A product strategy engagement covers market research, customer interviews, a business model and a go-to-market plan. It typically costs $5,000–$15,000 over 2–4 weeks for a single product, according to 2026 agency benchmarks. In Istanbul, a full two-person engagement usually lands between $8,000 and $30,000 over 3–5 weeks. A narrow question costs less, and a study for entering a new market costs more.

This guide breaks down what you're paying for, gives market ranges with sources, and explains what moves the price. It's written by Deep Node Studios, a product strategy and software development studio in Istanbul. The ranges are market figures, not our price list.

What does a product strategy engagement include?

Each part answers one question and produces something you can act on:

Part	Question it answers	What you get
Market and competitor research	Is there a market, and who already serves it?	Market size estimate, competitor map, gaps
Customer interviews	Who exactly is the customer, and what do they pay for today?	Interview findings, the problems that matter, what they'll commit to
Business model and unit economics	How will this make money, and at what margin?	Pricing hypothesis, a unit-economics model (spreadsheet)
Go-to-market plan	How do we reach the first customers?	Target segment, positioning, channels, launch plan
Roadmap and first-release scope	What's the smallest product that proves it?	Prioritised roadmap, scope for the first release
Recommendation	Should we build?	Build, change course, or stop, with the evidence behind it

Not every engagement needs every part. A company that already knows its customer may only need the business model and go-to-market plan.

What does it cost?

The formula is the same as for software: team × weeks × rate. In Istanbul, a blended senior rate of $35–$75 an hour, the range most local studios charge (Clutch, October 2026), works out to about $1,400–$3,000 per person-week.

Scope	Typical team	Duration	Person-weeks	Market range (USD)	≈ TL (at 49.4)
One focused question (e.g. pricing, or sizing one segment)	1–2	1–2 weeks	1–4	$1,500–$12,000	75k–590k TL
Full product strategy (all six parts)	2	3–5 weeks	6–10	$8,000–$30,000	400k–1.5M TL
Market-entry study (a new country or segment)	2–3	4–8 weeks	8–24	$11,000–$72,000	540k–3.6M TL

TL is converted at 1 USD ≈ 49.4 TL (11 October 2026, Wise). Figures are rounded and exclude VAT (KDV).

International benchmarks:

Discovery phases cost $2,500–$5,000 over about 2 weeks for an MVP, $6,000–$15,000 over 3–4 weeks for a full SaaS platform, and $12,000–$30,000 over 4–6 weeks for enterprise applications (Leanware).
In London, a serious scoping phase costs £9,000–£28,000 over 3–6 weeks (Kolonell).
One agency's 2026 price list starts discovery at $5,000 for 1–2 weeks (Empat).

What makes it cost more or less?

How many segments or markets. Each extra segment means more research, more interviews and a separate go-to-market plan.
Interviews. Recruiting the right people is the slow part, especially senior B2B buyers. Ten good interviews are worth more than fifty easy ones.
Primary or desk research. Reports and public data are fast. Surveys, interviews and pre-sales tests take longer, and tell you more.
Depth of the financial model. A unit-economics sheet is quick. A model an investor or a board will scrutinise takes longer.
Whether a build plan is included. Turning the strategy into scope, technical approach, timeline and budget adds a few days. It's what makes the strategy usable by the people who build.

Is it worth paying for?

Set it against the build it guides. A web app MVP in Istanbul typically costs $20,000–$85,000, and a mobile app $35,000–$150,000 (our 2026 cost guide). A strategy engagement usually costs a fraction of that, and it decides what the build money is spent on.

Be honest about the alternative, too. Most early validation you can and should do yourself: talk to real potential customers and ask for a commitment, like a pre-order, a letter of intent or a pilot. Paid strategy makes sense when you keep getting polite feedback that leads nowhere, when the decision is too big to rest on your own read, or when you need the work done faster than your team can do it.

What should you expect to receive?

Ask for these before you sign:

A recommendation, not just a report. Build, change course or stop, with the evidence for it.
Numbers. Market size with its assumptions shown, unit economics, pricing.
Customer evidence. What real buyers said, and what they committed to.
Something the builders can use. First-release scope and a build plan, whoever builds it.

A deck full of frameworks and no recommendation is the most common way strategy money is wasted.

How Deep Node Studios does it

Deep Node Studios runs product strategy in Istanbul, in English or Turkish, and ends every engagement with a clear recommendation. When the plan says build, the same team can build it, or you can take the plan to any team. Product strategy at Deep Node Studios →

Frequently asked questions

How long does a product strategy engagement take? A focused question takes 1–2 weeks. A full engagement takes 3–5 weeks, and a market-entry study 4–8 weeks.

Is product strategy the same as a business plan? No. A business plan describes the company. Product strategy decides the product: who it's for, what it must do first, how it reaches customers and how it makes money.

Can we take the plan to another developer? Yes. A good strategy ends with a build plan that any competent team can execute.

Deciding what to build next? Tell us what you're deciding. Deep Node Studios replies within one working day. Last verified: October 2026.