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Fractional CMO vs. Full-Time CMO: cost calculator
A full-time CMO costs far more than the salary line. Enter your numbers to compare the real first-year cost against a fractional CMO retainer. No signup, no email.
Your inputs
Adjust to match your situation.
You save with fractional
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— less than a full-time hire over this period
Full-time, true cost
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Fractional cost
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Full-time: time to impact
~7 mo
Fractional: time to impact
~2 wks
Estimates only. "True cost" adds benefits, payroll tax, and one-time recruiting to base salary. Time-to-impact reflects typical exec search plus ramp vs. a fractional start.
How it's calculated
The math, in the open
- Full-time true cost = base salary × (1 + benefits/tax/bonus load), prorated to the engagement length, plus a one-time executive search fee (a percentage of base). Salary alone understates the real number by 30–60%.
- Fractional cost = monthly retainer × months. No benefits, payroll tax, equity, severance, or recruiting fee.
- Time to impact — a full-time CMO search runs roughly 3–6 months, then a 90-day ramp before real output. A fractional CMO typically starts inside two weeks. That gap is months of lost momentum a cost number alone doesn't show.
- What this leaves out — equity dilution, bonus, and severance risk on the full-time side (all real, all in your favor when comparing), and the fact that a fractional engagement is variable cost you can scale or pause. We kept those out to stay conservative.
Next step
See what a fractional CMO would actually do for your stage
The numbers are one thing. Whether fractional is the right move for your ARR stage is another. Start with a free assessment, or see how a fractional CMO engagement works.
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