A focused MVP usually ships in four to eight weeks. The range is wide because MVP means very different things to different people, so the real answer depends on how disciplined you are about scope. The smaller and clearer the first version, the faster it ships, and the faster you learn whether it works.
What drives the timeline
Four things move the date more than anything else. Scope: how many features make it into version one. Integrations: every external system you connect to, payments, maps, third party APIs, adds work. Design: a bespoke, polished interface takes longer than a clean, standard one. And decisions: a project waiting on your answers moves at the speed of those answers.
How to keep it short
The teams that ship fastest are ruthless about the first version. They pick the one core thing the product must prove, build that beautifully, and leave everything else for later. A good partner will push back and help you cut, because a smaller MVP is not a weaker product, it is a faster path to real feedback.
What done should mean
An MVP is done when it can be put in front of real users and teach you something, not when it has every feature you imagine. We deliver in milestones with a working demo every week, so you see the product taking shape from the first sprint and can adjust direction before time is spent in the wrong place.
If you have an idea, the quickest way to get a realistic timeline is to describe it to Mark, our AI project scoper, or book a short call. You will get an honest phase by phase plan rather than a vague "it depends."