MVP vs MLP vs MMP: Which Product Strategy Should You Opt For

Nowadays, a more customary approach lies in building minimum products instead of creating complex solutions right off. However, the definition of “minimum product” varies across different IT companies and departments. This post sheds light on the standards of MP and helps you grasp the difference between a minimum viable product, minimum lovable product and minimum marketable product to help you evaluate your needs better. We will also touch upon examples of reputable companies implementing MP. 

First, let us clarify the definitions of MLP, MVP, and MMP.  

What is the minimum viable product, minimum lovable product and minimum marketable product?

Minimum viable product is, perhaps, quite familiar to a large audience. It involves creating a basic product version that meets the audience’s needs. MVP helps developers validate their initial ideas or hypotheses, receive valuable feedback, and enhance the quality of future solutions. Hence, in this case, fast delivery and a core feature set are a priority. As a result, companies can save time significantly and decrease the risk of failure. A minimum viable product can be considered as a shrunk or scaled-down version of the full-scale solution. However, unlike a prototype, users can interact with this product. 

Apart from solving the client’s problem, a minimum lovable product also emphasises the design and aesthetics of the solution. Engaging and user-friendly design is a significant part of MLP, aiming to establish an emotional connection with users and make the solution more memorable. That is why nowadays, when appealing design matters as never before, MLP is a meaningful choice. Similar to MVP, a minimum lovable product may not be fully feature-packed. Yet, one of the goals of MLP is to obtain a customer base eager to utilise the solution.  

If we compare MMP vs MVP, the first one has already improved features and functions as a result of MVP. The aim of MMP is not merely to test the ideas or hypotheses; instead, the product concentrates on prioritising necessary features for making the product sellable. Consequently, successful MMPs help companies generate revenue. However, sometimes MMP can be completed before MLP, which provides a refined user experience. 

Now, we can sum up the difference between these three products across the following criteria: 

1. Goal. MVP helps validate the idea and get real user feedback, whereas MLP’s aim is to build emotional connection and customer loyalty. For its part, a minimum marketable product should be robust enough to be launched to the target audience. 
2. Functionality. MVP has core features; MLP can boast additional touches created for the enjoyable use of the product. MMP should possess a comprehensive and scalable feature set. 
3. Design. MVP has a simple and functional design, which may not be user-centric (as with MLP). The design of MMP has to be aligned with market expectations. However, it may not be that engaging when compared to MLP. 
4. Time-to-market. What comes to MVP vs MLP vs MMP in this context, the first solution prioritises the fastest release. MLP may take longer to launch, and MMP usually has the longest development cycle.

Having considered key features of the products and the differences between them, let us now discuss the role of user feedback. 

Why is user feedback essential in MVP, MLP, and MMP?

In the process of evolving from MVP to MLP and MMP, user feedback helps reach a compelling user experience and an effective feature set. 

For building an MVP, the primary objective lies in gathering initial feedback from the audience, validating main ideas and refining the solution promptly. By moving forward towards a minimum lovable product, the focus changes to fostering emotional connections with users by implementing interactive UI. So gathering and analysing user responses can be divided into two essential steps:

When do you need each of them? 

It is time to touch upon the main use cases of the three products to simplify your choice.

When is an MVP the right choice?	When is it worth creating an MLP?	When to opt for MMP?
◈ If your company has strict timeframes for the development process and a quite limited budget. If choosing between MLP vs MVP, the latter is perfect for startups ◈ If the central goal is to tackle user pain points promptly ◈ When you need to validate your hypothesis with the real audience	◈ If your objective is to make your solution stand out from competitors ◈ When you want to promote your product and reach out to the target audience before the final solution is launched ◈ If the existing MVP needs to be expanded	◈ In case when you need to expand the core functionality of the product If profit is your priority ◈ In case when you would like to make a solution sellable right from the early stages of development

We hope that this brief overview helped shed light on the question of implementing MVP vs MLP vs MMP based on your company’s needs. However, another option can be combining both MVP and MLP or MMP. 

