Portable storage franchise costs for 2026: Go Mini's and UNITS verified FDD data, Zippy Shell figures, and why PODS is closed to new franchisees.
Quick answer Expect a total investment between roughly $518,000 and $1.27 million for a portable storage franchise in 2026. Go Mini's runs $759,024 to $1,247,125 per its 2026 FDD; UNITS runs $518,000 to $1,269,400 per its 2026 FDD; Zippy Shell lists near $657,000 to $1.09 million. PODS is corporate-owned and closed to new franchisees.
The best portable storage franchises in 2026 are Go Mini’s ($759,024 to $1,247,125 total investment per its 2026 FDD) and UNITS Moving & Portable Storage ($518,000 to $1,269,400), with Zippy Shell as the third national option at a listed $657,450 to $1,087,450. PODS, the name most buyers search first, is corporate-owned and closed to new franchisees.
One scope note before the numbers. This guide covers portable container storage: businesses that truck a container to the customer’s driveway, then haul it to a storage yard or a new destination. Fixed-facility self-storage, the building with roll-up doors and a gate code, is a different investment with different economics, and we compare those systems separately in our best self-storage franchises guide. If you searched “storage franchise” without knowing the category splits in two, read this section of both posts before you shortlist anything.
Of the 2,000+ FDDs parsed in VetMyFranchise’s database, portable storage is a thin category: only two national systems have current disclosures on file, and just one of them still publishes Item 19 earnings data. Go Mini’s withdrew its financial performance representation in the 2026 filing, so the brand you can underwrite on disclosed revenue is not the larger one.
| Franchise | Total investment | Franchise fee | Royalty | Item 19 earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go Mini’s | $759,024-$1,247,125 (2026 FDD) | $85,000 | 8% of gross sales | None disclosed in the 2026 FDD |
| UNITS | $518,000-$1,269,400 (2026 FDD) | $55,500-$222,000 by population | 4% ramping to 8% | $664,886 median revenue (62 units, 2025) |
| Zippy Shell | $657,450-$1,087,450 (public listings) | $75,000-$150,000 | See current FDD | Not publicly disclosed |
| PODS | Not available | Closed to new franchisees | N/A | N/A |
The two ceilings land about $22,000 apart, and that is no accident. Both FDDs load Item 7 with the same asset stack: a starting container fleet, delivery trucks or trailer systems, and an industrial yard. The floors diverge because UNITS prices a starting fleet of 50 containers and will consider a sub-300,000-population micro territory, while Go Mini’s requires 96 containers up front. The franchise fee is the small line item either way.
Go Mini’s has franchised since 2012 and runs the largest franchised network in portable storage: 105 locations, 104 of them franchised, as of December 31, 2025, per the 2026 FDD. Unit count was essentially flat last year, which reads as a mature system rather than a land-grab.
| Go Mini’s | 2026 FDD |
|---|---|
| Total investment | $759,024-$1,247,125 |
| Franchise fee | $85,000 (800,000-population territory); $68,000 for veterans; $50,000 for converting dealers |
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales, $400 monthly minimum |
| Ad fund | Up to 2%, $100 monthly minimum |
| Term | 10 years, 10-year renewal ($2,500 renewal fee) |
| Territory | Exclusive |
The Item 19 is where the 2026 filing gets thin. Go Mini’s makes no financial performance representation at all, so there is no disclosed revenue figure to underwrite against. The prior 2025 filing did carry a table, and it was split into three bands by how many territories a franchisee ran: $922,339 average gross sales for the 6 reporting franchisees with 4 to 7 territories, $423,554 for the 13 with 2 to 3 territories, and $258,353 for the 32 running a single territory, all for fiscal 2024. That last number is the one describing a first-time buyer, and any figure quoted to you as a Go Mini’s system average is neither current nor what a single-territory operator earned. Ask the franchisor why the representation was withdrawn, and lean on the Item 20 franchisee list to fill the gap. The discounted $50,000 fee for converting dealers is worth noting too. Independent container operators can enter cheaper than new buyers, which tells you the brand is still consolidating a fragmented local industry.
See the full Go Mini’s FDD analysis →
UNITS counts 69 locations (67 franchised, 2 affiliate-owned) as of December 31, 2025 in its 2026 FDD and has franchised since 2005. The system opened one franchised unit last year and lost five, none to termination or non-renewal. That is a contracting network, so press the franchisor on why those five closed and check what territories are sitting on the resale market.
| UNITS | 2026 FDD |
|---|---|
| Total investment | $518,000-$1,269,400 |
| Franchise fee | $55,500 for a 300,000-population territory, plus $18,500 per additional 100,000 people (up to $222,000) |
| Royalty | 4% for months 1-6, 6% for months 7-12, 8% thereafter |
| Ad fund | 2% of gross sales |
| Term | 10 years, one 10-year renewal |
Two structural details matter. The population-priced franchise fee means a large metro territory can cost four times a small one before you buy a single container, so model your specific market rather than the headline minimum. And the royalty ramp (4% to 8% over the first year) is a genuine concession during the cash-hungry launch phase, when you are still building route density.
UNITS discloses the only current Item 19 in the category: median annual revenue of $664,886 across 62 traditional franchises for calendar 2025, against an average of $763,512. A median beats an average for underwriting because it is not skewed by outlier territories; half the measured network cleared that number. The same table carries the expense side, and it lands on a median annual operational contribution of $62,433, or 9.4% of revenue, after real estate, labor, marketing, and royalty.
