Research Reports
Original analysis of every active U.S. franchise FDD on file. We extract structured data from Franchise Disclosure Documents at scale — initial fees, royalties, investment ranges, unit economics, financial performance disclosures — and publish what the data shows. Methodologically transparent. Updated as new disclosures land.
Franchise Pricing Index 2026
Median initial fee, royalty rate, ad fund, and total investment by industry — across 1,700+ active FDDs. The most comprehensive cross-industry pricing benchmark in franchising.
Read the report → Item 19 ChampionsThe AUV Leaderboard
Top 100 franchise concepts ranked by Item 19 average unit volume, with revenue-to-investment ratio for capital-efficiency comparison. The highest-revenue concepts in U.S. franchising.
Read the report → TransparencyFDD Disclosure Transparency Report
How many franchisors actually disclose Item 19 financial performance? Industry-by-industry rates, year-over-year change, biggest improvers and decliners.
Read the report → Industry PulseFranchise Network Health Report
Which industries are opening units, which are closing, and where net unit growth is concentrated. Built from last-fiscal-year Item 20 data across every active FDD.
Read the report → Fee AnalysisThe Royalty Burden Index
Combined royalty + ad fund as a share of revenue, ranked by industry. The "what % of every dollar you make goes to the franchisor, forever" report.
Read the report → AffordabilityThe 50 Cheapest Franchises in 2026
The lowest-investment franchises currently registered in the U.S., ranked by total Item 7 cost. Includes initial fee and royalty for each, sortable and downloadable.
Read the report → Network ScaleTop 100 Franchises by Network Size
The 100 largest U.S. franchise networks by unit count, with last-year openings and closures. Sortable by total units, openings, closures, or year founded.
Read the report → Investment TierFranchises by Investment Tier
Programmatic browsing by total startup cost: under $25K, $50K, $100K, $250K, $500K, and $1M. Every active franchise sorted by midpoint investment, with industry mix and Item 19 disclosure rate.
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