All termsPRODUCT & MARKET

MVP

Minimum Viable Product

Also known as: Minimum Viable Product

DEFINITION

The smallest version of a product that delivers real value to real users — used to test whether the core hypothesis is true.

In depth

MVP is about learning, not shipping. If the MVP teaches you nothing you didn't already know, it was the wrong experiment. If shipping is slower than learning, the MVP is too big.

The biggest MVP mistake is building the first version of everything instead of the best version of one thing. Cut features ruthlessly; keep the core experience tight.

Rules of thumb

  • Ship in 4–8 weeks, not 6 months.
  • Launch to 10 real users who have the problem, not 10,000.
  • Pick 3 features max. Say no to 30.

Put it into practice

guide
MVP planning guides

Related terms

PMF
The state where a product satisfies a real market demand so well that customers adopt, pay, and stay without heroic growth effort.

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Last reviewed 14 April 2026 by Abhi Verma.