MVP vs Prototype: What's the Difference and Which Do You Need?
Understand the key differences between MVPs and prototypes, and learn which approach is right for your startup's validation goals.
Many founders use “MVP” and “prototype” interchangeably, but they serve different purposes in your startup journey. Understanding the difference can save you time, money, and help you make better decisions about your product development strategy.
What is a Prototype?
A prototype is a preliminary model of your product used to test concepts, designs, and functionality. It’s typically:
- Not fully functional: May have limited or simulated features
- Internal-facing: Used by your team to validate ideas
- Quick to build: Can be created in days or weeks
- Throwaway: Often discarded after testing
Think of prototypes as sketches—they help you visualize and test ideas before committing to full development.
What is an MVP?
A Minimum Viable Product is a working version of your product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and gather feedback. It’s:
- Fully functional: Core features work as intended
- Customer-facing: Real users can interact with it
- Market-ready: Can be launched and used by actual customers
- Scalable foundation: Built to grow and evolve
An MVP is your first real product release, designed to test your business hypothesis with real users.
Key Differences
| Aspect | Prototype | MVP |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Test concepts internally | Validate market demand |
| Audience | Internal team, stakeholders | Real customers |
| Functionality | Limited, simulated | Core features work |
| Quality | Rough, experimental | Production-ready |
| Timeline | Days to weeks | Weeks to months |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
When to Use Each
Use a Prototype When:
- Testing new concepts or user flows
- Presenting ideas to stakeholders or investors
- Exploring different design approaches
- Validating technical feasibility
- You’re still defining your core features
Use an MVP When:
- You’ve validated your concept internally
- Ready to test with real customers
- Want to gather market feedback
- Need to prove product-market fit
- Seeking investment with real traction
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the prototype phase: Jumping straight to MVP without internal validation
- Over-engineering prototypes: Spending too much time on throwaway code
- Treating MVP as final product: Not planning for iteration and growth
- Confusing the two: Using prototype feedback to make MVP decisions
The Ideal Process
- Start with a prototype: Test your core concept quickly and cheaply
- Iterate based on internal feedback: Refine your approach
- Build your MVP: Create a working version for real users
- Launch and learn: Gather market feedback and iterate
Examples
Prototype: A clickable mockup of your app showing how users would navigate, with buttons that don’t actually work but demonstrate the flow.
MVP: A basic version of your app where users can sign up, use core features, and provide real feedback—even if it’s missing advanced features you plan to add later.
Making the Right Choice
Both prototypes and MVPs have their place in product development. The key is knowing when to use each:
- Use prototypes to fail fast and cheap
- Use MVPs to validate real market demand
Remember: the goal isn’t to build the perfect product immediately. It’s to learn what your customers actually want with minimal investment.
Conclusion
Whether you need a prototype or MVP depends on where you are in your journey. If you’re still exploring ideas, start with a prototype. If you’re ready to test market demand, build an MVP. Both are valuable tools for reducing risk and building products people actually want.