Delivery
A focused SaaS MVP usually takes 6 to 12 weeks. A simpler workflow with one user role and one core job can ship in 6 to 10 weeks; a multi-tenant product with billing, admin tooling, and several roles typically takes 14 to 24 weeks. The calendar is usually set by scope decisions and feedback speed, not by typing speed.
An MVP is the smallest product that completes one valuable job for one type of user, reliably enough that they would pay for it or use it repeatedly. It is not a demo, and it is not the full product with fewer features. It is a narrow product with the quality bar kept high on the path that matters.
The usual MVP includes authentication, one core workflow, the data model behind it, a usable interface, payments if the product is sold directly, and enough operational visibility to know when something breaks. It excludes elaborate analytics, integrations with every tool, and roles nobody has asked for.
Discovery and scoping take one to two weeks and prevent the most expensive mistakes. Design and build for the core workflow take four to eight weeks. Hardening, testing, deployment, and a short feedback cycle take another one to three weeks. If payments or third-party integrations are in scope, add one to three weeks depending on their approval processes.
Multi-tenancy, granular permissions, and subscription billing are the three features most likely to turn a six-week project into a four-month one. They are legitimate requirements, but they should be scheduled deliberately rather than assumed.
Write the first release as a list of jobs the user must complete, not a list of screens. For each job, define what done means and what can wait. Anything that does not help the first paying user complete the first job belongs in a later phase.
Bitecodes' Growth package, a web application with accounts and workflows, starts at $1,600 and typically runs 10 to 18 weeks. The Scale package, a multi-tenant SaaS product with billing and admin tooling, starts at $2,400 and typically runs 14 to 24 weeks. A written fixed quote confirms the scope before work begins.
Get a first range in a minute, then a written scope with milestones and a fixed quote.
Last reviewed 22 October 2026. If this answer is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Build an MVP in eight weeks by fixing one user and one job, writing a short scope with explicit exclusions, designing only the screens that job needs, building in weekly increments, and launching to real users before polishing anything else. Eight weeks is realistic for a single-role product without complex billing or heavy integrations; it is not realistic for a multi-tenant platform with several roles.
Custom software is better when your process is a competitive advantage, no product fits it without expensive workarounds, or you need control over data and integrations. Off-the-shelf software is better when the need is common, the budget is limited, and the tool's standard workflow is acceptable. Most companies should buy commodity functions and build only the parts that are genuinely different.
Build in-house when software is core to the business, you need continuous product work, and you can recruit and retain a team. Hire an agency when you need a defined outcome quickly, lack specialist skills, or want to avoid a long hiring cycle. Many companies do both: an in-house product owner with an external engineering team, then gradually internalise the roles that matter most.