Skip to the tool

Estimate App Development Cost and Timeline

Size your MVP in weeks, multiply by 2-3x, and see if it fits the time it's worth to you.

Build Cost5 questions

Who has the problem, and what you'd build.

The few things it can't ship without, comma-separated. The first one is the core.

How much time is this worth to you?

Your appetite: the time you'd spend before you'd stop, not a guess at how long it takes.

Does it have to be live by a date?Optional
What could you spend on the first version?Optional

Weeks only for now: dollars wait on sourced rates.

Your estimate appears here, weak points named. Free, no sign-up. AI can make mistakes: check before you act.

How It Works

1

Describe the Idea and Its Core

One sentence on the idea, then what the first version must do. The first item is the core.

2

Set Your Appetite and Deadline

How much time it's worth to you, and a deadline if there is one. Budget is optional.

3

Get Weeks per Story and a Verdict

Weeks per story, the 2-3x range, risks with fixes and one verdict. Download it as PDF or JSON.

Read about the principles behind every Varstatt discovery tool👉

Where Build Cost Sits in Discovery

What will the first version cost? Build Cost sizes it in weeks, applies 2-3x and checks it against the time it's worth to you.

Use this when: You want a number for your first version before you brief a developer or build.

Who it's for: Founders and operators sizing a first version before they commit.

The 2-3x Is Built In

Every raw estimate gets multiplied by 2-3x. That's the pattern, not pessimism. You see the raw number next to the range, so the best case never stands alone.

An Estimate, Not a Bid

It gives a starting estimate to size your appetite, not a quote. A real bid comes from a developer who has read your scope and committed to it.

No Budget Flex = No Scope Flex = No Project

Fixed time is fine. Fixed scope is fine. Fixing both is the failure mode. If the first version doesn't fit your appetite, the result says what to cut first, or not to build.

Frequently Asked Questions

This tool answers in weeks, not dollars, until it has sourced rates. It sizes each story, multiplies by 2-3x and checks the range against the time it's worth to you.

It turns on the core, what the first version can't ship without. If the whole version doesn't fit your appetite, the tool says what to cut first. See Scope Shaping.

It depends on what the first version must do. Size each part in weeks, then multiply by 2-3x. Plan for the range, not the best case.

A quote prices a scope and asks for a contract. This app cost calculator is a free sanity check: a 2-3x range and a verdict that can say don't build.

Not by us. Your answers go to the AI for the run, then live only in this tab; a reload clears them. Download the PDF or JSON to keep the result.

Where To Next

Principles behind it:Appetite, Not Estimates, Scope Shaping, Worth Building

When you're ready to build:MVP in 6 WeeksPoC in 2 WeeksPWA in 6 Weeks

Built & Maintained by Varstatt

Varstatt is a one-person product studio run by Jurij Tokarski, product engineer since 2011. These tools are free and open — no signup, no catch.