The cost to develop a startup in 2026
By Shaun Symm on
An updated guide on what it costs to develop a tech startup in 2026, including the impact of AI tools, current developer rates, and strategies to launch cost-effectively.
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Experienced Australian Startup Developers
Design and develop your startup product with confidence
Launch Lab have built more startups than almost any other company in Australia. We're onshore, highly experienced and use AI Agents to design and write code faster than ever before.
Trusted startup developers in Sydney & Canberra
We're a local Australian software development team in Sydney and Canberra with a long list of happy startup clients.
We've developed startup applications for 2-sided marketplaces, market research platforms, Saas (Software-as-a-service) startups, fintech, edtech and healthtech startups.
We're trusted by entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping their own startups through to venture capital backed startups and acquired startups.
We have 2 major differences which separate us from other software development teams and digital / web development agencies:
- All of our Python and React work is done in Australia. We do NOT offshore our coding work.
- We've worked with more than 45 startups making us one of the most experienced startup developers in Australia.
If you're looking for a trusted local web development agency to help turn your business idea into a production ready product we'd love to chat.
Partners
We're trusted by fintech, proptech, healthtech, marketplace and Saas early stage startups as well as funded startups, large organisations and government.
Startup services
The technologies we use to develop software products for startups include:
- Python
- React
- AWS
If you're unsure what these technologies are, that's ok. We offer a 'geek speak' free approach but will share the knowledge you need to launch your online business.
If you're working within the usual startup constraints of time and money we can also help determine what to build.
Our services include:
- MVP (minimum viable product)
- Web Design
- Webflow Development
- Custom application development (backend and frontend)
- AWS Hosting & Infrastructure
- Startup Consulting & Strategy
- AI Development / AI Agent Developers
Webflow for startups partner
Launch Lab is a Webflow for Startups partner. Contact us to find out how you can benefit from the startup program.
Startup projects
OX Rooms
Web App
Webflow
Startup
We developed a legal tech conveyancing application for this Canberra startup.
Feezy
Website
Web App
Startup
We designed and developed a 2-sided marketplace web application for this Sydney, Australia, based startup.
Giraffe
Website
Webflow
CMS
We designed and developed a new Webflow website for this Sydney startup.
Deferit
Web App
Mobile App
Startup
We developed a web and mobile app for Deferit, a fintech startup in Australia.
After meeting with several development teams, it was clear that Launch Lab not only understood our vision but could also deliver a top-quality product. Launch Lab consistently delivers high-quality work and is responsive to any issues that arise. They communicate directly and don't waste time.
Emmy Arthurson
Co-Founder, OX Rooms
I had the pleasure of working with Shaun and the Launch Lab team for 2 years in my time as Head of Marketing at Immutable. I highly recommend Shaun and his team, I can attest to the fact that he will always have the client's best interests in mind and give his honest thoughts and ideas, even if it is at the expense of banking less hours on his end.
Alexandra Thompson
Head of Marketing, Immutable
Launch Lab were a pleasure to work with, extremely competent and have provided a great outcome for this project. Project delivery was professional, efficient and effective.
Manja Hausdorf-Adamson
City of Sydney
Launch Lab are extremely competent and professional and are also pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Launch Lab!
Christopher Martell
Director of Operations and Engineering, GSES
Amazing team, really helped our business in the early stages. Shaun and David were great to work with. 10/10. Safe pair of hands and very cost effective.
Jonty Hirsowitz
CEO, Deferit
It's the second time I've worked with them on launching a website (for different companies). When I got the opportunity to build a new website, my first thought was 'speak to Shaun'. I trust their recommendations completely and their work is of the highest quality. From beginning to end everything has gone smoothy and professionally. Highly recommend!
Russ Watts
Head of Marketing, Apositive
Startup Articles
Vertical AI Agents: The next wave of Aussie startups
By Shaun Symm on
Vertical AI agents could be Australia's startup gold rush. Learn what they are, why the time is now, and how non-technical founders can get started building an AI agent business.
Read more
The future of business websites in an LLM and AI search world
By Shaun Symm on
What will business websites look like, and what will the impact be on web design, when AI Generative search, or search using an LLM, removes the need to visit a business's website.
Read moreFAQs
What does it cost to develop a startup?
With budget usually being the biggest constraint for first time founders this is our most asked question.
We've written extensively about this on our blog. The quick answer is that you could get started with a lean MVP for under ten thousand dollars. However, to develop a web application, pricing usually starts at $40,000.
Keep in mind that our approach is lean and we'll help you determine the most cost effective method of getting to market.
What technologies do you use?
When developing startups and web applications the majority of the work we do makes use of Python, AWS (serverless), GraphQL and React.js.
For marketing websites and CMS projects our preference is Webflow but we'll happily use a headless CMS like Contentful if it makes sense for your project.
For AI Agents we use Langchain and other related tools and services (this is a rapidly evolving space so this may change without notice).
How long does it take to develop a startup product?
Similar to the cost question above, the project timeline depends on the scope. Some MVPs are simply landing pages on a marketing website meaning you can be up and running in days. For full application development we find the sweet spot for a minimum viable product is 12 - 16 weeks.
Does my startup have to be in Sydney or Canberra?
No. While we're based in Sydney, and our CTO is based in Canberra, we've worked with startups throughout Australia including regional NSW, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and the Northern Territory before.
I'm not a technical founder, is that ok?
Yes. That's why Launch Lab exists. We'll help guide the technical aspects of your startup so that you can focus on growth.
I am a technical founder, is that ok?
Yes. We've worked with startups that have their own developers but either lack certain development skills or just need to expand their dev team to move faster.
Do you offer ongoing support?
Yes. We expect that we'll be your outsourced software engineers and web designers through the early stages of your startup.
As you start to grow you'll hire your own employees to replace us. That's a great outcome for us and we'll be with you every step of the way.
Do you take equity?
If we have a good understanding of the market you'll be targeting and we've experienced the problem that you want to solve then there is a very good chance that we'd want to take equity. It's your choice and we're always open to discussing equity or fee based projects.
Do you offer any other services?
First and foremost we are product designers, application developers and AI developers. That means we help plan, design and build startups. We also have the following experience:
- Digital marketing
- Copywriting
- Business strategy
- Data science and Machine Learning
Can you introduce us to venture capital firms and investors?
We don't offer this as a service and we certainly don't charge for it. However, we'll help where we can and will make introductions if the time is right and the investor is highly relevant to the industry you are working in.
The main thing to consider is that your goal at an early stage is not fund raising. Focus on getting to market and getting customers. You can focus on fund raising thereafter.
Let's chat
Get a startup web design quote and / or a startup web development quote from a local onshore Australian product development team