Interactive Tool
CTO Cost Calculator
Compare the true cost of hiring a full-time CTO, fractional CTO, technical consultant, or advisor based on your stage and needs.
Your Situation
Answer a few questions to get personalized cost estimates.
Include full-time, part-time, and contractors
Recommended: Fractional CTO
A fractional CTO gives you strategic leadership at roughly half the cost of full-time, perfect for your preseed stage.
Annual Cost Comparison
Full-Time CTO
40 hrs/week · $96/hr effective
$200k/yr
Fractional CTO ✓
10 hrs/week · $185/hr effective
$96k/yr
Technical Consultant
10 hrs/week · $200/hr
$104k/yr
Technical Advisor
~5 hrs/month
$24k/yr
💰 Potential Savings
$104k/year
(52% less than full-time CTO)
Detailed Comparison
Understand the trade-offs of each engagement model
Full-Time CTO
✓ Pros
- • Fully dedicated
- • Owns all technical decisions
- • Day-to-day team management
- • Available 40+ hrs/week
✗ Cons
- • $200k-$350k salary + equity
- • Overkill for early stage
- • Hard to recruit at seed stage
- • Difficult to fire if wrong fit
Fractional CTO
Recommended✓ Pros
- • Strategic leadership at 1/2 the cost
- • Flexible time commitment
- • Easy to scale up/down
- • Trial period via audit
✗ Cons
- • Limited hours (10-20/week)
- • Won't manage daily tasks
- • Works with other clients
- • May not be hands-on with code
Technical Consultant
✓ Pros
- • Project-specific expertise
- • No long-term commitment
- • Pay only for what you use
- • Access to specialized skills
✗ Cons
- • Expensive hourly rates
- • No ongoing accountability
- • Delivers advice, not ownership
- • May lack business context
Technical Advisor
✓ Pros
- • Very affordable (~$2k/mo)
- • Strategic guidance only
- • Good for idea validation
- • Low time commitment
✗ Cons
- • Only 1-5 hours/month
- • No execution support
- • Limited accountability
- • Not suitable beyond idea stage
Ready to Explore Fractional CTO Services?
PocketCTO Partners offers flexible fractional CTO engagements starting with a 2-3 week audit to identify your technical priorities and quick wins.