Prototype, MVP or product? The 50k mistake we see SMEs make every week

We get the same request almost every week: "we want an MVP". But in 80% of cases, what they really want is a prototype. Or they're already ready for a product. Confusing this costs between 20 and 80 thousand euros.

Prototype

• Question it answers: "do people understand this?"
• Time: 1 to 2 weeks
• Cost: 3–8k
• Technology: Figma, Framer, Webflow
• Does not have: real backend, authentication, payments

MVP

• Question it answers: "will someone pay for this?"
• Time: 4 to 8 weeks
• Cost: 12–35k
• Technology: Next.js / React + Supabase + Stripe
• Has: the 3-5 features that prove the value. Nothing else.

Product

• Question it answers: "how do I scale this to 1000 customers?"
• Time: 3 to 12 months
• Cost: 60k+
• Technology: mature stack, observability, tests, CI/CD
• Has: robustness, performance, security, support

Our rule

We never move to MVP without a prototype validated with at least 10 interviews. We never move to product without an MVP generating at least one strong signal (revenue, retention, or organic growth).

Building in the right order isn't slow. It's the fastest way to get to something that works.