Fractional, full-time, or agency?
A full-time marketing leader costs far more than their salary once you add benefits, taxes, and overhead. This calculator compares the real annual cost of three ways to get senior growth leadership, fractional, full-time, and agency, so you can sanity-check any option in seconds. No email, no signup.
How the calculator works
The hard part of comparing these three options is that they're priced in completely different units, a salary, a day rate, and a monthly retainer, and the salary number hides a lot of cost. This tool puts all three on the same footing: fully-loaded annual cost.
Full-time hire
Base salary multiplied by an on-cost factor for benefits, payroll taxes, equity, software, and overhead, typically 25–40% on top of base. You can add first-year recruiting or severance under Advanced assumptions. The result is what the role actually costs your P&L, not the offer letter number.
Fractional growth lead
Days per month × a blended day rate × 12. Because you're billed for the days you use, the annual cost scales with how embedded the engagement is, light advisory and near-full-time leadership are very different commitments. There are no benefits or on-costs on top.
Agency
A monthly retainer × 12. Agencies bring breadth and execution capacity; the trade-off is usually less single-owner accountability across the whole funnel, and your tracking and data often live partly inside their stack.
The cheapest option isn't automatically the right one, capacity, ownership, and risk matter too. That's exactly the judgment call covered in Fractional CMO vs. Agency vs. Full-Time Hire, and what fractional growth leadership is built to solve.
Common questions
How much does a fractional CMO or growth leader cost vs. a full-time hire?
A full-time marketing leader's true cost is the base salary plus on-costs (benefits, payroll tax, equity, overhead), which typically adds 25–40%. A fractional growth leader is billed for the days you actually use, often a few days a month, so the annual cost scales down to the engagement intensity. At light-to-moderate intensity, fractional is usually well below the fully-loaded cost of a full-time hire while still providing senior ownership.
Why is the full-time number higher than the salary?
Salary is only part of the cost of an employee. Benefits, payroll taxes, equity, software, and overhead usually add 25–40% on top, and first-year recruiting or severance can add more. The calculator applies an on-cost multiplier so you compare fully-loaded cost, not just base pay.
Is this a quote?
No. These are planning estimates based on typical 2026 US market ranges and the assumptions you set. Real pricing depends on scope, seniority, and the specifics of your business. Use it to sanity-check options, then have a real conversation.