Roughly 37 U.S. locations operate under Zippy Shell, which began franchising in 2009. Public franchise data (VettedBiz’s summary of the company’s disclosures) lists a $657,450 to $1,087,450 investment with a franchise fee of $75,000 to $150,000. Zippy Shell is not currently parsed in VetMyFranchise’s database, so treat those figures as directional and pull the current FDD before underwriting; the FTC Franchise Rule (16 CFR 436) requires the franchisor to deliver it at least 14 days before you sign or pay anything.
The corporate structure is the more interesting fact. Zippy Shell merged with 1-800-Pack-Rat in June 2018 under Virgo Investment Group, and the two run as separate brands with one parent. 1-800-Pack-Rat itself is corporate-owned and does not franchise, so Zippy Shell is the only door into that combined network. Unit growth has been flat for several years, which is worth probing directly with the franchisor and with existing franchisees.
No, not in any way that helps a buyer in 2026. PODS invented the modern portable storage category in 1998 and did franchise aggressively starting in 1999. But the company has been owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan since February 2015 (a deal reported at more than $1 billion), it operates its major U.S. markets corporate, and franchise directories list PODS as not accepting new applicants. A small group of legacy franchisees still runs PODS territories, mostly in smaller markets and internationally, which is why a PODS FDD technically still exists. None of that changes the practical answer: you cannot call PODS and buy a territory. Our full breakdown of the PODS corporate and legacy-operator model covers how the remaining territories work.
This matters because PODS carries the category’s brand gravity. Most consumers type “PODS” the way they type “Kleenex,” and Go Mini’s, UNITS, and Zippy Shell franchisees all compete against that name recognition with local marketing and delivery-speed advantages. Budget for that fight; it is the central competitive fact of the business.
Portable storage unit economics look nothing like a storage building. Revenue comes from monthly container rental plus delivery, pickup, and re-delivery fees. Costs concentrate in three places: the container fleet (the largest single line in Item 7), the delivery vehicles, and an industrial yard where idle containers live. The yard is cheap relative to retail real estate, which is exactly why the model needs less capital than building a self-storage facility and why it produces no meaningful property appreciation.
The profit lever is utilization. A container earning rent 11 months a year and a truck running dense routes produce very different economics than the same assets at 60% utilization, and franchisor pro formas tend to assume the former. The operating rhythm resembles truck-based route businesses like the ones in our junk removal and moving franchise comparison more than it resembles anything in real estate. Expect drivers to hire, DOT compliance to manage, and seasonal peaks around summer moving season.
Qualification thresholds match the capital band. Go Mini’s recruiting materials cite a $1 million net worth and $100,000 in liquid capital as targets, and lenders will want similar cushions for UNITS or Zippy Shell; our guide to franchise net worth and liquidity requirements explains how franchisors actually apply those screens.
The two storage models split cleanly. Portable storage puts $518K to $1.27M into a depreciating fleet that generates operating cash flow, with the category’s one current disclosure showing $664,886 median annual revenue at UNITS, and returns driven by how hard the assets work. Fixed-facility self-storage puts $1M to $5M-plus into land and a building, accepts thinner early cash flow, and counts on appreciation for most of the return over a 7-to-15-year hold.
Neither is the safer bet by default. Portable storage exposes you to fuel, labor, and utilization risk; fixed facilities expose you to local oversupply and interest rates. If your capital is under $1.5M and you want an operating business you can scale into adjacent territories, portable is the realistic lane. If you are underwriting real estate anyway, start with the fixed-facility systems in the self-storage franchise comparison instead.
Whichever lane you pick, read the full disclosure before you fall for either brand story. Items 7, 19, and 20 will tell you more than any franchise salesperson, and what Item 19 does and does not prove is worth understanding before you take an average revenue figure at face value.
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About this analysis The franchise data in this article is drawn from VetMyFranchise's structured analysis of 2,300+ Franchise Disclosure Documents filed with U.S. state regulators. See our data & methodology.
Between roughly $518,000 and $1.27 million all-in for the three national brands actively franchising in 2026. Go Mini's discloses $759,024 to $1,247,125 in its 2026 FDD Item 7, UNITS discloses $518,000 to $1,269,400, and Zippy Shell lists at about $657,450 to $1,087,450 in public franchise data. The ranges run high because Item 7 includes the container fleet, delivery equipment, and yard setup on top of the franchise fee.
Effectively no for new buyers. PODS began franchising in 1999, but the company has been owned by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan since February 2015, operates its major U.S. markets corporate, and franchise directories list it as not accepting new applicants. A small group of legacy franchisees still operates under PODS agreements, mostly in smaller markets, but you cannot call PODS today and buy a territory.
Only UNITS still discloses one. Its 2026 Item 19 reports median annual revenue of $664,886 and average annual revenue of $763,512 across 62 traditional franchises for calendar 2025, plus a median annual operational contribution of $62,433 after real estate, labor, marketing, and royalty. Go Mini's withdrew its Item 19 in the 2026 filing and now makes no financial performance representation. Margin depends on container utilization, truck routing efficiency, yard rent, and driver labor, so verify the full Item 19 tables and talk to existing franchisees before assuming a bottom line.
They are different businesses with different return profiles. Portable storage is an operating company: moderate capital ($518K to $1.27M), revenue from container rentals and delivery fees, and returns driven by fleet utilization. Fixed-facility self-storage is a real estate deal where the building and land dominate the investment and appreciation drives most of the long-term return. Buyers optimizing for operating cash flow tend to pick portable; buyers with real estate experience and patient capital tend to pick fixed facilities.
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