What does it cost to work with you?

It depends. I know "it depends" isn't satisfying, but it's honest: audit, project rescue and fractional CTO have different sizes and timelines. I give you the price in our first call, after I understand what you actually need. What's certain: it's written down before we start, and it's fixed. No quotes that keep growing, no surprises halfway through.

How quickly will I see real results?

Audit: written report in your hands in 2-3 days. Project rescue: first changes live within 1-2 weeks, completion in 2-4 weeks. Fractional CTO: from the first week you have a written technical roadmap and the first decisions made — you don't wait a month to see what's changing.

Do you only work remote or also in person?

Remote, mostly. I come on-site when it actually matters — kick-off, strategic workshops, on-site audits. Veneto, Lombardia and Emilia covered easily; other regions with travel expenses. No theater of mandatory presence.

Do you also work full-time somewhere else?

Yes — I'm a Tech Lead at an enterprise company, and that's exactly where the technical level I bring to your project comes from. That's why I work with very few clients at a time, with clear scope: audit, time-boxed rescue, light monthly retainer. My availability is limited by design, not despite everything. If you need someone full-time every day, you need an in-house dev — and I'll be the first to tell you.

What happens if after the audit we decide not to continue?

Nothing bad. The report is yours, take it home — it contains everything another dev or team needs to act. The initial 30-minute call is free, the audit has a fixed price agreed up front. Zero ambiguity, no hidden clauses.

Do you only work with startups or also with SMBs?

Both. Founders validating an idea, CTOs inheriting a codebase, SMBs with stuck internal software or a developer who stopped replying to emails. I bring value in all these cases — it's not the company size that matters, it's whether you actually need a senior technical reference.

Can I have a fractional CTO while I already have internal developers?

Yes, and it's one of the most common cases. You have devs (internal or external) but no one makes technical decisions or coordinates. That's the role I play: I don't replace the team, I lead it. Direct Slack, weekly call, no disappearances. If there's a promising senior dev, my goal is also to help them grow until they can replace me.

What stacks are you specialized in?

Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, AWS, Vercel — that's where I'm fastest. But fractional CTO isn't about the stack: it's about picking the right one for your stage and executing. I also work with inherited codebases on other stacks — actually, that happens often. If I think the stack choice is wrong, I'll tell you.

How does invoicing work?

Italian invoice with VAT. Audit and project rescue: 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. Fractional CTO: monthly invoice, renewable quarterly contract (no annual lock-ins). Payment by bank transfer. Clean, invoiced, traceable.

Strategic decisions

Fractional CTO or In-House CTO: How to Decide Without Getting Burned

When to hire a full-time CTO and when a fractional one makes more sense. Differences in cost, control, scope, and timing. A decision grid for founders who don't want to get it wrong.

May 20, 20268 min read

You need technical leadership for your startup or SME, and you're wondering whether to hire a full-time CTO or bring on a fractional one. The choice isn't obvious, and the cost of getting it wrong is high: a bad CTO hire costs you 6-12 months and often kills the company's momentum. Let's look at how to decide using real criteria. If you first need the basic definition of what a fractional CTO actually is, start with this guide and then come back here.

The differences in numbers

Let's start with the real costs, which is the thing that makes the biggest difference in the first 2 years:

Full-time in-house CTO: €80,000-150,000/year gross in Italy, plus equity (1-5% if early-stage startup), plus benefits, plus onboarding time (3-6 months before being genuinely productive).
Fractional CTO: €1,500-4,000/month depending on the number of hours, renewable quarterly contract, zero equity, zero onboarding (productive from Day 1).

Rough difference: a fractional costs 8-12 times less than an in-house CTO in the first year. But that isn't the question — the question is: what do you actually need.

What an in-house CTO does (that a fractional doesn't)

Four things a full-time CTO does better than a fractional:

Total availability. They're in the company every day, present on calls with clients, and take part in product decisions in real time.
Hiring the internal team. They build and grow the technical team for the next 5 years. A fractional can help you pick the first 2-3 devs, but not build a team of 20.
Board-level involvement. They take part in strategic decisions, have equity in the outcome, and are aligned on the long horizon.
Long-term presence. They know every corner of the code, every client, every decision ever made. A fractional will never have that level of context.

What a fractional CTO does (that an in-house one doesn't offer)

Three things a fractional does better than an in-house CTO, especially in the first 18-24 months:

Horizontal experience. A fractional works with 3-5 companies at the same time. They see patterns, mistakes, and solutions that an in-house CTO (locked inside their single company) never runs into.
Zero long-term commitment. You test them for a quarter, confirm them if it works, swap them out if it doesn't. A bad in-house CTO gets fired after 12 months of damage.
Speed to start. They start contributing in the first week. No 3-month onboarding, no relocation, no fear about accepting the job.

