FDD-sourced · 2 brands
Fitness franchise cost
Gyms, studios, and boutique fitness concepts, from big-box memberships to class-based formats.
Total investment across this category runs $155,388 to $6,211,970.
How much does a Planet Fitness franchise cost?
Planet Fitness's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document puts the cost of opening one club at $1,282,500 to $3,769,000 if you finance the equipment, or $2,385,000 to $5,386,000 if you buy it outright. The initial franchise fee is $40,000, the royalty is 7% of membership dues, and the national advertising fund takes 2% more, plus an extra 1% of monthly dues during 2026. The building is the reason the number is so large: the FDD expects a lease of roughly 15,000 to 25,000 square feet.
That puts Planet Fitness at the expensive end of fitness franchising, alongside full-size gyms rather than studios. The full Planet Fitness franchise cost breakdown covers the capital requirements and who the brand is currently selling to; the first table below sets it beside UFC Gym, the other fitness brand with a full page here, and the second adds nine more brands from their own 2026 filings.
Fitness franchises compared
Across the 2 fitness brands on FranPicks, UFC Gym spans both ends, from $155,388 to $6,211,970. Royalties run from 5% at UFC Gym to 7% at Planet Fitness, and both publish an average revenue figure in Item 19.
| Brand | Total investment (Item 7) | Initial fee | Royalty | Ad fund | Avg. revenue (Item 19) | Units (Item 20) | FDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC Gym | $155,388 to $6,211,970 | $30,000 | 5% | 2% | $3,971,640 | 59 | 2026 |
| Planet Fitness | $1,282,500 to $5,386,000 | $40,000 | 7% | 3% | $1,946,196 | 2,432 | 2026 |
Nine more fitness franchises, from their 2026 FDDs
These brands have no FranPicks page yet. Each row is read from the brand's own Franchise Disclosure Document: total investment from Item 7, the initial fee from Item 5 and the royalty from Item 6.
| Brand | Format | Total investment (Item 7) | Initial fee | Royalty | FDD issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9Round | Nine-station kickboxing circuit gym | $160,449 to $390,300 | $19,900 | Greater of $600 or 6% of net sales, monthly | April 16, 2026 |
| HOTWORX | 24-hour hot-exercise studio | $288,890 to $830,380 | $19,950 | $695 a month | April 1, 2026 |
| F45 Training | Interval-training studio | $362,300 to $857,700 | $60,000 establishment fee | Greater of 7% of gross sales or $2,500 a month | 2026 |
| Club Pilates | Pilates studio | $413,289 to $1,029,811 | $65,000 | 8% of gross sales | April 17, 2026, amended August 7, 2026 |
| Pure Barre | Barre studio | $455,299 to $736,465 | $60,000 | 7% of gross sales | April 17, 2026, amended August 7, 2026 |
| Anytime Fitness | Access gym with coaching | $539,329 to $905,482 | $42,500 | $842 a month, CPI-indexed | March 31, 2026, amended September 14, 2026 |
| Snap Fitness | 24/7 access gym | $554,731 to $827,621 | $39,500 | $725 a month, CPI-indexed | May 7, 2026 |
| Orangetheory | Group studio, cardio and strength | $764,577 to $1,104,920 | $59,950 | 8% of gross sales | March 31, 2026, amended September 14, 2026 |
| Crunch Fitness | Full-size health club | $2,147,500 to $5,367,000 | $35,000 | 5% of monthly gross sales | April 29, 2026 |
What the Planet Fitness filing adds
Planet Fitness is one of the few big fitness brands that discloses revenue, and it does it in tiers. Its 2026 Item 19 splits the 2,291 franchised U.S. clubs open all of 2025 into thirds by membership dues: the bottom third averaged $1,260,539 a year, the middle third $1,873,231 and the top third $2,705,811. Those are recurring dues only, before rent, payroll and the royalty, and the gap between the average bottom-third and top-third club, about $1.45 million a year, is more than the entire build-out of a 9Round or Pure Barre studio.
The fee schedule has three details the headline misses. The $40,000 franchise fee is currently waived for clubs developed under an Area Development Agreement, which charges $10,000 per location instead. Clubs opened ahead of an area developer's schedule pay no royalty until the earlier of the required opening date or 180 days after opening. And local advertising is on top of the national fund: at least $60,000 or 7% of a year's monthly dues, whichever is greater, with the two advertising obligations capped together at 9% of dues. As of December 31, 2025 the system had 2,432 franchised clubs in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and 277 owned by the company.
The cheaper end of the category is a different business. Smaller gyms and studios, from 9Round to Orangetheory, open for a fraction of a Planet Fitness, and several of them charge a flat monthly fee instead of a percentage royalty; the best fitness franchises page compares eleven brands' disclosure documents. Run your liquid capital against any of them with the affordability estimator.
Sources
- Planet Fitness Franchising LLC, 2026 FDD (issued May 22, 2026), Minnesota CARDS, Cover page investment ranges, Items 5, 6, 7, 19 and franchised and corporate club counts