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
Skip the hiring.
Add engineers in two weeks.
You keep the roadmap, the architecture and the standups. We bring senior engineers who build it with you, in your tools and your process, on a flat monthly rate.
10 yearsBuilding software
250+Projects delivered
90%Client retention
NDA before we talk
You interview every engineer
“They work like part of our own team. Same standups, same board, and they push back when a decision is wrong.”
Ask for profiles
Takes 2 minutes
Which roles do you need?
Tick all that apply.
Suggested first step
You get:
Not sure which roles? Book a free 30-min call →
Trusted by teams in the US, UK, Canada & Europe
What you get
Six things every engagement includes
The same terms apply whether you need one engineer or ten. You keep the roadmap, the architecture and the standups.
01
You interview every candidate
We send profiles within two working days for most roles. You run your own technical interview and decide who joins.
In practiceTwo to three profiles per role, with project history
02
Flat monthly rate per engineer
One rate covers salary, equipment, office and HR. There is no recruitment fee.
In practiceRates in writing after the first call
03
Invoiced in USD, CAD, GBP or EUR
One monthly invoice in your currency, so your finance team does not deal with exchange rates.
In practiceOne invoice a month for the whole team
04
First two weeks risk-free
If an engineer is not the right fit in the first two weeks, you do not pay for that time.
In practiceNew profiles sent if you ask for a change
05
Replacement cover inside ten days
If someone leaves or is not working out, a replacement starts within ten working days for most roles.
In practiceHandover with the outgoing engineer where possible
06
Scale the team month to month
Add engineers as the roadmap grows, or release them when a phase of work ends.
In practiceA month’s notice to add or release
Why Leapstrat
Why teams choose Leapstrat engineers
Hiring in-house compared with adding Leapstrat engineers to your team. Both work in your process. The difference is speed, cost and commitment.
Compare
Hiring in-house
Leapstrat engineers
Time to start3–4 months to recruit, plus notice periodsProfiles in 2 working days, starting within 2 weeks
Cost beyond salaryRecruiter fees, benefits, equipment and officeOne flat monthly rate, with no recruitment fee
CommitmentPermanent contracts and long notice periodsMonth to month, with a month’s notice
If it does not work outStart the search againA replacement within ten working days
Payroll and HRRun by your own teamOne monthly invoice in USD, CAD, GBP or EUR
01
A founder on every engagement
One of our two founders agrees the role brief with you and stays your point of escalation.
02
Hours that overlap yours
Our team is 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
Engineers document as they go in your repositories and wiki, so the work carries on when the team changes.
Worried about fit? The first two weeks are risk-free. If an engineer is not right, you do not pay for that time.
How the risk-free period works →How hiring works
Engineers in your standups within 2 weeks
From the first call to an engineer on your sprint board. The bar shows a typical hire, day by day.
01Day 1
Brief
A 30-minute call on the roles, seniority, stack, time-zone overlap and how your team works.
You get: Written role brief and rates022 working days
Shortlist
Profiles that match the brief, with project history and availability. Senior or niche roles can take a few days longer.
You get: Shortlisted profiles03Days 3–7
Your interviews
You run your own technical interviews and choose who joins. We arrange the times.
You get: Your chosen engineers04Days 7–14
Onboarding
Contracts, equipment and access to your repositories and tools. The engineer joins your standups from day one.
You get: An engineer in your team05Monthly
Ongoing
A named Leapstrat delivery lead, one invoice, and changes to team size with a month’s notice.
You get: One invoice, one contact
Every month:
A check-in with your delivery lead
One invoice in your currency
Timesheets and leave calendar
Replacement cover if needed
Ways to work with us
Compare the three ways to work
Staff augmentation suits teams that already lead their own engineering. If you would rather we run delivery, a dedicated pod or a fixed scope project fits better. You can switch later.
Staff augmentationEngineers inside your teamThis page
Dedicated podA managed team accountable for shipping
Fixed scope projectA defined project with milestones
Best for
Teams with their own engineering lead
Ongoing product work without an in-house lead
A build with clear acceptance criteria
Pricing
Flat monthly rate per engineer
Monthly rate for the whole pod
Fixed price, by milestone
Led by
You. Engineers report to your leads
Our delivery lead, reporting to you
Our delivery lead, against milestones
Team
From one engineer, month to month
Lead, engineers and QA, sized to the roadmap
Set by the scope
How it works →
How it works →
How it works →
Staff augmentation
Engineers inside your team
This page- Best for
- Teams with their own engineering lead
- Pricing
- Flat monthly rate per engineer
- Led by
- You. Engineers report to your leads
- Team
- From one engineer, month to month
Dedicated pod
A managed team accountable for shipping
- Best for
- Ongoing product work without an in-house lead
- Pricing
- Monthly rate for the whole pod
- Led by
- Our delivery lead, reporting to you
- Team
- Lead, engineers and QA, sized to the roadmap
Fixed scope project
A defined project with milestones
- Best for
- A build with clear acceptance criteria
- Pricing
- Fixed price, by milestone
- Led by
- Our delivery lead, against milestones
- Team
- Set by the scope
Client result · SaaS · United Kingdom
11
Days from the first call to three engineers in the client’s standups
Three senior engineers added to a SaaS team in 11 days
ChallengeA UK SaaS company had three engineering roles open for four months, and its release dates were slipping.
ApproachWe sent profiles in two working days. The CTO interviewed five engineers and chose three, who joined the team’s standups and sprint board in the second week.
ResultThree senior engineers working in the client’s team 11 days after the first call. The delayed release shipped six weeks later.
ReactNode.jsAWSPlaywright
See all client results →
Hiring taking too long?
Tell us the roles, the stack and your time zone. On a 30-minute call we confirm rates, then send profiles within two working days.
Roles we staff
Engineers and designers for the roles teams find hardest to hire
Every engineer is a Leapstrat employee, vetted by our leads before you see a profile. You choose the seniority that fits the work.
Seniority
Front end and full stackReact · Next.js · TypeScript · Vue.js · Angular · Node.js
Back end and APIsNode.js · Python · Django · .NET · Java · Laravel
MobileSwift · Kotlin · React Native · Flutter
QA and test automationPlaywright · Cypress · Selenium · Appium
DevOps and cloudAWS · Azure · Docker · Kubernetes · Terraform · CI/CD
Data and AIPython · PostgreSQL · LLM APIs · Airflow · Power BI
UI and UX designFigma · Design systems · Prototyping · User testing
Contract and ownership
✓ NDA signed before we talk✓ IP assigned to you in the contract✓ Work done in your repos and accounts✓ Access removed when an engineer leaves
FAQ
Questions about staff augmentation
Rates, contracts and how engineers fit your team. Anything else, ask on the call.
A flat monthly rate per engineer, based on role and seniority. Most engineers fall between $3k–$6k a month per engineer. The rate covers salary, equipment, office and HR, with no recruitment fee. After a 30-minute call we send the rates in writing within one working day.
If an engineer is not the right fit in their first two weeks, tell us and you do not pay for that time. We then send new profiles.
Engineers are billed month to month. You can add or release engineers with a month’s notice as the roadmap changes.
For most roles a replacement starts within ten working days, and we arrange a handover with the outgoing engineer wherever possible.
You do. Engineers work in your repositories, and IP assignment to you is part of the agreement from day one.
Engineers are on shift between 09:00 and 23:00 IST, which gives about 4.5 hours of overlap with Eastern time, 1.5 hours with Pacific, and a full working day with the UK and Europe.
Insights
All articles →
Read before you start
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 […]
Tell us the roles. We will send the profiles.
Send the roles for profiles within two working days, or talk it through with one of our founders first.