Same seat, different hours
Both roles own marketing strategy, the plan and the budget, and both are accountable for results. A full-time CMO is an employee who works for one company. A fractional CMO works part time, usually on a retainer, and often serves two to four companies at once. The open roles on this board range from a few hours a week to several days, and each one shows the hours the company posted.
How the cost is structured
A full-time CMO is paid a salary and usually receives benefits and equity as an employee. A fractional CMO is usually paid a monthly retainer, a day rate or an hourly rate as a contractor, and some early-stage roles add equity. Our pay page shows the pay that currently open fractional roles actually posted, in the units each company used, so you can see real numbers rather than survey estimates.
When a fractional CMO fits better
Fractional is usually the better fit when a company needs senior judgment but does not yet have the budget, the team or the volume of work for a full-time executive. Common moments are right after a funding round, before a launch, when a founder is handing off marketing, or when growth has stalled and the company needs a plan before it hires.
When a full-time CMO fits better
A full-time CMO usually makes sense once marketing is a large team with a large budget, when the role needs daily presence across the leadership team, or when the company wants one person fully committed to its plan for years. Many companies start fractional and move to full time as they grow, which is why some roles on the board are listed as contract to hire.
What this means if you are the marketer
If you are choosing between the two, the question is how you want to work. Fractional work gives you variety and control over your time, and it asks you to find and keep several clients. Full-time work gives you depth in one company and one team. Interim roles sit in between, with a single company for a fixed term.
Related: open fractional CMO jobs, pay posted on current roles, contract-to-hire roles, what a fractional CMO is.