How Much Does a Prototype Cost in the UK?
Prototyping used to be expensive. In 2026 the cost of a genuine working prototype has dropped dramatically. Here's what you should expect to pay and what you actually get.
Prototyping used to be expensive. Not slightly expensive — prohibitively expensive for most founders and businesses with an idea they wanted to test. A design agency would charge £5,000 to £15,000 for a Figma mockup that looked like a product but didn’t function like one. A development agency would charge £20,000 or more for something actually functional, and take three months to deliver it. For most people, that cost meant skipping the prototype stage entirely and going straight to a full build — which is exactly how so many digital products end up expensive, overscoped, and ultimately unused. That calculation has changed. In 2026, the cost of a genuine working prototype has dropped to a fraction of what it used to be. Here’s what prototyping actually costs now, what drives the price, an…