You've just raised.
Fractional CTO now to write the plan and hire against it; a full-time CTO once the team is big enough to need one.
Home / Fractional CTO / Fractional CTO vs agency vs full-time hire
Compared
Fractional CTO, agency, or a full-time hire?
The three ways a growing business gets senior technical judgement, what each costs, and when each is the right call. Written by someone who has been the agency, the hire and the fractional CTO.
Book a free strategy call Email us
Led by Shanoor Hussain, former Global Head of Cloud Managed Services at Cloudreach. About Shanoor
Updated October 2026
In short
A fractional CTO gives you one accountable senior person for a few days a month, from £1,500 a day. An agency gives you a team for a project, from about £20,000. A full-time CTO costs £120,000 to £160,000 a year plus equity and makes sense once technology is the product. Most businesses under fifty staff need the first, use the second for specific builds, and aren't ready for the third. An interim CTO is a fourth option for a gap between hires.
Side by side
Fractional CTO, interim CTO, agency or full-time hire.
| Fractional CTO (Norloch) | Interim CTO | Agency | Full-time CTO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Part-time, ongoing | Full-time, fixed term | Per project | Permanent |
| Cost | From £1,500 a day; about £6,500 a month at one day a week | £1,200 to £1,800 a day, five days a week | From about £20,000 per programme | £120,000 to £160,000 a year plus equity and on-costs |
| Accountability | One named person | One named person | Account manager and team | One named person |
| Builds as well as leads | Yes | Sometimes | Builds only | Rarely |
| Independent of suppliers | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Best when | You need senior judgement every month, not every day | You're between CTOs | You know exactly what to build and need hands | Technology is the product and you've the scale to justify it |
Market figures are typical UK ranges, checked October 2026.
Which one, by situation
Six situations and the usual answer.
The founders aren't technical.
Fractional CTO. Someone has to check the architecture, vendor and hiring decisions, and it needs to be on your side.
An agency built it and left.
Fractional CTO to take ownership of what you've got, then an agency or Norloch for the next build under that direction.
You need a product built fast.
Agency for hands, fractional CTO to make sure you own it afterwards.
Your CTO just resigned.
Interim CTO for the gap, or fractional if the day-to-day is covered by the team.
Technology is the business.
Full-time CTO, as early as you can afford one. Fractional in the meantime.
FAQ
Common questions.
Should we hire a CTO or use a fractional one?
Hire full-time when technology is the product, you have the scale to keep a senior person busy five days a week, and you can afford £120,000 to £160,000 plus equity. Use a fractional CTO when you need senior judgement every month but not every day, which is most growing businesses with fewer than fifty staff.
Can't an agency just do all of it?
An agency builds what you ask for, well. The gap is deciding what to ask for, in what order, and checking the agency's proposal is sound. A fractional CTO sits on your side of the table for that, and many engagements are exactly that: reviewing what the agency proposes.
What does a fractional CTO cost compared with the others?
Norloch is from £1,500 a day, about £6,500 a month at one day a week. An interim CTO is £1,200 to £1,800 a day full-time. An agency programme starts around £20,000. A full-time CTO in Edinburgh is £120,000 to £160,000 a year plus equity and on-costs.
Can a fractional CTO also build?
Norloch does. Most fractional CTOs advise only. If you need someone to set direction and then build the first version, that's the distinction to ask about.
Not sure which you need?
Free 30-minute call. We'll tell you honestly, including when the answer is a full-time hire or an agency.
Related