FDD-sourced. No franchisor pays to rank here.

FranPicks
Background video: generic QSR grill b-roll, Mihman Duganli via Pexels.

Sourced from public FDDs. No franchisor pays to rank here.

What a franchise really costs, and which ones are worth it.

Every listed franchisor files a Franchise Disclosure Document. FranPicks reads the real numbers, the total investment, the fees, the royalty, so you don't have to take the sales pitch at face value.

See all 14 franchise costs What can I afford?

$142,150 to $5,671,191 across 14 brands, from 2025 filings.

The numbers

The filings behind every figure

Every figure here
traces to one of these

Franchise cost at a glance

FDD-sourced total investment and royalty, cheapest first. Tap any brand for the full breakdown and ROI read.

A shop owner in an apron standing in the doorway of her flower shop
Behind every range below is a person deciding whether the numbers work. These are the numbers, before anyone tries to sell you the dream. Photo via Pexels
Franchise cost at a glance
FranchiseTotal investmentRoyalty
7-Eleven $142,150–$1,600,000 18%
UFC Gym $149,440–$5,671,191 5%
Great Clips $188,000–$420,000 6%
The UPS Store $216,417–$608,975 5%
Subway $263,000–$630,000 8%
Wingstop $298,000–$1,014,000 6%
Smoothie King $311,601–$1,379,150 6%
Chick-fil-A $427,000–$2,340,000 15% + profit share
Jersey Mike's $436,176–$1,162,000 6.5%
Little Caesars $447,000–$1,800,000 6%
Popeyes $504,545–$3,923,245 5%
Taco Bell $935,000–$4,312,000 5.5%
McDonald's $1,471,000–$2,728,000 4%
Planet Fitness $1,525,000–$5,221,500 7%

Free · no signup

Can you actually afford one?

Liquid capital and net worth are the two gates every franchisor enforces, and both are in the FDD. Put your real numbers in and see which brands you clear before a broker has your phone number.

Nothing is stored, nothing is sent, and no email is asked for. The answer comes from the same disclosed minimums printed on each brand's page.

A couple at a kitchen table reviewing bills and a budget with a calculator and a laptop

What can I afford?

Enter your liquid capital and net worth. We'll show franchises whose FDD-disclosed requirements fit your numbers.

Cash and cash-equivalents you could put toward the business, not including a loan.

Assets minus liabilities. Most FDDs disclose a minimum net-worth requirement separate from liquid capital.

Category

Checking this relaxes the liquid-capital gate slightly, since financing can cover part of the total investment. It does not change the net-worth requirement most franchisors enforce regardless of financing.

Franchises in your range

    Based on FDD-disclosed liquid capital and net-worth minimums. A franchisor's actual approval also depends on credit, experience, and location, factors this tool doesn't model.

    Four things the recruiter won't lead with

    A tall stack of leather-bound ledgers and folders tied shut on a desk
    Every figure on this site was read out of a filing like these. The four below are the ones those filings make plain and a sales pitch leaves out. Photo via Pexels

    1. The all-in number, not the fee

      Every franchisor leads with the franchise fee because it's the smallest line on the bill. 7-Eleven starts at $142,150. UFC Gym tops out at $5,671,191. Those are Item 7 ranges: buildout, equipment, signage, and the working capital you're required to hold before you open.

    2. An honest ROI, or an honest blank

      Item 19 is optional, and franchisors know it. 6 of the 14 brands here publish unit revenue. The rest disclose nothing, so the page says nothing rather than modelling a guess. A revenue figure you can't trace to a filing is someone's sales pitch.

    3. Affordability before application

      Liquid capital and net worth are hard gates, and most people discover they miss them only after a form is filled in and the broker calls start. The estimator checks you against every brand's disclosed minimums first. Free, no signup, nothing sold.

    4. Dated, and read again every year

      FDDs refresh annually, so a number without a date is worthless. Every figure carries the filing year it came from, 2025 at the newest. The set was last re-verified July 12, 2026.

    Browse by category

    Every brand we've read a filing for, grouped by what it actually is.

    A glowing red OPEN neon sign in a shop window with the owner working behind it
    Franchising sells the same thing across every category: a proven way to get to open. What differs, category to category, is the cost and the cut. Photo via Pexels
    QSR Quick-service and fast-casual chains, the highest-volume, most-searched franchise category. 8 brands Fitness Gyms, studios, and boutique fitness concepts, from big-box memberships to class-based formats. 2 brands Services Home, retail, and consumer service franchises. 3 brands

    FranPicks

    Data-derived rankings, not editorial favorites. See every ranking →

    Lowest royalty

    1. McDonald's Royalty: 4% royalty
    2. Popeyes Royalty: 5% royalty
    3. UFC Gym Royalty: 5% royalty
    4. The UPS Store Royalty: 5% royalty
    5. Taco Bell Royalty: 5.5% royalty

    Best food franchises

    1. Subway Total investment: $263,000–$630,000
    2. Wingstop Total investment: $298,000–$1,014,000
    3. Smoothie King Total investment: $311,601–$1,379,150
    4. Chick-fil-A Total investment: $427,000–$2,340,000
    5. Jersey Mike's Total investment: $436,176–$1,162,000

    Highest disclosed revenue

    1. McDonald's Disclosed revenue: $3,900,000/yr disclosed revenue
    2. UFC Gym Disclosed revenue: $3,600,000/yr disclosed revenue
    3. Popeyes Disclosed revenue: $1,900,000/yr disclosed revenue
    4. Planet Fitness Disclosed revenue: $1,873,895/yr disclosed revenue
    5. The UPS Store Disclosed revenue: $692,000/yr disclosed revenue

    The receipts

    Everything this site rests on, stated plainly enough that you can go check it.

    Brands with a filing read
    14

    Across 4 categories, 2025 filings at the newest.

    Sources cited
    61

    Listed and linked at the foot of each brand page, not summarized away.

    Publish unit revenue
    6 / 14

    Item 19 is optional. The other 8 disclose nothing, and we print that instead of a guess.

    Franchisors paying to rank
    0

    Rankings fall out of the filings. Referral revenue is disclosed wherever it appears.

    Two people shaking hands to close a deal across an office desk with a laptop
    If the numbers work and you're ready to talk to a consultant or a lender, that's the next step, taken with your eyes open rather than a recruiter's. Photo via Pexels

    Is it worth it?

    Most people find out they can't afford a franchise after they apply.

    The estimator checks your liquid capital and net worth against each brand's FDD-disclosed minimums before you waste time on an application. If you're ready to talk to someone about financing or a broker, that's the next step, presented soberly, with the real risks.

    Run the estimator