Your Questions, Answered
Everything you need to know about hiring fractional CTOs, building AI features, SaaS development costs, and making strategic technical decisions.
Technical Leadership & Hiring
Questions about fractional CTOs, agencies, full-time hires, and freelancers
What is a fractional CTO and how is it different from a consultant?
A fractional CTO is an ongoing strategic partner who owns technical outcomes, builds your team, and provides hands-on leadership. A consultant gives advice but doesn't execute. Fractional CTOs typically work 10-20 hours/week for 6-12+ months, make architectural decisions, hire and manage developers, and are accountable for shipping product. Consultants do project-based engagements, deliver recommendations, then leave.
Read more: Fractional CTO vs AgencyWhen should I hire a full-time CTO instead of part-time?
Hire full-time when: (1) You've raised Series A+ (\$3M+), (2) You have 15+ person engineering team, (3) You have strong product-market fit and are scaling fast, (4) You can afford \$250-350K total comp. Before that, part-time CTO provides same strategic value for \$96-144K/year while you validate PMF and grow the team.
Read more: Part-Time vs Full-Time CTOCan a part-time CTO really manage a development team?
Yes. 10-20 hours/week is enough for strategic oversight, architecture decisions, code reviews, 1-on-1s with team leads, and unblocking developers. They're not coding full-time, they're providing leadership. Most technical decisions need hours of thought, not 40 hours/week of presence. Once team is 15+ people with multiple team leads, you need full-time leadership.
Read more: Part-Time vs Full-Time CTOWhy not just hire freelancers to build my MVP?
Freelancers can work if you have technical oversight and clear specs. Without oversight, you get: fragmented architecture (each freelancer builds differently), no code reviews (quality issues), knowledge silos (freelancer leaves, knowledge disappears), management overhead (you become project manager). A fractional CTO provides that oversight + builds the team + ensures consistency. For well-defined isolated tasks with existing tech leadership, freelancers are fine.
Read more: Fractional CTO vs FreelancersHow do I know if an agency is worth the premium price?
Agencies make sense for: (1) True fixed-scope projects (rare in startups), (2) Short engagements (8-12 weeks), (3) When you need a full team immediately. Red flags: They push proprietary platforms, resist using your preferred tech stack, unclear pricing after discovery, junior devs doing the work. Get 3 references, see actual code from past projects, and ensure contract includes source code ownership.
Read more: Fractional CTO vs AgencyWhat should I expect to pay for technical leadership?
Part-time CTO: \$8-12K/month for 10-20 hours/week. Full-time CTO: \$200-300K salary + 1-3% equity. Development agency: \$15-25K/month for full team. Senior freelancers: \$100-200/hour (\$8-16K/month full-time equivalent). The cheapest option isn't always the best - consider total cost including management overhead, technical debt, and opportunity cost of delays.
Read more: Part-Time vs Full-Time CTOAI Strategy & Implementation
Questions about adding AI features, costs, and technical decisions
Should I build an AI-first product or add AI to enhance my existing SaaS?
AI-enhanced if: You have product-market fit, strong moat (data/network), high switching costs, budget <\$200K. AI-first if: Creating new category, no existing solution, incumbents are slow, you have \$500K+ funding + 12+ month runway. Most existing SaaS should go AI-enhanced (lower risk, faster, cheaper). New startups can consider AI-first if AI enables entirely new capability.
Read more: AI-First vs AI-Enhanced ProductsCan I start AI-enhanced and pivot to AI-first later?
Yes, but it's expensive (\$200K-\$1M+ to rebuild). Better to choose one strategy and commit. Exception: If AI-enhanced features prove your AI capability works, you can launch AI-first product line alongside (not replacing) your existing product. Example: Adobe added AI to Creative Suite (AI-enhanced) AND launched Firefly standalone (AI-first). Don't rebuild, expand.
Read more: AI-First vs AI-Enhanced ProductsShould I use Claude or GPT-4 for my application?
Use Claude for: Long documents (100K+ tokens), complex analysis, technical content, code generation, when you need nuanced understanding. Use GPT-4 for: Creative writing, short responses, general knowledge, conversational interfaces, when you need broad knowledge. Best approach: Hybrid routing - use Claude for complex tasks, GPT-4 for simple tasks, and save 40-60% on costs while maintaining quality.
Read more: Claude vs GPT-4 for DevelopmentWhat are the hidden costs of AI features beyond API costs?
