📊 Editorial comparison registry

Franchise figures, with the limits in view

Initial investment ranges, franchise fees, royalty rates, unit counts and Item 19 revenue for 223 franchise brands across 15 sectors - assembled as an editorial comparison registry. Verify a material figure in the brand's current FDD.

Compare the rankings → Browse by sector
Compare two franchise records

Compare listed registry fields side by side. Verify a material figure in the current FDD.

223
Franchise brands
15
Industry sectors
110
Item 19 disclosures
647K
Total locations

The franchise picture · 2024 vintage

According to the 2024 FDD vintage in this registry, the median listed Item 7 low across 223 brands is $194K. Disclosed entry costs run from $2,095 (Cruise Planners) to $25M at the high end.

$2,095
Lowest listed Item 7 low (Cruise Planners)
$194K
Median listed Item 7 low
6%
Median listed royalty
110
Brands disclosing Item 19 revenue

These are registry values, not source-verified filing records. Verify a material figure in the current FDD.

The franchise landscape by sector

Where the 223 tracked brands cluster, and what it costs to enter each sector. Food & Beverage is the most crowded; service sectors offer the lowest entry cost.

Franchise brands by sector

Brands tracked in each of the 15 FDD sectors (top 10 shown)

brands

What this shows Food & Beverage leads with 69 brands, roughly 31% of every tracked franchise.

Source PlainFranchise editorial registry

Initial investment range by sector

Listed low–high total initial investment, averaged across each sector. Verify a figure in the current FDD.

$87K$10.1MTravel & Hospitality$3.9M – $10.1MFood & Beverage$772K – $2.1MHealth & Fitness$496K – $1.5MAutomotive$707K – $1.3MRetail$326K – $772KPet Services$371K – $713KEducation$223K – $434KPersonal Services$149K – $362KTech & IT$143K – $282KHome Services$87K – $229K
Average total initial investment range by sector (FDD Item 7)

Registry context

Sector scale and listed entry cost

The largest sector in this registry is not in the highest listed-entry-cost quadrant, so sector coverage and listed entry cost do not move together in this snapshot.

Sector coverage and mean listed Item 7 low

Crosshairs mark the median values across the sectors shown.

Fewer brands · pricierMore brands · pricierFewer brands · cheaperMore brands · cheaper018.136.254.372.3$0k$1032.2k$2064.5k$3096.7k$4128.9kTracked brandsMean listed Item 7 low ($000)
Tracked brands and mean listed Item 7 low by franchise sector
  • Top-left: fewer tracked brands, higher mean listed entry cost.
  • Top-right: more tracked brands, higher mean listed entry cost.
  • Bottom-left: fewer tracked brands, lower mean listed entry cost.
  • Bottom-right: more tracked brands, lower mean listed entry cost.

Placement describes the registry, not expected costs, returns, or suitability. Verify any material figure in the current FDD.

Read the sector values
  • Food & Beverage: 69 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $772k.
  • Retail: 31 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $326k.
  • Home Services: 31 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $87k.
  • Education: 16 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $223k.
  • Health & Fitness: 15 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $496k.
  • Automotive: 11 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $707k.
  • Business Services: 10 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $64k.
  • Senior Care: 9 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $88k.
  • Real Estate: 8 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $35k.
  • Travel & Hospitality: 7 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $3934k.
  • Pet Services: 6 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $371k.
  • Tech & IT: 4 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $143k.
  • Personal Services: 4 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $149k.
  • Financial Services: 2 tracked brands; mean listed Item 7 low $92k.

PlainFranchise helps prospective franchise buyers organize research with an editorial comparison registry. The registry lists investment ranges, royalty rates, advertising fund contributions, unit counts, and Item 19 fields, but is not a substitute for the original current filing.

Use this comparison registry to compare listed fields across brands, then verify a material figure in the current FDD.

Whether you are evaluating your first franchise purchase or comparing expansion opportunities across sectors, our research guides can help you navigate the due diligence process. Learn about every fee in a franchise agreement, understand how to read an FDD, or explore multi-unit ownership strategies for scaling beyond your first location.

The registry covers 223 franchise brands across 15 industry sectors and lists Item 19 revenue fields for 110 brands. It does not yet provide a direct filing URL and retrieval date for each record.

The listed records span initial investments from $2,095 to $25M, with a median listed Item 7 low of $194K and a median listed royalty of 6%. See the methodology for the registry's limits before using a figure in research.

Browse by Sector

View all →
🍔 Food & Beverage 69 brands from $772K 🛍 Retail 31 brands from $326K 🏠 Home Services 31 brands from $87K 📚 Education 16 brands from $223K 💪 Health & Fitness 15 brands from $496K 🚗 Automotive 11 brands from $707K 💼 Business Services 10 brands from $64K 👴 Senior Care 9 brands from $88K 🏢 Real Estate 8 brands from $35K 🏪 Travel & Hospitality 7 brands from $3.9M 🐾 Pet Services 6 brands from $371K 🏪 Tech & IT 4 brands from $143K 🏪 Personal Services 4 brands from $149K 💰 Financial Services 2 brands from $92K 🏪 Cleaning & Maintenance 0 brands