Combining different strategies in your project 

1. Starting with MVP

The primary step involves the creation of an MVP. As mentioned, this step does not imply achieving perfection; it is rather about testing your idea or hypothesis behind it. Hence, your task is to implement only core features, leaving aside completeness or aesthetics.

You don’t have to choose between MLP vs MVP in this case; gathering functional feedback might help you develop MLP in the future. Focus on gathering data to answer the following questions: 

• Does the solution solve the audience’s pain points?
• Is it worth refining the product further to better align with clients’ goals? 

To confirm or reject the product’s core value proposition, use lightweight analytics, feature-limited builds, and prototyping. Therefore, you can prevent unnecessary investments in building a product that the market doesn’t need.

2. Transitioning to MLP

The meaning of this step is to transition from the “working” system to the solution that is enjoyable to use. Achieving long-term loyalty requires adding helpful touches and improving the responsiveness of the interface. At this stage, the objective is to gather qualitative and emotional feedback to answer the following questions:

• Does the product feel convenient, enjoyable and trustworthy? 
• Would users recommend it to friends and acquaintances? 
• Is it easy to use?

For a thorough evaluation of user delight, you can turn to interviews, A/B testing, interface designs and customer journey mapping. Your central aim is to find out if the product has a strong potential to be used regularly. 

3. Concluding with MMP

What comes to MMP vs MVP is that the first product develops an early MVP version to make it highly competitive. This stage focuses on performance optimisation, compliance and scalability. Usually, marketing teams also develop campaigns about the solution to attract target customers. Apart from market campaigns, core methods of MMP developments and refinements are feature expansion, QA and testing, integration with digital ecosystems, and security enhancements. 

Minimum viable product vs Minimum marketable product vs Minimum lovable product: a brief historical overview

MVP emerged in the late 2000s, but became further popularised in Eric Ries’ book The Lean Startup, published in 2011. The book’s main idea was an emphasis on creating a simple solution to test the core hypothesis instead of dedicating years to full product development. This insight has become revolutionary, since it has allowed companies to save resources and mitigate risks associated with full-stack software development.

The concept of minimum lovable product stems from the realisation that solving users’ problems is not enough to gain loyal customers. MVP was introduced around 2013-2015, and the user engagement became a core value for this kind of solution. 

Even though minimum marketable product refers to a more advanced and refined solution than MVP, the former concept is relatively old. It emerged back in the 2000s and has been evolving alongside MVP. For MMP, the desired outcome of the development is the first commercially successful release. 

MLP vs MVP vs MMP: the most successful cases

Finally, let us briefly consider real-world success stories that illustrate how these three products evolve into globally recognised solutions. Is the choice between MLP vs MVP the most impactful decision, or is it rather the progression of different formats that ultimately leads to commercial success?

• Dropbox (MVP). This platform was first launched as a short video demo. Thus, developers prioritised proving demand before creating a full version of the product. 
• Instagram (MLP). Having been conceived as a photo app, the platform became a buzzword only after design refinements. By adding extra features (e.g. filters), developers have multiplied user engagement tremendously. 
• Uber (MMP). Uber’s MVP was a simple app that allowed users to request luxurious black cars in San Francisco. When the company expanded to UberX, the solution developed into MMP – a stable system with payment integration, driver management, and broad accessibility. 

The third example clearly illustrates that while an MVP can serve as an important milestone, an MMP often becomes the truly transformative step. So it’s about the progression of ideas – not merely choosing between minimum viable product vs minimum marketable product as separate products.

At PNN Soft, we apply the most effective strategies for combining different formats of minimum products (MVP, MLP, MMP) to help you balance long-term business goals with client satisfaction. Alternatively, our team will gladly assist you in creating a robust and innovative minimum product tailored to your specific needs. If you are unsure whether to opt for MMP vs MVP vs MLP, our team will consult you to determine which option fits your project best.