Billing
Proration, plan changes, failed payments, dunning, and invoices are weeks of work that no feature list mentions.
The point of an MVP is to learn something you cannot learn any other way: whether people will actually use this, and whether they will pay. Everything that does not serve that goal is a delay dressed as diligence.
So we argue features out of your v1 — actively, and sometimes against your instincts. Then we commit to a fixed price and a written date, because a founder cannot manage an open-ended hourly bill against a runway.
What 'minimum' should and should not mean
| A good MVP | A bad MVP | |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Production — real auth, payments, deployment | A prototype that cannot take a real user |
| Feature set | The one loop that proves the thesis | A thin version of every planned feature |
| Codebase | Extensible — v2 builds on it | Throwaway; the rebuild starts at launch |
| Data | Analytics from day one | No instrumentation, so no learning |
| Quality | Solid on the core path | Broken everywhere, equally |
The most expensive MVP is the one built as a demo and then pressed into service as a product. We build on production architecture from the start, because the marginal cost is small and the rebuild cost is not.
What is included
- Scoping call and written agreement — same day where possible.
- UI/UX design with unlimited revisions before development begins.
- Web, mobile, or both, scoped to how your users will actually reach you.
- Authentication and user management built properly the first time.
- Payments — Stripe or your regional gateway, including subscriptions if that is the model.
- Admin tooling so support requests do not become engineering tickets.
- Analytics and event tracking, because an MVP without measurement teaches you nothing.
- Production deployment on Vercel, AWS, or your chosen stack.
- Full source code and documentation on delivery, plus 30 days of bug fixes.
The parts founders underestimate
In practice, the features are rarely the hard part. These are:
Onboarding
A signup that leaves the user staring at an empty dashboard converts badly no matter how good the product is.
Permissions
The moment your first customer has three employees, roles stop being optional.
Admin tooling
Without it, every refund and support question becomes a database query by an engineer.
Multi-tenancy
An architecture decision. Retrofitting it after launch is among the most expensive rewrites there is.
Analytics
Instrumented from day one, or you are guessing about the one thing you built the MVP to learn.
Key facts
- Payment terms
- 50% to start, 50% on delivery
- Quote turnaround
- Fixed written price within 24 hours of your brief
- Equity
- We take cash, not equity — your cap table stays clean
- Design revisions
- Unlimited before development begins
- Ownership
- 100% of the code, from delivery, unconditionally
- After launch
- 30 days of bug fixes; then continue with us or hire your own team
Evidence
13dWhatsApp brief to live app for a logistics client
14dEnterprise codebase delivered on the agreed date
50+Businesses launched globally
100%Client code ownership
Bayfresh Deliveries went from a WhatsApp message to a live app in 13 days and now reports 4× delivery throughput. Northwind Studios received the full enterprise codebase on day 14 — on time and on scope.
Technology stack
We choose tools for what your team can maintain after handover, not for novelty. Typical stack for this service:
FlutterNext.jsNode.jsSupabaseFirebasePostgreSQLStripeVercelAWS
Questions, answered.
Is an MVP just a prototype?
No, and treating it as one is the most common expensive mistake. We build on production infrastructure — real authentication, real payments, real deployment — so you can put it in front of paying users and keep building on the same codebase rather than rebuilding after launch.
How much does an MVP cost?
Every MVP is scoped individually, because a booking tool and a two-sided marketplace are not comparable projects. Send your feature list and you get a fixed written price within 24 hours with the scope it covers and a delivery date.
How fast can you ship it?
Faster than most, and the honest answer is that it depends on scope and on how quickly you make decisions. We shipped a logistics platform from brief to live in 13 days; your quote will state its own realistic date before you commit.
What should we cut from v1?
Almost anything that is not the core loop — the single sequence that proves someone wants this. Admin nice-to-haves, second user types, settings screens, and integrations you might need later are all candidates. We will make specific recommendations on your feature list, and we would rather argue now than build the wrong thing.
Will you take equity instead of cash?
No, and it is usually better for you. Agency equity complicates your cap table for future investors, and fixed cash aligns us on delivering rather than holding a stake. If budget is the constraint, we would rather cut scope.
What happens after the MVP?
Whatever suits you. Continue with us on new scope, take a maintenance retainer, or hire your own team — the codebase is documented so any competent developer can pick it up. Many founders use us to ship v1 then recruit against a working product, which is far easier than recruiting against an idea.
You do not have to commit to a whole build.
Most people arrive somewhere between “just curious” and “ready to sign”. These are the smaller, fixed-fee ways in — each one useful on its own, and each one credited or extended into a bigger project only if you decide you want that.
Code & architecture audit
You have a codebase — inherited, stalled, or just worrying — and want an honest read before committing to anything.
- Written report on architecture, security, data model and deployment
- A prioritised list separating genuinely urgent from merely untidy
- A straight answer on repair versus rebuild, even when rebuild pays us more
- The report is yours whether or not you continue with us
Fixed fee, agreed before we start
Ask about this →
Scoping sprint
You know roughly what you want but not what it should cost or contain. Turn a vague idea into a specification you could hand to any supplier.
- Process mapping with the people who actually do the work
- A feature-by-feature written specification
- Wireframes of the core screens
- A fixed build price and delivery date at the end
- Fully credited against the build if you go ahead with us
Fixed fee, credited against the build
Ask about this →
Starter build
One workflow, one screen set, live and in use — rather than waiting on a full platform.
- A single working feature deployed to production
- Real infrastructure, not a prototype
- Extends into the larger build later without rework
- Full source code on delivery, as always
Fixed price, scoped small on purpose
Ask about this →
Maintenance retainer
An existing product that needs keeping alive: patches, OS updates, store policy changes and monitoring.
- Security and dependency patching
- iOS and Android release compatibility
- Uptime and error monitoring with a named response window
- An allowance of small changes each month
Monthly, 30 days' notice, no lock-in
Ask about this →
Not sure which fits? Describe the problem and we will tell you — including when the answer is that you do not need us yet.
Six things we put in writing.
Not values on a wall — contract terms. Ask any other supplier to match them line by line.
A price in 24 hours
Send a brief, get a fixed written price and a delivery date the next working day. Free, no obligation, and the scope document is yours to keep even if you go elsewhere.
The price does not move
Fixed, not an estimate. If scope changes we re-quote in writing and you approve before we build it. You will never open a surprise invoice.
Half on delivery
50% to start, 50% when it is live and you are satisfied. You never fund the whole project up front.
Unlimited design revisions
We do not write production code until you approve the screens. Changing your mind at that stage costs nothing.
You own everything
Full source code, design files and credentials on delivery. No licence, no platform fee, nothing that stops another developer taking over.
30 days of fixes included
Free bug fixing for a month after launch, then an optional retainer only if you want one.
Every one of these is in the agreement before you pay anything. See how we evidence our claims →
Free quote
Tell us what you're building.
A paragraph is enough to start. You get a scoping conversation and a fixed written price with a delivery date within 24 hours — free, and yours to keep whether or not you go ahead with us.
- A senior engineer replies, not a salesperson
- Written quote inside 24 hours
- NDA before you send anything sensitive — just ask
- No obligation, no follow-up sequence
Prefer to talk now? WhatsApp +92 300 097 0544 or hello@qalmax.com.
Validate your idea in weeks, not quarters.
50% to start, 50% on delivery, quote in 24 hours, code yours forever.