Featured Franchises

Item 19 revenue disclosed, largest networks

All rankings →

McDonald's

McDonald's Corp

Food & Beverage
Investment Range $1.0M – $2.2M
Franchise Fee

$45K

Royalty

4.0%

Locations

40,275

Growth 0.62%
Avg Revenue$2.9M avg Item 19 Disclosed

Subway

Doctor's Associates

Food & Beverage
Investment Range $117K – $263K
Franchise Fee

$15K

Royalty

8.0%

Locations

36,969

Growth -3.79%
Avg Revenue$422K avg Item 19 Disclosed

KFC

Yum! Brands

Food & Beverage
Investment Range $1.4M – $3.0M
Franchise Fee

$45K

Royalty

5.0%

Locations

26,934

Growth -0.37%
Avg Revenue$1.4M avg Item 19 Disclosed

Kumon

Kumon North America

Education
Investment Range $74K – $154K
Franchise Fee

$1K

Royalty

5.1%

Locations

26,000

Growth 0.77%
Avg Revenue$140K avg Item 19 Disclosed

Domino's

Domino's Pizza Inc

Food & Beverage
Investment Range $131K – $513K
Franchise Fee

$10K

Royalty

5.5%

Locations

19,762

Growth 1.01%
Avg Revenue$1.3M avg Item 19 Disclosed

Burger King

Restaurant Brands Intl

Food & Beverage
Investment Range $1.8M – $4.7M
Franchise Fee

$50K

Royalty

4.5%

Locations

18,765

Growth -0.53%
Avg Revenue$1.6M avg Item 19 Disclosed

Pizza Hut

Yum! Brands

Food & Beverage
Investment Range $367K – $1.8M
Franchise Fee

$25K

Royalty

6.0%

Locations

18,381

Growth -0.82%
Avg Revenue$1.1M avg Item 19 Disclosed

Keller Williams Realty

Keller Williams Realty Intl

Real Estate
Investment Range $183K – $336K
0
Locations

11,000

Growth 1.82%

Browse by Investment Level

Find franchises that match your budget

Under $50K

27 brands

💰

Avg revenue: $288K

Top revenue brand: Cold Stone Creamery

$50K–$100K

39 brands

💰

Avg revenue: $776K

Top revenue brand: Right at Home

$100K–$250K

63 brands

💰

Avg revenue: $844K

Top revenue brand: Two Men and a Truck

$250K–$500K

37 brands

💰

Avg revenue: $1.3M

Top revenue brand: Chick-fil-A

$500K–$1M

22 brands

💰

Avg revenue: $1.8M

Top revenue brand: Ace Hardware

Over $1M

34 brands

💰

Avg revenue: $2.3M

Top revenue brand: Hampton Inn

Research

Original analysis from our editorial comparison registry of 223 brands. Registry values are research aids, not verified FDD copies. See all research →

Research

Top franchises by total unit count

The largest networks by total outlets, 7-Eleven (83,000), McDonald's (40,275) and Subway lead, drawn from 223 brands' listed unit counts in our registry.

 Research

State franchise registration laws

How the 15 registration states (and the rest under the federal FTC Rule) shape where and how franchises sell, across all 51 jurisdictions.

 Research

Franchise sectors by brand count

Where the brands cluster: Food & Beverage (69) and Retail (31) dominate the 15 sectors, with median investment and royalty by sector.

What to do with this

How to use this registry before you shortlist a franchise.

  • Only 110 of 223 tracked brands (49%) disclose Item 19 revenue data - filter for those before comparing profitability across brands. See disclosed-revenue brands
  • Food & Beverage alone is about 31% of every tracked brand - check the full sector breakdown before assuming your target category is representative of the whole registry. Browse all sectors
  • Investment ranges and fees vary widely even within one brand depending on territory and unit type. Put two brands side by side on the same fields before narrowing your list. Compare two brands

This registry compiles publicly disclosed FDD figures for research. Obtain and read the brand's current FDD before any investment decision - this is not investment advice.

About this data

How PlainFranchise works, and why you can trust these numbers

What this site is

PlainFranchise is a plain-language editorial comparison registry for franchise financial fields. We list investment ranges, franchise fees, royalty rates, unit counts, and Item 19 markers for research. Values are not yet verified against a cited FDD per record; obtain the brand's current FDD before a material decision.

Editorial process

  1. Source. Collect current FDD filings from state registrar archives (California, New York, Minnesota, and other registration states) where FDDs are public record, plus the FTC Franchise Rule disclosure requirements.
  2. Verify. Extract and standardize the Item 5-7 fee/investment figures and Item 19 financial performance data exactly as disclosed, no subjective ratings or proprietary scoring formulas applied.
  3. Publish. Compile per-brand profiles tagged to their FDD filing year, so readers can check any figure against the original disclosure document.

Editorial independence & corrections

The PlainFranchise editorial process is independent and accepts no payment or sponsorship from any franchisor. PlainFranchise does not independently verify FDD data, all figures are as disclosed by franchisors under FTC and state regulatory requirements. Found an error or a stale figure? File a correction via the contact page. See our methodology for full source attribution.

Frequently asked

What data does PlainFranchise provide?

PlainFranchise publishes an editorial comparison registry of listed investment ranges, fees, royalties, unit counts, and Item 19 fields. This release does not link each value to an original filing and retrieval date, so verify any material figure in the current FDD.

What is an FDD and why does it matter?

A Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is a legal document that franchisors are required by the FTC to provide to prospective franchisees before any sale. It contains 23 items covering all aspects of the franchise relationship, including financial data. The FDD is your primary due diligence resource when evaluating any franchise opportunity.

What is Item 19 and why isn't it available for every franchise?

Item 19 is the financial performance representation section of the FDD. Franchisors are NOT required to disclose revenue or earnings data, many choose not to, either because their performance varies widely or for competitive reasons. When Item 19 is disclosed, it's typically average or median gross revenue (not profit) from franchise locations.

Is this financial advice?

No. PlainFranchise is an editorial research aid, not a filing archive or financial, legal, or investment adviser. Franchise investments involve significant risk. Verify the current FDD and consult a franchise attorney, accountant, and existing franchisees before a decision.