Hidden costs add 2.5-3x to initial estimates: Prompt optimization (\$10-25K first 6 months), error handling (\$15-30K), monitoring (\$8-15K setup + \$2-5K/month), data storage (\$5-12K + \$500-2K/month), technical debt (\$20-50K first year), team training (\$5-15K), compliance (\$5-15K), ongoing maintenance (\$3-8K/month). Budget 2.5x your development estimate for total first-year cost.
Read more: Hidden Costs of AI FeaturesWhen should I use AI agents instead of simple AI features?
Use AI agents when: Task requires multiple steps, needs to use tools/APIs, must make decisions based on context, runs autonomously. Use simple AI when: Single-step task (summarize, classify, generate), predictable input/output, no external tool access needed. Agents cost 3-5x more to build (\$80-150K vs \$30-50K) and have higher ongoing costs. Only use agents when simple AI genuinely can't solve the problem.
Read more: AI Agents for SaaSHow much should I budget for AI features as percentage of total development?
For AI-enhanced products (AI is a feature): Budget 25-35% of total development for AI. For AI-first products (AI is core): Budget 50-60% of total. Include initial development + hidden costs + 6 months ongoing. Example: \$200K total budget for AI-enhanced SaaS = \$50-70K for AI features (dev + setup + 6 months ongoing costs).
Read more: Hidden Costs of AI FeaturesSaaS Development & Pricing
Questions about building SaaS products, costs, and timelines
How much does it actually cost to build a SaaS MVP?
Realistic range: \$50-150K depending on complexity. Simple SaaS (basic CRUD, 5-8 features): \$50-80K. Moderate SaaS (custom workflows, 10-15 features): \$80-120K. Complex SaaS (AI, real-time features, integrations): \$120-200K. These include design, development, infrastructure, and testing. Beware estimates under \$30K - they usually mean offshore dev with quality issues or incomplete scope.
Read more: SaaS Cost CalculatorHow long does it take to build an MVP?
With experienced team: 12-20 weeks for most MVPs. Solo developer: 24-40 weeks (2x longer). Small team (2-3 devs): 16-24 weeks. Agency: 16-26 weeks (slower due to communication overhead). Fractional CTO + developers: 12-20 weeks (fastest with oversight). Add 25% if you're not technical (requirements clarification takes longer). Add 50% if you don't have designs ready.
Read more: MVP Timeline CalculatorWhat increases the cost of building a SaaS product?
Major cost drivers: (1) Platform - Web is cheapest, mobile adds 50%, web + mobile + native apps adds 100%. (2) Custom design vs templates - adds \$10-20K. (3) Third-party integrations - each adds \$3-8K. (4) Real-time features - adds 30-50%. (5) AI features - adds 25-40%. (6) Complex permissions/multi-tenancy - adds 20-30%. Use our SaaS Cost Calculator to see exactly how each decision affects total cost.
Read more: SaaS Cost CalculatorShould I use an agency or hire a fractional CTO to build my MVP?
Fractional CTO for: Ongoing product development, budget <\$150K, need strategic guidance, building long-term product. Agency for: True fixed-scope project, need full team immediately, short engagement (8-12 weeks), unlimited budget. Cost difference: \$62K (fractional CTO) vs \$150K (agency) over 6 months. For most early-stage founders, fractional CTO provides better value and strategic partnership.
Read more: Fractional CTO vs AgencyQuick-Win Discovery Sprint
Questions about our signature 5-day strategic engagement
What exactly do I get from the Quick-Win Discovery Sprint?
In 5 days for \$5K you get: (1) Complete technical roadmap with timeline and milestones, (2) Architecture decisions documented, (3) Tech stack recommendation with trade-offs, (4) Cost breakdown for MVP and scaling, (5) Risk assessment and mitigation strategies, (6) Figma clickable prototype or technical proof-of-concept (your choice), (7) 90-minute strategy call to review everything. You own all deliverables and can take them to any development team.
Read more: Quick-Win Discovery SprintIs Quick-Win Sprint right for my stage?
Perfect for: Pre-seed to seed stage, validating idea before building, have \$50K+ budget for development, non-technical founder or need technical validation, pivoting or rebuilding existing product. Not right for: Already have working MVP and CTO, budget <\$30K for development, need to ship in next 2 weeks, just want to talk (book free call instead).
Read more: Quick-Win Discovery SprintCan I build the MVP myself after Quick-Win Sprint or do I need to hire you?
You own everything and can take it to any team. 40% of Quick-Win clients hire other teams to build. 60% continue with us because we already understand the product and have momentum. Zero obligation. The value is in the roadmap, architecture decisions, and de-risking your approach - not in locking you into ongoing work.
Read more: Quick-Win Discovery SprintExplore More Resources
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