Insights
All custom software articles →
Read before you build
Hiring
Dedicated team or fixed-price project: how to choose for your next build
Most software engagements fail the brief before anyone writes code, because the commercial model does not match how the work will actually change. A dedicated team and a fixed-price project are both valid. They answer different questions. Choose a dedicated team when the roadmap will move A dedicated team is the right shape when you […]
Engineering
Shipping an MVP in 12 weeks with a distributed team
Twelve weeks is enough to put a product in front of real users. It is not enough to build the version you will be embarrassed to throw away later if the first month is spent negotiating the backlog. Week 0 is a decision, not a workshop Before the first sprint, name the user, the job […]
Show us how the work runs today.
Send the details for a written estimate within one working day, or talk it through with one of our founders first.