Support & Growth
Fractional CTO services for UK businesses
Part-time technology leadership for businesses that need a technical owner but not a full-time salary. We advise, and we can also build what the roadmap says.
In short
A fractional CTO is a part-time chief technology officer who owns your technology decisions, roadmap and suppliers without a full-time salary. APPS 365 is a UK software company offering this role to businesses and start-ups, and it can also build what the roadmap recommends. Work is priced after a free call.
When a part-time CTO makes sense
You may not need a chief technology officer every day. You do need someone who owns the decisions.
Nobody in the business owns technology decisions.
A fractional CTO takes that ownership, sets priorities and gives your leadership one clear view.
Money has gone on the wrong supplier or the wrong build.
Supplier and build decisions get a technical check against what the business needs, before you commit.
A full-time CTO salary is out of reach.
You pay for a part-time role, scoped to the time and the work you actually need.
Everyone is talking about AI and you have no plan.
You get a plain view of where AI would help, where it would not, and what to try first.
What a fractional CTO gives you
A technical owner
Someone accountable for technology direction, who explains each decision to you in plain English.
A roadmap you can act on
Priorities, costs and trade-offs written down, so the business knows what comes next and why.
Better supplier decisions
Help choosing, briefing and holding suppliers to account, including whether to build, buy or leave well alone.
AI and automation judgement
Practical advice on where these fit, informed by AI products of our own such as GrowFleet.
Microsoft 365 knowledge
If your business runs on Microsoft 365, it helps that we publish our own apps for that platform.
Advice that can be delivered
We write software as well as strategy. If you want the roadmap built we can quote for it. If not, the roadmap still stands on its own.
What the early work usually covers
The scope and the time are agreed in your written quote. The first stage of a fractional CTO role commonly includes:
- A review of your current systems, suppliers and technology spend
- A list of the risks that need attention first, including security and data
- A technology roadmap tied to your business priorities
- Build, buy or keep decisions on your main systems
- A view on where AI and automation would help
- Technical input for your board, investors or due diligence, if you need it
Fractional CTO or full-time CTO?
Either can do the job. The difference is how much of the role you need and how much you can commit to it.
| Fractional CTO | Full-time CTO | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Part time, as agreed in your quote | Full time |
| Cost basis | Scoped and quoted for the time you need | Salary, employer costs and recruitment |
| Commitment | Term and notice set out in your quote | An employment contract |
| Good for | Direction and judgement, without a large technical department to run | Running a large technical team every day |
How the role is usually set up
Fractional CTO work tends to take one of two forms: a set amount of time each month, or a monthly retainer with an agreed scope. Some businesses begin with a single piece of work, such as a review and roadmap, and then decide whether to carry on.
We talk through which suits you on the free call. The time, the term and the notice period then go into your written quote, so you know how the arrangement works and how it ends before it begins.
Advice and build: how we handle the overlap
We also build software, so it is fair to ask whether our advice leans towards selling you a build. Being able to build is useful, because a plan that has to be delivered tends to stay realistic. It also means you should hear plainly when a recommendation involves our own work.
So we tell you when it does, and you can test that recommendation against another supplier's quote. Whether anything gets built, and who builds it, stays your decision.
How a fractional CTO role starts
- 1
Free call
Tell us what is stuck, what you have already spent and what you want to happen next. There is no obligation.
- 2
Written quote
We set out the time each month, the scope, the term and the price before anything starts.
- 3
Review
We look at your systems, suppliers, contracts and plans, and list the risks that need attention first.
- 4
Roadmap
You get a written plan with priorities, costs and build or buy decisions, in language your leadership can use.
- 5
Ongoing direction
We keep the plan moving through regular check-ins, supplier decisions and advice as things change.
Software we have built and shipped ourselves
We have no client case studies or named engagements to show, and we will not pretend otherwise. These are our own products, built and published by APPS 365, not client work.
How fractional CTO work is priced
Fractional CTO work is priced after a free call, with a written fixed quote before work starts. The price depends on the time you need each month and what the role covers. We do not publish a standard rate, because a review and roadmap is a different job from ongoing direction. Compare your quote with the full cost of a permanent hire: salary, employer costs and recruitment.
- Priced after a free call
- Written fixed quote before work starts
- Time, term and notice set out in the quote
- No obligation to build with us
Why APPS 365
UK-based
APPS 365 LTD is registered in England and Wales, with a registered office in London.
Microsoft ecosystem specialists
We publish SharePoint and Microsoft 365 apps on Microsoft Marketplace, so we build on this platform every day.
We ship our own products
Apps, games and SaaS platforms of our own, live for anyone to try. ComponentSource Top 100 Publisher 2022, 2023 and 2025.
A fixed quote first
A free call, then a written quote before any work starts, so you know the cost and scope.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fractional CTO cost in the UK?
Ours is priced after a free call, with a written fixed quote before work starts. The price depends on how much time you need each month and what the role covers. You are paying for that part-time role rather than a full-time salary, employer costs and recruitment.
What does a fractional CTO do?
A fractional CTO owns the technology decisions for your business, part time. That usually means setting the roadmap, choosing and managing suppliers, advising on risk and security, and explaining technical choices to your leadership in plain English.
What is the difference between a fractional CTO and a full-time CTO?
The main difference is time. A full-time CTO is an employee who runs technology every day, which suits a business with a large technical team. A fractional CTO gives you the direction and judgement for part of the month, on terms agreed in writing.
When should a start-up hire a fractional CTO?
Usually when technology decisions start to carry real cost and nobody in the business can judge them. Common moments include choosing a first developer or agency, scoping an MVP, preparing for investors or rescuing a build that has gone off track.
Will a part-time CTO be available when we need them?
Availability is agreed up front, in your written quote, including the time each month and how you reach us between check-ins. A part-time role suits ongoing direction. If you need someone managing a team every day, a full-time hire may suit you better, and we will say so.
Is there a conflict of interest if you also build software?
There can be, so we handle it in the open. When a recommendation involves our own work we say so, and you are free to compare it with another supplier's quote. Whether to build, and with whom, stays your decision.
Who exactly would be our fractional CTO?
That is agreed with you before work starts and written into your quote. Use the free call to ask who would do the work and what they have built. The role depends on trust, so you should be comfortable with the person.
Can a fractional CTO help with our AI strategy?
Yes, AI and automation can be part of the role, alongside everything else on your roadmap. If you only want a one-off review, our paid AI Strategy & Automation Audit on apps365.ai gives you a costed roadmap.
Get a technical owner without the full-time hire
Start with a free 30-minute call. Tell us what is stuck, with no obligation to go further.
