Do You Really Need an MVP? 7 Different Ways to Validate an App

In 2026, for a founder looking to launch a new application, the question is no longer “Can I build it?”. With artificial intelligence, no-code or low-code tools, and the wide availability of frameworks, creating a first version of an app has become easy, relatively inexpensive, and fast.

On the other hand, if the technical aspect is no longer a barrier, the real problem in building an application today is: “Will anyone actually use it?”.

In a world where hundreds of new applications emerge every day, the real challenge for tech entrepreneurs is standing out. In other words, today the relevance of a digital product matters more than its feasibility.

To understand whether it’s truly worth developing your idea, you need to start with a validation phase, whose purpose is to determine whether building the product makes sense.

Many people think that validation necessarily means developing an MVP—but is that really the case? In reality, validation is a much broader field: there are different methods, each exploring different aspects.

Let’s take a look at the various ways you can validate your application and the specific characteristics of each.

How to choose the right method to validate an app

Not all methods validate the same thing: 

• Some assess whether a problem exists
• Others whether people are interested in the application
• Others investigate whether users are willing to pay
• Others still test whether there is real usage

That’s why choosing a waitlist instead of a pre-sale is not the same thing. Using the wrong validation method—or misinterpreting the signals it provides—can lead you to build the wrong product, wasting time and money.

Which method is definitely the wrong one?

If there are several valid methods, each with its own use case, there are also methods that are always wrong. One of the most common is confusing validation with simply asking for opinions—especially from people close to you, such as friends or family.

Naturally, people close to us tend to be supportive and rarely tear our ideas apart. Of course, there’s always that brutally honest friend or relative who will point out everything that doesn’t work.

But even then, friends and family are not the right people to ask—unless they perfectly match your target audience. Validation should be done with real users who are likely to use the product and who experience the problem you aim to solve.

Another misconception that can undermine your efforts is thinking that validation is about asking for opinions. Asking “would you like this app?”—even if it generates a lot of positive responses—is not enough.

What you really need to understand is whether users experience the problem, whether they would actually use the product, whether they would be willing to pay for it, and how much. Since these are all different questions, they require different tools to answer them.

Choosing the right method: the key criterion

We have a variety of validation methods available. Which criterion do we choose for validating a digital product? There is a very simple answer:

What does this mean? Let’s take the example of a productivity tool for businesses that you plan to sell through direct outreach. If your product relies on 1:1 sales, it makes sense to test:

• Whether people respond to your calls
• Whether potential buyers are willing to spend 30 minutes on a call to better understand the product
• Whether they would be willing to pay

If you choose a method like a waiting list instead, you risk attracting contacts who are merely curious but would never commit to a 30-minute call or spend money on the product.

Validation is not a standard process—it’s a strategic choice. Doing it well is not optional. Each method produces a different type of output, and it’s crucial to understand which signals truly matter.

7 Methods to Validate Your App and When to Use Them

In this section, we’ll look at seven different methods that can be used for validation. For each, we’ll provide a description and explain its specifics, helping you make an informed choice.

Cold Outreach

Cold outreach, one of the oldest methods, involves directly contacting potential customers who don’t yet know you and talking to them about your product. This can happen through various channels: email, calls, LinkedIn.

During validation, this method is often paired with a problem interview, i.e., asking users for details about the problem the app aims to solve.

What does it validate? Cold outreach primarily validates whether a problem exists and, just as importantly, whether there is urgency to solve it. It also helps you learn your target audience’s language and often reveals initial objections.

When to use it? Cold outreach is mainly used for B2B products (e.g., business tools) or niche markets. For mass-market products, it would be impossible to target the right audience effectively.

What are the risks? This approach can turn into more of a sales pitch than a discovery process. Additionally, even if the other party agrees to talk, there’s no guarantee they’ll provide thoughtful and complete answers.

Landing Page with Waitlist

The landing page is a classic approach: a single-page website describing the product and its features, even before the product exists.

To collect contacts, it is usually paired with a form where users can leave their information to be notified about the product launch or updates—this is the well-known waitlist.

What does it validate? A landing page helps gauge whether there is interest in the product and whether it sparks curiosity. It can also indicate if the concept is unclear: if the value proposition isn’t easily understood, people won’t show interest.

When to use it? Landing pages are particularly useful when the product’s value can be communicated in a few lines. They also help test aspects like naming and positioning.

What are the risks? It’s easy to confuse interest with genuine intent. Signing up for a waitlist doesn’t necessarily mean the user will actually use the app—or pay for it—it may only indicate a desire to try it.

Smoke Test with a Fake Door

A smoke test involves “selling” a product that doesn’t yet exist to measure real market interest. A fake door is a “fake access” to the app, such as an ad link inviting users to download the app, which then informs them it’s coming soon.

The goal is to monitor clicks to see if people are interested, though unlike a landing page, it typically doesn’t collect a contact list unless paired with a request for user info.