The decision grid

Choose based on these 4 dimensions, not on your immediate budget:

Dimension 1 — Technical volume

How many technical decisions do you need per month?

<10 decisions/month, 1 dev or none → fractional. Even a few days/month is enough.
10-30 decisions/month, 2-4 devs → fractional with more hours (€2-4k/month typical).
30+ decisions/month, 5+ devs → start thinking about an in-house CTO.

Dimension 2 — Business stage

Pre-seed/seed without product/market fit: fractional. You're not building a team, you're validating an idea.
Post-PMF, growth stage: probably an in-house CTO within 6-12 months. But a fractional as a bridge while you search.
Established SME, internal software: a fractional can be the stable solution. You don't have a software business, you have a business with software.

Dimension 3 — Round on the way

Do you have a Series A in the pipeline and investors who want to talk to a CTO?

Round arriving within 6 months: a fractional CTO with investor-relations experience. Costs less and works fine for investors.
Round already closed, growth underway: hire in-house. You have the money, you have the growth commitment.

Dimension 4 — Cash

How much runway do you have?

<18 months → fractional. An in-house CTO eats 30-50% of payroll, too risky.
>24 months and stable revenue → in-house CTO if the volume justifies it.

The solution most people ignore: fractional as a bridge

Almost always the right answer isn't "fractional or in-house", it's "fractional before in-house". That is:

Months 1-12: fractional CTO. Low cost, high experience, zero risk.
Months 6-9: the fractional helps write the job description for the in-house CTO and interview candidates.
Months 12-18: you hire an in-house CTO with the fractional handling the transition.
Months 18+: the fractional steps out or stays on as an advisor.

This pattern reduces the risk of hiring the wrong CTO (because you do it with an experienced consultant at your side), accelerates your technical velocity right away, and lets you avoid being stuck waiting for the perfect candidate.

3 catastrophic mistakes when you choose

Hiring an in-house CTO too early. Founders obsessed with having "the complete team" on the pitch deck. Result: you spend €100k on a CTO working on an idea that hasn't been validated yet, and in 12 months you're underwater.
Choosing a fractional who's too junior. A fractional only makes sense if they're genuinely senior — 8+ years of experience, having already seen 10+ companies. If it's a mid-level engineer selling themselves as a fractional, you're paying for an in-house CTO at consultant prices. Terrible deal.
Confusing fractional with part-time. A fractional doesn't work "whenever they can". They have contractually agreed weekly hours, a direct Slack channel, a weekly call. If instead someone offers you "I'll answer emails when I can", that's not a fractional, that's a paid advisor — different thing.

Wrapping up

The question "fractional or in-house" has no universal answer. It depends on technical volume, business stage, the round on the way, and cash. For most early-stage startups and Italian SMEs, the right answer is: fractional first, in-house later.

Frequently asked questions

Is a fractional CTO or an in-house CTO better value?

It depends on four dimensions, not your immediate budget: technical volume, business stage, an incoming round, and cash. In short: under 10 technical decisions a month, pre-seed without product/market fit, or less than 18 months of runway, the fractional wins. Above 5 devs, post-PMF in growth, or with more than 24 months of runway, an in-house hire starts to justify itself.

How much do I save with a fractional CTO versus an in-house one?

In the first year a fractional costs roughly 8-12 times less than an in-house CTO. A full-time CTO in Italy runs €80,000-150,000/year gross plus equity, benefits, and 3-6 months of onboarding; a fractional is typically €1,500-4,000/month depending on hours, on a renewable quarterly contract, with zero equity and productive from Day 1.

Can I start with a fractional CTO and move to an in-house one later?

That's exactly the pattern I recommend: fractional first, in-house later. In the early months the fractional gives you speed at low risk; around months 6-9 they help write the job description and interview candidates for the in-house role; then they handle the transition and, if you want, stay on as an advisor. This sharply cuts the risk of hiring the wrong CTO.

Does a fractional CTO work if I have a funding round coming up?

Yes. If you have a round within 6 months, a fractional with investor-relations experience costs less and works perfectly well for talking to investors about stack, team, and scalability. If the round is already closed and growth is underway, you have the money and the commitment to hire in-house.

What are the worst mistakes when choosing between fractional and in-house?

Three. Hiring an in-house CTO too early, before validating the idea, and burning €100k on a team you don't need yet. Choosing a fractional who's too junior: it only makes sense if they're genuinely senior, with 8+ years and many companies seen. And confusing a fractional with a part-time advisor: a real fractional has contracted weekly hours, a direct Slack channel, and a weekly call — not 'I'll answer when I can'.

Want to figure out which formula makes sense for your specific case? See how I work as a fractional CTO, or let's talk for 30 minutes, free. I reply within 24 hours.