Prototype or MVP: Which is Best for Your Project?

When you're building a new product, you'll often hear two terms: prototype and MVP (Minimum Viable Product). At first glance, these terms might seem similar, but they serve very different purposes in product development.

In simple terms, a prototype focuses on design and user experience (UX), while an MVP focuses on the app's functions or features. As a solo founder or part of a small team, knowing when to build a prototype versus when to focus on an MVP is crucial.

So, let's understand everything about Prototype vs. MVP.

What Is a Prototype?

A prototype is like a rough draft of your product. Imagine you're drawing something for the first time—you sketch it out to see if it looks good before you finalize it. A prototype works the same way. It's an early version of your product that lets you and your team visualize and test ideas. It's not fully functional; it's more of a tool for getting feedback and improving your concept.

The main purpose of a prototype is to explore ideas and try out different features before investing more time and money. This is especially helpful when you’re in the brainstorming phase. Prototypes don’t need to be perfect. In fact, they are meant to be quick, rough models of your product. They allow you to see what works and what doesn’t without committing a lot of resources.

Example: Let’s say you're designing a new app that helps users plan their day. A prototype could be a series of sketches or wireframes that show how the app might look and how users would navigate through different features. You could use tools like Figma or Sketch to create this visual mockup.

What Is MVP?

On the other hand, an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is a working version of your product that includes only the essential features needed to solve your customer’s problem. The goal is to release something functional as quickly as possible to start getting real feedback from users. You’re not aiming for perfection, but it should work well enough for people to use and find value in it.

The purpose of an MVP is to test your product in the real world with actual users. It helps you determine if there is demand for your product and which features people care about. Building an MVP is more about solving the main problem you're targeting than making the product look perfect.

Example: Using the same day-planning app idea, your MVP might be a simple app where users can drag and drop tasks into a calendar. It may not have features like notifications or integrations with other apps yet, but it does solve the basic problem of helping users organize their day.

Prototype vs. MVP: The Key Differences

Now that we know what prototypes and MVPs are, let’s look at the key differences between them.

Prototype	MVP
Focuses on testing design and ideas	Focuses on testing the core functionality
Usually not functional	Fully functional but only with core features
Used for internal feedback	Released to actual users for feedback
Can be created quickly and cheaply	Takes more time to develop, but still limited
High flexibility	More rigid because it’s meant for real users

In simple terms, a prototype is like a rough sketch, while an MVP is the basic first version of the final product. You often use a prototype first to get feedback from your team or stakeholders before building the MVP.

When to Build a Prototype

Building a prototype makes sense when you’re still figuring out your product idea. If you’re unsure about how the user experience should flow or need to demonstrate your concept to others, creating a prototype will help.

Let’s say you’re pitching your idea to investors or stakeholders—they probably want to “see” your idea rather than just hear about it. A prototype gives them something tangible to interact with.

Here’s when you should build a prototype:

When you’re still ideating and need to play around with different features.

When you need early feedback to understand if your idea has potential.

When you’re pitching to investors or collaborators to get them on board.

When to Build an MVP

On the other hand, an MVP is what you launch when you’re ready to put your product into the hands of real users. After you’ve gathered feedback from your prototype and you feel confident that your product solves a real problem, it’s time to build your MVP. Launching an MVP lets you enter the market faster, test your assumptions, and start gathering feedback from real users.

Here’s when you should build an MVP:

When you have validated your idea and are ready to release a working version.

When you need to test your product with real users and get practical feedback.

When you want to start building your user base early and make improvements based on their feedback.

In some cases, you might need both. You could start with a prototype to experiment with different designs or features and then move on to an MVP once you’re more confident in your direction.

No-Code MVPs: Building Quickly with Bubble

Traditionally, building an MVP required technical knowledge or hiring developers, which could take 3-5 months to write custom code and test every feature. This process was often slow and costly, especially for startups and solo founders. However, with the rise of no-code platforms like Bubble, the approach to building MVPs has changed. No-code development offers a much faster and more cost-effective alternative.

While no-code platforms like Bubble offer a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, building a fully functional app still requires expertise. You need to understand the platform’s capabilities, how to structure databases, set up workflows, and manage performance as your app scales. For someone new to Bubble, it can take months to learn these details and build a polished MVP.

Instead of spending months trying to learn the platform yourself, hiring a no-code agency can save you time and ensure you get a high-quality, functional app. At Zeroqode, we have a team of expert Bubble developers and designers ready to deliver high-quality MVPs for your idea.

Real-World Examples of MVPs Built on Bubble

Qoins

Qoins, an app designed to help people pay off debt faster, started with an MVP built on Bubble. The founders used Bubble to create a platform where users could round up spare change and use it for extra debt payments. This MVP allowed them to test their idea quickly, and the company has since grown significantly after proving its concept.

Dividend Finance

Dividend Finance, a solar financing platform, also began with a Bubble-built MVP. The MVP connected solar installers with homeowners seeking financing, enabling the team to validate their business model and improve their product based on user feedback. Today, Dividend Finance is a growing company, but it all started with a Bubble-powered MVP.

Comet

Comet, a freelance marketplace for data scientists, built its MVP on Bubble. The platform allowed businesses to easily find and hire freelance data experts. The Bubble-based MVP helped Comet launch quickly and gather important feedback, enabling them to grow into a successful business.

GoodCourse

GoodCourse built its MVP with Zeroqode on Bubble, launching a TikTok-style training platform with 10x higher course completion rates. With Bubble’s flexibility, the team developed multimedia features and a dynamic admin panel, later joining Y Combinator’s 2023 cohort.

Conclusion

I hope you now have a clear understanding of prototypes and MVPs. Simply put, prototypes are great for quickly testing ideas, while MVPs are essential for validating your product with real users. Both play important roles in product development, but they come at different stages and have different goals.

At Zeroqode, we help entrepreneurs and startups validate their ideas by quickly developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that can be taken to market in just a few weeks. With experience in building over 500 apps on Bubble, we’ve fast-tracked many projects from concept to reality. Some of the MVPs we’ve developed have even been selected for the Y Combinator batch of 2023.

So, what are you waiting for? Reach out to us to learn more. See you soon in the next article of our SaaS series. In the meantime, check out our portfolio of apps built on Bubble.

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Pratik M

Pratik is a technical writer passionate about AI, no-code tools, and the SaaS ecosystem. He enjoys building creative side projects and sharing his insights to help others explore the limitless possibilities of no-code and AI.