The MVP concept has been misapplied so many times it has nearly lost its meaning. For some teams it means "ship the scrappiest thing imaginable." For others it means "ship only when everything works." Neither is quite right.
The distinction between an MVP and an MMP helps clarify when to ship and what to ship.
What an MVP Actually Is
A minimum viable product is the smallest thing you can build to test a specific assumption. It is not a product in the traditional sense — it is an experiment. The output is learning, not growth.
An MVP might be a landing page with a waitlist. A manual process disguised as software. A single feature with no onboarding. These are appropriate when you are still validating whether the problem is real and whether your solution fits.
What an MMP Is
A minimum marketable product is the smallest thing you can ship that a real customer would willingly pay for and tell someone else about. It has enough polish and enough value to retain users beyond day one.
The shift from MVP to MMP is the shift from testing to building a product.
The Practical Difference
| MVP | MMP | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Validate assumptions | Acquire and retain users |
| Audience | Early testers, close contacts | Target customers |
| Polish | Minimal | Enough to not embarrass |
| Success metric | Learning | Retention and referral |
When to Stop MVPing
You know you have validated enough when:
- People use the product without you prompting them
- At least some users come back without being asked
- You can explain the value in one sentence and people immediately get it
Once those conditions are met, continuing to "MVP" is just avoiding the harder work of building something people will pay for.
Ship Earlier Than Feels Comfortable
If you are not embarrassed by the first version you ship, you shipped too late.
This is not permission to ship broken software. It is a reminder that the gap between "good enough to learn from" and "ready to show the world" is almost always smaller than it feels from the inside.
Find More on LiftOff
LiftOff is where products launch. Whether you are at MVP or MMP, get your product in front of real users.
