ThomasDesk
Pricing
An offer ladder.
No surprises.
Start with a Quick Win or Audit. Scale into Local Ops or the full Virtual CTO + AI Office. Every number is plain. Square only.
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AI Quick Win
- One scoped automation or booking/ops fix
- About 7 days from kickoff to handoff
- Written notes on what changed and why
- Filters tire-kickers before a larger engagement
Invoiced through Square after we agree on scope. No checkout on this site.
Start here
Tech & AI Office Audit
- Every system, vendor, subscription and cost, documented
- Security and risk check, in plain English
- Quick wins you can act on right away
- A written 90-day roadmap, yours to keep
- Credited in full toward your first month if you start Local Ops or Virtual CTO within 30 days
Invoiced through Square after our call. If the audit does not produce a written 90-day roadmap you can act on, full refund.
Local Ops CTO
Local Ops
- Vendor and systems oversight for local service businesses
- AI office for after-hours intake, follow-up and reporting
- Booking, CRM and ops fixes — not full eng leadership
- About 4 hours a week of my direct time plus the AI office
- Month-to-month, 30-day notice. You own everything.
Software licenses and hosting billed at cost on top. Monthly invoice through Square.
Virtual CTO + AI Office
Full Virtual CTO
- CTO leadership, about 6 hours a week of my direct time
- Custom software, built and maintained
- 24/7 AI office: reception, follow-up, support, operations, reporting
- Integrations, vendor management, security and IT oversight
- Weekly check-in, monthly report, replies within one business day
- Month-to-month, 30-day notice. You own everything.
Software licenses and hosting billed at cost on top. Monthly invoice through Square.
Want your own numbers? Try the tech cost calculator. Agencies: see white-label delivery.
The comparison
Hire a CTO, or get a department?
| Hire a full-time CTO | Virtual CTO + AI Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | About $440,000 (estimate: $297,153 median total pay[1] ÷ 67.5% wage share of total compensation[2]) | $120,000, plus software licenses and hosting at cost |
| To hire | About $98,000 search fee (one-third of first-year cash[3]) and months of searching | $0. Starts after a 30-minute call |
| Team | One person | Me, plus your AI office |
| Builds software | Usually needs developers too (median developer pay $135,980/yr[4]) | Included |
| Commitment | Salary, benefits, severance | Month-to-month, 30-day notice |
Market check: fractional CTOs alone typically run $9,000–$15,000 a month for about 15 hours a week[5], and usually don’t include anyone writing code[6].
Sources
- Glassdoor, Chief Technology Officer salaries (median total pay $297,153). https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/chief-technology-officer-salary-SRCH_KO0,24.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, Table 4 (management occupations: wages are 67.5% of total compensation). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t04.htm
- Second Talent, direct-hire placement fees (retained executive search, e.g. Korn Ferry: about one-third of first-year cash compensation). https://www.secondtalent.com/resources/direct-hire-placement-fees/
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers (median pay $135,980/yr). https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm
- GoFractional, fractional CTO rates. https://www.gofractional.com/insights/rates/cto
- KumoHQ, fractional CTO cost 2026. https://www.kumohq.co/blog/fractional-cto-cost-2026
Capacity
10 seats. No more.
Capacity grows only as fast as we can add senior CTOs who meet my standard. That limit is real, and I’ll tell you plainly if the seats are full.
Terms in plain English
- Month-to-month. Cancel with 30 days’ written notice.
- Billed monthly in advance through Square.
- $2,000 Quick Win and $5,000 Audit are one-time Square invoices.
- Audit credited toward month one of Local Ops or Virtual CTO if you start within 30 days.
- Licenses and hosting at cost, no markup. All code, accounts, data and documentation are yours.
Your next step
Find out what your tech should be doing for you.
A 30-minute call. You’ll leave with at least one clear next step, even if we never work together.
I cap the number of clients so every account gets real attention. I reply within one business day.