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MVP versus full product scope
Original software with comparable core workflows, not proprietary code, brand assets, or incumbent-scale infrastructure. Both are planning estimates.
| Scope | Agency build | Engineering effort | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focused MVP | $25,531–$106,269 | 34.0–72.3 person-weeks | Accounts / profiles, CMS, Chat / live updates, Social graph and audience visibility |
| Full feature scope | $87,406–$420,481 | 116.5–286.0 person-weeks | Accounts / profiles, CMS, Chat / live updates, Social graph and audience visibility, Matching / recommendations, Notifications, Admin dashboard, Payments / subscriptions, Security / audit controls, External integrations |
What drives the cost?
The preset includes social graph and audience visibility plus accounts / profiles, cms, chat / live updates. One community with profiles, posts, and explicit audience controls.
Compare build options
Public example using the default preset. Get your free estimate above for a breakdown of your selected scope.
| Build option | One-off labor | Recurring budget |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder | $0 paid labor; your time excluded | $339 + your maintenance time |
| Freelancer | $18,383–$84,581 | $2,499–$5,019/year |
| Agency | $25,531–$106,269 | $3,339–$6,219/year |
| Superapp Pro | You build and review the app | $639/year illustrative budget |
Default preset breakdown and assumptions
- Estimated effort
- 1021–2169 hours
- Delivery effort at 30 productive hours/week
- 34.0–72.3 person-weeks
- Global agency hourly range
- $25–$49
- Global freelancer hourly range
- $18–$39
- Custom design adjustment
- +25% effort (planning assumption)
- Hosting / platform
- $240/year
- Maintenance labor
- $3,000–$5,880/year
- Additional services
- $0/year
- Apple membership
- $99/year
Hours include implementation and testing, not a delivery guarantee. Website scope starts at 12–140 hours plus 2–5 hours for each additional page. App scope starts at 400–5,000 hours depending on complexity. Selected features add the effort below. Annual domain and hosting budgets are placeholders, not provider quotes.
Selected feature assumptions
Incremental engineering hours used by this calculator.
| Feature | Hours |
|---|---|
| Accounts / profiles | 40–80 |
| CMS | 12–30 |
| Chat / live updates | 80–160 |
| Social graph and audience visibility | 285–665 |
Social graph and audience visibility
Profiles, relationships, posts, and audience settings establish a social graph. A chronological feed and reporting are sufficient for an initial community.
Why is a full social network not just more screens
Groups, events, marketplaces, recommendations, moderation, and privacy rules interact. Incumbent-scale infrastructure and staffing are not represented by this product-scope estimate.
A cheaper way to start with Superapp
Build a focused version yourself before commissioning a full custom project. Superapp Pro is $25 a month; the subscription covers its plan allowance, while your time, extra usage, integrations, hosting, and specialist work remain part of the budget. A Superapp site is an alternative implementation, not a guarantee of WordPress or Shopify compatibility.
Compare Superapp plansSources and methodology
Rates are global marketplace benchmarks, not US-only agency quotes. Freelancer and agency ranges overlap because they describe different samples. WordPress.com Personal and Shopify Basic use annual billing, exclude introductory promotions and taxes, and replace the hosting budget. Feature hours and recurring budgets are our explicit planning assumptions.