Denion · 3 February 2026

Fractional Team Versus In-House Versus Agency

Three ways to run marketing, and what differs between them.

Most growing brands choose between three models, and rarely compare them on the same terms.

An in-house hire is a fixed cost taken on before the work has proven out: recruiting time, onboarding, and one person's judgement covering a function that usually needs several disciplines at once.

An agency retainer is the third option, scoped project by project or month by month.

A fractional team, Denion's Plans, is a small team, a strategist, a designer, a developer and a media buyer, working together at a published monthly price, with a founding partner reviewing the work.

The right model depends on scale. A small single-market company is usually better served by Core, applying and running an identity that already exists. A brand running most functions at once is where Business Plus, at one price for all ten modules, starts to cost less than buying six or more separately.

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