What does it validate? It measures active interest—whether someone would go so far as to try to download the product. It also tests the strength of the product promise.

When to use it? Smoke tests are useful for consumer apps aimed directly at end users. If you plan to acquire users through advertising, it’s also helpful to test reach.

What are the risks? Clicks alone don’t validate usage—they’re only an indicator of interest. Misleading implementation can harm your reputation if users feel deceived. Clear communication that the product isn’t yet available is essential.

Pre-Sale (Preorder)

A pre-sale asks users to reserve or pay in advance to get the product once it’s developed.

This often happens when an initial prototype is available to convince users that investing in the product is worthwhile.

What does it validate? Pre-sales validate willingness to pay—whether users are ready to pay for the finished product. Indirectly, it also gives insight into the perceived value of the app.

When to use it? Pre-sales work well for B2B contexts and highly vertical tools—situations where selling before full automation is realistic.

What are the risks? The main risk is failing to get a financial commitment before the product is ready. This is challenging and does not necessarily mean the app won’t succeed later.

Build in Public

“Build in public” means creating a product transparently in front of an audience. Steps of development are shared on social media like LinkedIn, X, or Instagram.

The goal is to engage a community before launch through compelling storytelling, ensuring early attention from interested users.

What does it validate? It validates audience engagement, helping assess interest in the problem and the ability to attract the right niche. A high number of comments and likes indicates the audience is engaged.

When to use it? It works well if the founder or team members are strong communicators and if the product narrative is compelling. It’s especially effective when the target audience can be reached on social platforms.

What are the risks? Strong communication can generate hype that doesn’t translate into actual product interest. Social media feedback may not reflect the ideal user, potentially steering product development based on unreliable input.

Concierge MVP

A concierge MVP refers to an MVP in which there is no real product underneath—only human execution of what the product is supposed to do.

For example, if you’re designing an app that provides fashion advice using AI to evaluate the best outfits based on body type, style, and color palette, you could initially test the idea’s effectiveness by creating personalized reports and sending them by email to test users.

What does it validate? It checks whether there is genuine interest in the results the app produces, and therefore whether the problem is truly felt. It also assesses whether users are actually willing to use and pay for a product to obtain this service.

When to use it? The number one requirement is that the expected output can be simulated. This is usually possible if the final product automates a process that could otherwise be performed by a person.

What are the risks? The risk lies in the mismatch between the human-produced output and what the machine might eventually produce. Especially in creative contexts, users may not find the same value in the automated product.

Additionally, producing personalized results for each user may not be expensive in monetary terms, but it is invariably time-consuming—which is exactly why users may be interested in automation in the first place.

Small No-Code or AI-Powered MVPs

One of the advantages of 2026 is that even non-programmers can easily build small to medium-sized apps without touching code.

Creating small MVPs with AI or no-code builders allows you to produce prototypes of the final app that can be tested with potential users.

What does it validate? It shows whether the minimal user experience is satisfactory, testing real user behavior with the app. In some cases, it can also give early signals about user retention.

When to use it? It’s useful when the product’s value can only be understood through use. It can also serve as an intermediate step after an earlier validation method didn’t provide clear signals.

What are the risks? There’s a temptation to build too much, too early, effectively skipping the validation step and going straight to a beta product.

Additionally, the risk is ending up with a functioning product that falls short in terms of security, data protection, fragile infrastructure, and mediocre UX.

A Quick Summary

All the methods we’ve covered can be summarized based on where we expect the traction for our product to come from:

In general, a positive response alone is not enough. You also need to evaluate the scale of the feedback obtained through validation.

Weak signals include vague opinions, likes and positive comments, or clicks that are not followed up with a booked call or other interaction. Strong signals, on the other hand, include scheduled calls, email sign-ups, and any form of payment.

To MVP or Not: How to Decide

At Mabiloft, we’re a software house. Programming is our job. That doesn’t mean we would push everyone to develop an app. First and foremost, we help clients—or potential clients—understand whether building the product makes sense.

There are cases where building an MVP is premature. Specifically, this happens when:

• The paying user isn’t clearly identified yet
• It’s unclear how users will be acquired
• The app concept is still fuzzy

In such cases, it’s better to reflect more on the product and perhaps choose less complex channels to verify whether it will work. This is especially true when the value of the app can be easily conveyed before it’s developed.

An MVP may be the right path if validation is well underway and it’s time to test user response in the field. Also in the rare cases where what needs to be validated cannot convey its value except through the actual product.

The key is to remember it’s an MVP, so it should maintain a limited set of features for the user, allowing a fast time to market.

Are you validating your product? If you’ve already conducted interviews, created a landing page, or built a no-code prototype, let’s talk. We can help you understand whether the signals you’ve received are sufficient to start building your product, and also help structure your validation process. Reach out to us—no obligation!