What a fractional CMO costs in the UK
A fractional CMO in the UK costs £3,000 to £12,000 a month, from day rates of £700 to £1,500, according to Limivex, a UK firm that sells fractional CMO services. That is one provider's estimate, not a market average. Below: what changes a quote, and how leadership compares with an outsourced team or a hire.
The estimate and what it covers
Limivex is based in Manchester. Its page, updated in September 2026, says the range reflects what it sees firms paying, and that days a month and whether a delivery team is included move the price most.
Over a year, that range is £36,000 to £144,000: the monthly figures multiplied by twelve. That is arithmetic, not a quote, before VAT, expenses, tools or media spend.
What changes your quote
- Days per month. Ask how many days the fee buys, and what happens in a month that needs more.
- Leadership or delivery. Some fractional CMOs set direction for your team to carry out. Others bring people who build the campaigns and content. Ask who does the weekly work, by name.
- What is already in place. A CMO who walks into a working CRM, a clear target buyer and someone running campaigns spends the days on direction. One who walks into a blank page spends them building.
- Terms. The notice period, the minimum term and what happens to the work if you stop.
Leadership, an outsourced team or a hire
A fractional CMO buys senior direction for part of the month. An outsourced marketing team buys the people who build and run the function. Hiring buys that function as permanent staff.
| Option | What you pay for | Who does the weekly work | Check before you buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CMO | Senior leadership for a set number of days a month | Your team, unless delivery is included | How many days, and who carries out the plan |
| Outsourced marketing team | The function, built and run | The provider's team, across channels, the CRM and the sales process | Who does the work by name, and what you keep if you stop |
| Hiring in-house | Permanent roles, plus time to recruit and ramp | Your new hires, once they are in seat | Whether the system they will run exists yet |
For the hiring row, Forte Growth's worked example puts five UK marketing roles at around £250,000 a year in London base salary, before employer National Insurance, pension, commission and recruitment fees. Not every company needs all five. The working and its source are in what an in-house marketing team costs in the UK.
Where Forte Growth fits
Forte Growth is not a fractional CMO service. It builds and runs a B2B company's go to market and marketing, from strategy to sales: a pipeline audit inside the first month, then the go to market strategy, then the build, with the first outbound live inside three weeks. You own everything it builds, and you either hand it to your team or keep Forte Growth running it. In Alper Yurder's words: your marketing function, built and run, until you're ready to hire it.
Aether, a legaltech company with no marketing function, had a full one in one month. Forte Growth does not publish a price: the fee is agreed on the first call, against the scope. How the work runs is on the outsourced marketing department page.
When a fractional CMO is the right buy
If you already have people who can carry out a plan and what is missing is senior judgement, a fractional CMO can be exactly right. It also works as a step before a full-time marketing hire. If pipeline still depends on the founder or a few senior people and nothing runs underneath, buying direction alone tends to produce a plan with nobody to run it. The full comparison, including when to hire, is in should we hire an in-house marketing team or use a fractional one.
Common questions
How much does a fractional CMO cost per month in the UK?
Limivex, a UK provider, estimates £3,000 to £12,000 a month. It is one provider's estimate.
What is a typical fractional CMO day rate in the UK?
The same provider puts UK day rates at £700 to £1,500. Forte Growth's advice: ask what a day includes before comparing quotes.
How much does a fractional CMO cost per year?
On Limivex's estimate, £36,000 to £144,000: the monthly range multiplied by twelve, before VAT, expenses, tools or media spend.
Is a fractional CMO cheaper than hiring a marketing team?
They buy different things. A fractional CMO is part-time leadership; a team does the work every week. Forte Growth's worked example puts five UK marketing roles at around £250,000 a year in London base salary, before on-costs.
Does a fractional CMO do the marketing work or only advise?
It depends on the provider. Some set direction for your team to carry out; some include people who deliver campaigns and content. Ask who does the weekly work, by name, and what you keep if you stop.
Sources
- Limivex, Fractional CMO cost in the UK: a provider estimate. Read 14 October 2026.
- The £250,000 worked example uses the Robert Walters UK Salary Survey 2026; its exclusions are on the in-house team cost page.
Last reviewed October 2026.