Cost comparison
Fractional CTO vs. full-time CTO
A full-time CTO costs $250K-$450K+ loaded (1.5-1.7x base with equity, insurance, and recruiting). A fractional CTO delivers senior leadership from day one at a fraction of that.
Fractional CTO
Full-time CTO
Annual loaded cost
$84K-$180K
$250K-$450K+
Time to impact
Week 1
3-6 months (recruiting + ramp-up)
Flexibility
Scale up or down monthly
Fixed headcount and severance risk
Experience breadth
10+ companies across industries
1-3 companies, deep but narrow
Ideal company stage
Pre-seed to Series B
Series B+ with dedicated budget
Equity dilution
Zero
1-5% founding/early CTO grant
Ready to move faster without the full-time commitment?
Book a free 30-minute call. We will assess your technical needs and see if fractional leadership is the right fit.
