a TCG collection binder app for collectors
PROJECT OVERVIEW
What this app does
This TCG collection binder app helps 5,000 registered collectors browse a shared trading-card catalog and organize owned cards into personal digital binders. Collectors can track card quantity, condition, and binder position, while catalog administrators maintain card records and their primary images.
As an anonymous visitor, I can browse and search the trading-card catalog
As a collector, I can browse and search for trading cards
As a collector, I can create a personal collection binder
As a collector, I can add catalog cards to my binder
As a collector, I can update the quantity, condition, or position of a card in my binder
As a collector, I can view my binder and remove cards I no longer own
As a catalog administrator, I can create and correct card catalog records and images
The following user counts are projected totals after one year of growth
5
catalog_administrators
Authorized staff who create and correct the shared trading-card catalog and card images.
4995
collectors
Registered TCG collectors who create binders and organize their card collections.
1000
anonymous_visitors
Unregistered visitors who can browse and search the public card catalog.
COST BREAKDOWN
How your requirements become a plan and a price
Momen doesn't give a vague quote: it first sizes the project's actual demand for each capability and resource, then costs each item out. The numbers in the 'Project demand' column below — their scale assumptions and derivations — are detailed in Scale & sizing
Minimum viable plan
BASIC
The public catalog and collection workflows require at least the BASIC plan.
See the capability-by-capability assessment ▾
PROJECT DEMAND
ALLOWANCE PROVIDED (COMPOSITION)
AI points add-on
x 0
0 points
not purchased
(plan/kit 1.0M points)
No requirement
$ 0
Outbound data transfer add-on
x 29
1.18 TB/mo
500GB × 29/year, amortized monthly
(plan/kit 2.00 GB/mo + add-on +1.18 TB/mo)
Add-on fills +1.18 TB/mo gap beyond plan/kit
$ 84.58
Object storage
add-on
x 0
198.08 MB
not purchased
(plan/kit 2.00 GB)
Covered by plan/kit (margin ~910%)
$ 0
Database storage add-on
x 0
103.31 MB
not purchased
(plan/kit 200.00 MB)
Covered by plan/kit (margin ~94%)
$ 0
single-tenant kit
x 0
1 req/s
not purchased
(plan/kit 5 req/s)
Covered by plan/kit (margin ~400%)
$ 0
Basic
x 1
Basic is the minimum viable plan
Basic
(Plan tier: BASIC)
See minimum viable plan above
$ 39
plan + add-ons · usage-based · no development cost
WHY MOMEN
Your options for this project
In the table below, the 'monthly infrastructure' for the self-built / AI routes is derived from the AWS list prices shown below, sized against this project's actual usage. Figures cover infrastructure and operations only — AI usage is billed separately and excluded here, so they don't match the $123.58/mo all-in above.
Current usage sizing
AWS list pricing
577.24 GB (first 100GB free)
Internet egress → 51.95
0.20 GB-month
S3 Standard → 0
0.10 GB-month
RDS gp3 storage → 0.01
2 × db.m6g.large (Multi-AZ) × 730h
RDS PostgreSQL db.m6g.large → 232.14
2 × t4g.large × 730h
EC2 t4g.large → 98.11
Total ≈ $382.22 / mo
Pure cloud resources
DEVELOPMENT COST
MONTHLY CLOUD INFRA ($/MO)
MONTHLY TOTAL (INFRA + OPS, EXCL. AI USAGE)
Traditional outsourcing / build in-house
about $75,000 - $110,000
≈ $382
Based on the AWS estimate above
≈ $2,382
Infra $382 + ops ~$2,000
4-6 months
5 / 5
Vibe Coding
about $14,000 - $20,000
≈ $382
Based on the AWS estimate above
≈ $1,882
Infra $382 + ops ~$1,500
hours
5 / 5
AI full-stack generation
about $6,000 - $9,000
≈ $382
Based on the AWS estimate above
≈ $1,882
Infra $382 + ops ~$1,500
hours
3 / 5
Off-the-shelf SaaS / vertical solution
$0
N/A
Priced per seat, not by cloud infra
≈ $16,000+
Per-seat pricing, tens of thousands of users
days
1 / 5
Momen
Recommended
$0
$124
All-in: egress / storage / auto-scaling; excludes AI usage
$124
hours
5 / 5
Servers, databases, traffic and storage are inherent infrastructure costs for this project — you pay them whether you outsource, use Cursor or Lovable, or build it yourself (self-built runs ≈ $382.22/mo at AWS list prices, often more), on top of the dev and ops staff you'd need to hire. Momen bundles all of it into $0/mo all-in and removes the need for an ops team.
The frontend can be generated with AI tools (Cursor, Lovable, etc.); the hard part is the backend — auth, database, scaling, data security and ops. Momen delivers a production-grade backend as a BaaS: keep the vibe-coding speed on the frontend, while the backend runs on proven infrastructure — reliable, with no self-hosting or ops.
SCALE & SIZING
What scale this estimate assumes, and how the numbers are derived
Cost depends heavily on usage volume. First see the key assumptions and business scenarios this estimate uses, then the full calculation derived from each scenario for every resource — all adjustable to your real situation
We assume 5,000 registered accounts because the project explicitly states that registered-user scale. This total includes collector and administrator accounts but excludes anonymous visitors; if your actual account mix differs, the group allocation can be adjusted accordingly.
We assume 225 effective accumulation days because a consumer collection app typically grows progressively as collectors register and add cards rather than launching with a full pre-existing user dataset. This follows the standard linear-growth pattern; if your actual launch includes imported user binders or a rapid early adoption burst, this parameter can be adjusted accordingly.
Daily Binder Activity
Daily Binder Activity
Daily Catalog Browsing
Daily Catalog Browsing
30
times/month
0.33 req/s
Peak load
We assume collectors organize and review collections across a four-hour evening period because this is discretionary hobby activity without a shared start signal. The 14,400-second window occurs daily and is divided into read-only review, card addition, and maintenance purposes because these behaviors have different participation and write intensity. If your actual business operations differ, such as usage concentrating after weekend tournaments, the duration and monthly rhythm can be adjusted accordingly.
Main impact: Peak Concurrency
The scenarios above set the assumptions for each resource; below is the full calculation derived from them. Click to expand each item.
DEVELOPMENT SCOPE
How this app works
What exactly does this budget support? Broken down by business scenario, showing the pages, data tables, automation flows and AI assistant behind each one
Review the catalog, add a card definition, and correct an existing record.
Card Catalog Page
users
Open and review a binder without changing its contents.
Card Catalog Page
users
Review a binder and correct or remove existing collection entries.
Card Catalog Page
users
Open a binder, find catalog cards, and add several collection entries.
Card Catalog Page
users
Review existing binders and create a new personal binder.
Card Catalog Page
users
Search the shared catalog as a signed-in collector.
Card Catalog Page
users
Browse or search the card catalog without a registered account.
Card Catalog Page
users
page
data_table
Card Catalog Management Page
Administrative page for creating, reviewing, and correcting card catalog records and images.
Binder Detail Page
Collector-facing page for viewing a binder and adding, editing, positioning, or removing card entries.
Binder Dashboard
Collector workspace for viewing existing binders and creating a new binder.
Card Catalog Page
Public and member-facing page for browsing and searching the trading-card catalog.
FAQ
What you might want to know about this project
The Q&A below is generated by AI based on this project's type, features and scale
How are card images handled?
Are card trading and market prices included?
Does this estimate include an external trading-card database?
What will use the most resources in this binder app?
Copy to discuss with AI
Challenge & re-estimate
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