The gap looks the same. The solution is different.
Both interim CFO and fractional CFO are responses to the same problem: the business needs senior financial leadership and does not have it full-time. Beyond that, the models are different in meaningful ways.
What an interim CFO is
An interim CFO is typically a full-time, temporary placement. They come in when a business loses its CFO, when a company is going through a transaction or a major transition, or when there is a specific high-intensity situation that requires full-time executive financial presence.
The engagement is defined by a timeline. The interim CFO is there to bridge a gap, manage a specific situation, or hold the seat while the company searches for a permanent hire. They are often placed through a staffing or executive search firm. They bill at a daily or hourly rate that is typically high.
What a fractional CFO is
A fractional CFO is a part-time executive relationship. They work with the business on an ongoing basis, typically 10 to 20 hours per month, embedded in the leadership team. The relationship is not temporary by design. It is a model for companies that need CFO-level thinking but not a full-time CFO.
The fractional CFO knows the business deeply over time. They are present for the monthly financials, the strategic decisions, the banking conversations, and the leadership meetings where financial judgment matters. They are not a placeholder. They are the financial executive.
How to choose
If you are in a specific transition, a transaction, or a period of high intensity that requires daily financial presence, an interim CFO may be the right answer. These situations are real and they come up.
If your business is in the $1M to $20M range and you have an ongoing financial leadership gap, a fractional CFO is almost always the right model. You get senior financial judgment on a sustainable basis without the cost of a full-time hire.
Scissortail works with Oklahoma businesses on the fractional model. If you want to talk through what your situation calls for, that conversation is free.