How Much Does a Fractional CTO or CISO Cost in the UK?

The most common question businesses ask before engaging a fractional technology leader is "what does it cost?" The most common answer they get is "it depends." That is not good enough.

This page gives you real UK pricing for fractional CTOs, CIOs, and CISOs in 2026. We include day rates, monthly retainers, and honest comparisons against full-time hires so you can make an informed decision.

Fractional CTO Costs

Day rates: £1,000-£2,500 per day. The range depends on the CTO's experience level, sector expertise, and the complexity of your technology estate.

At the lower end (£1,000-£1,200), you will find experienced technology leaders with 5-10 years of experience, typically generalists who have held CTO roles at SMEs. At the higher end (£1,500-£2,500), you will find specialists with deep sector expertise (fintech, healthtech, regulated industries), track records of successful exits, and the ability to present to PE or VC investors as part of due diligence processes.

Monthly retainers: £3,000-£10,000 per month, depending on the time commitment.

One day per week typically costs £4,500-£6,000 per month. Two days per week typically costs £8,000-£12,000 per month. Most mid-market businesses find that one to two days per week provides sufficient strategic coverage.

Annual cost: £42,000-£84,000 per year, depending on the retainer level.

London premium: London-based fractional CTOs tend to charge 15-20% more than those outside the capital, though the growth of remote working has narrowed this gap. A CTO based in Manchester or Leeds can serve a London-headquartered business effectively, with periodic on-site visits.

Fractional CISO Costs

Day rates: £1,000-£2,500 per day. CISOs with deep regulatory expertise (FCA compliance, ISO 27001 lead auditor, CREST or CHECK certifications) command the higher rates.

Monthly retainers: £3,000-£12,000 per month.

The lower end suits businesses that need strategic oversight and governance but have reasonable internal security capability. The higher end is typical for businesses in regulated sectors, those preparing for ISO 27001 certification, or organisations with complex technology estates and significant data protection obligations.

Annual cost: £36,000-£120,000 per year, depending on scope and intensity.

Fractional CIO Costs

Day rates: £1,000-£1,500 per day. The CIO role overlaps with the CTO but tends to focus more on business systems, digital transformation, and IT governance rather than software development and product technology.

Monthly retainers: £3,000-£8,000 per month.

Annual cost: £36,000-£96,000 per year.

Comparison: Fractional vs Full-Time

The full-time cost of a senior technology executive in the UK is higher than most businesses realise when they factor in the total cost of employment.

Full-time CTO (London): Base salary of £120,000-£170,000. Add employer National Insurance (approximately £18,000-£22,000), pension contributions (£6,000-£8,500), benefits and equipment (£5,000-£10,000), and recruitment fees (typically 20-25% of salary, so £24,000-£42,500 in Year 1). Total Year 1 cost: £173,000-£253,000. Ongoing annual cost: £149,000-£210,000.

Full-time CISO (London): Base salary of £110,000-£160,000. Total cost of employment: £155,000-£230,000 in Year 1.

Full-time CIO (London): Base salary of £100,000-£150,000. Total cost of employment: £140,000-£215,000 in Year 1.

The fractional saving: A fractional CTO at £5,000/month costs £60,000 per year, which is roughly 30-40% of the total cost of a full-time equivalent. You get fewer hours, but those hours are focused on the highest-impact strategic work. For many businesses in the £8-30 million revenue range, this represents 70-80% of the value at a fraction of the cost.

What Affects Pricing

Several factors move the price up or down.

Sector expertise. Regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, defence) command a premium because the CTO or CISO needs domain-specific knowledge of compliance frameworks and regulatory expectations. A fintech CTO needs to understand FCA regulations, PCI DSS, and the specific security requirements of payment processing. That expertise costs more than general technology leadership.

Complexity of the technology estate. A business running a single SaaS product on AWS requires less CTO oversight than a business with 15 legacy systems, three development teams across two countries, and an ongoing cloud migration. Complexity drives time, and time drives cost.

Maturity of the existing team. If you have a capable engineering team that needs strategic direction, the CTO can operate at a higher level and may need fewer days per month. If you have no internal technical capability and the CTO needs to manage outsourced developers, evaluate vendors, and handle operational issues, the time commitment will be greater.

Scope of the engagement. A pure strategy and governance role costs less than an engagement that includes hands-on hiring support, vendor negotiation, due diligence preparation, and board-level reporting.

Location. While remote working has reduced the importance of geography, on-site presence still matters for some businesses. A CTO who needs to be in your Manchester office two days a week will generally cost less than one commuting to Central London, but the difference is narrowing.

Engagement Models

The market offers several pricing structures.

Monthly retainer (most common). A fixed monthly fee for an agreed number of days. This is the most popular model because it provides predictability for both parties and ensures the CTO remains engaged with the business between their on-site days.

Day rate. Pay per day of work. This offers more flexibility but less commitment from the CTO. It works well for shorter engagements or businesses with variable needs, but it can lead to availability issues if the CTO's other clients require more time.

Project-based. A fixed fee for a defined scope of work, such as a technology audit, due diligence preparation, or a specific transformation project. This is effectively consultancy pricing and works well for bounded engagements.

Retainer plus equity. Some fractional CTOs accept a lower cash retainer in exchange for a small equity stake (typically 0.25-1%). This is more common in early-stage startups where cash is constrained but upside potential is significant. It aligns the CTO's incentives with long-term business success but introduces complexity around vesting, dilution, and employment status.

At Boardman, we use monthly retainers because they create the right incentives for both parties. We want to be part of your business for 12-18 months, delivering sustained value, not billing for ad-hoc days.

Getting Value for Money

The cost of a fractional CTO or fractional CISO is not the relevant metric. The relevant metric is the return on that investment.

A fractional CTO who saves you £200,000 by preventing a bad platform decision has paid for five years of their retainer in one call. A fractional CISO who ensures you pass the security due diligence that secures a £20 million exit has delivered a return that makes their cost irrelevant.

The businesses that get the best value from fractional leadership are the ones that give their CTO or CISO genuine authority to make recommendations and act on them. The businesses that get the worst value are the ones that hire a fractional executive and then ignore their advice.

Boardman Pricing

Boardman's fractional technology leadership services are priced on a monthly retainer basis, typically in the range of £10,000-£18,000 per month for engagements of 12-18 months. Our retainers are higher than the general market because our engagements include access to the broader Boardman team (not just a single individual), structured reporting and governance, and a commitment to commercial outcomes rather than just technical advice.

We are transparent about our pricing because we believe that businesses should be able to evaluate the investment before starting a conversation. If our pricing does not align with your budget, we are happy to recommend alternative approaches.