MCP & ChatGPT apps guide
MCP server development cost: what SaaS teams pay (estimates)
Updated 2026-10-26
Short answer: Rough guide: a read-only pilot over an existing API is about $1,500 to $5,000, a production server with OAuth, writes and audit logs is about $8,000 to $25,000, and upkeep is a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars a month. These are estimates from public agency pages and typical scopes, not survey data.
What drives the price
- Number of tools and how messy the underlying API is.
- Auth: API key (cheap) vs OAuth with per-user scopes (the biggest single cost).
- Writes: confirmations, idempotency and audit logging.
- Hosting: your infra, a serverless function, or a managed gateway.
- Clients: Claude only, or ChatGPT app review too.
Typical tiers (estimates)
- Pilot, 1 to 2 weeks: 5 to 8 read-only tools, API key, stdio or simple hosted endpoint. Roughly $1,500 to $5,000.
- Production, 4 to 6 weeks: OAuth 2.1, writes, rate limits, logging, docs, registry listing. Roughly $8,000 to $25,000.
- ChatGPT app with UI components and review prep: add roughly $3,000 to $8,000.
- Upkeep: spec and client changes, new tools. Roughly $400 to $2,000 a month.
What public pricing looks like
Some specialist studios publish starting prices around $2,500 for a basic server, and larger agencies quote $15,000 and up for production work with auth. Freelance marketplace bids can be lower, usually without auth or tests. Check what is included before comparing.
How to keep it cheap
- Start read-only and measure usage before paying for writes.
- Reuse your existing OAuth provider if you have one.
- Keep the tool list short.
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Get a free 2-minute demo of your product in Claude
Besides running this directory, our team builds MCP servers and ChatGPT apps for small SaaS. Send your product URL and we'll record a short video of it working inside Claude, built only from your public API docs. Free, no call needed. Pilots start at $1,500. This service is separate from the agency rankings, which it never affects.
Prefer email? Write to us. Want an outside agency instead? See agencies that do MCP work.
Agencies in our index that mention MCP work
Listed in their normal directory order. Our own build service is not part of this list or the rankings.
- Teamvoy (Ukraine)
- AiAdvisors (Poland)
- Context Studios (Germany)
- AI Agency Manchester (United Kingdom)
- Focused (United States)
- Autor Technologies (Canada)
- Pentridge (United States)
- Hourglass AI (Australia)
- Enabled Minds (United States)
- AppStream Studio (United States)
Questions
Is there a running cost?
Hosting is usually small (a serverless function or a container). The real ongoing cost is keeping up with your API and client changes.
Fixed price or hourly?
A pilot suits fixed price because the scope is small and clear. Production work is often fixed price per phase.
Are these prices quotes?
No. They are rough estimates to help you budget.
More MCP guides
- How to build an MCP server for your SaaS product
- How to add a ChatGPT app to your SaaS
- MCP vs API: what SaaS teams actually need
- MCP server authentication: an OAuth 2.1 guide for SaaS teams
- MCP server for a REST API: generate from OpenAPI or hand-write?
- MCP server security and rate limiting checklist
- How to publish an MCP server: official registry, Smithery and awesome lists
- MCP server for CRM SaaS: tools, risks and scope
- MCP server for billing and subscription SaaS
- MCP server for scheduling and booking SaaS
- MCP server for healthcare SaaS: what is safe to build first
- MCP server for helpdesk and support SaaS
- Open-source example: Canny MCP server
Cost and effort figures on this page are rough estimates, not quotes.