How Much Does an MVP Cost in 2025? Global Benchmarks and Sydney Pricing
Realistic MVP budgets in 2025 with cost drivers, trade-offs, and a transparent framework—including specific context for Sydney founders.
MVP budgets vary widely—but the drivers are predictable. Use these 2025 benchmarks and a simple scoping framework to avoid overpaying and still ship fast.
Global Benchmarks (Typical Ranges)
- Lean web MVP: USD $7.5k–$25k
- Payments + admin + integrations: $25k–$60k
- Native mobile (iOS/Android): $40k–$120k
Sydney Context (AUD)
- Freelancers: AUD $8k–35k for lean MVPs (timeline risk, coordination overhead)
- Agencies: AUD $35k–150k+ (process + multi-discipline team)
See also: /blog/mvp-development-cost-sydney
Cost Drivers You Control
- Feature count (cap at 3 user-facing features)
- Integration complexity (build vs buy)
- Design depth (systemized vs bespoke)
- Platform count (web first; delay native mobile)
The Scope Triangle
- Deadline: 2–4 weeks
- Budget: set your cap upfront
- Scope: flex down to hit deadline and budget
Where Founders Overspend
- Premature mobile builds
- Custom features where best-in-class APIs exist
- Polishing edge cases before validating demand
Internal Links
- 2-week process: /blog/rapid-mvp-development
- Stack choices that de-risk: /blog/choosing-tech-stack
- Pre-sales validation before building: /blog/purchase-validation-playbook-mvp-2025
Bottom Line
Set a firm budget, cap features, and validate with paying users before expanding scope. The cheapest MVP is the one that answers the right question, fast.