Lowest royalty rates (percent of sales)
Brands ranked by their disclosed base royalty as a percentage of sales (Item 6).
How this list is built. Metric: Base royalty % of sales. Source: each brand’s FDD (Items 6, 7, 19 and 20), as recorded on its profile with citations. Brands without the required disclosure are listed separately below rather than ranked with a guessed value. A low royalty can be offset by required purchases, rent, technology fees or profit-sharing structures. Brands whose royalty is not a percentage of sales (per-student, profit-based, gross-profit-based) are excluded from this ranking and described on their profiles.
| # | Brand | Category | Base royalty % of sales | Investment (Item 7) | AUV | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meineke Car Care Centers | Automotive | 3.0% royalty + 8.0% ad fund | $225K–$1.2M | $971K | High |
| 2 | Molly Maid | Home services | 3.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $144K–$204K | no annual avg. | High |
| 3 | PuroClean | Home services | 3.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $109K–$277K | $942K | High |
| 4 | Servpro | Home services | 3.0% royalty + 3.0% ad fund | $263K–$386K | no Item 19 | High |
| 5 | Budget Blinds | Home services | 3.5% royalty | $101K–$211K | $775K | High |
| 6 | Jiffy Lube | Automotive | 4.0% royalty + 1.5% ad fund | $232K–$520K | $1.11M | High |
| 7 | McDonald's | Food & QSR | 4.0% royalty | $1.47M–$2.81M | $4.06M | High |
| 8 | Batteries Plus | Retail | 5.0% royalty + 1.0% ad fund | $285K–$537K | $955K | High |
| 9 | Eggs Up Grill | Food & QSR | 5.0% royalty + 1.6% ad fund | $822K–$1.14M | $1.37M | High |
| 10 | Once Upon A Child | Retail | 5.0% royalty | $356K–$486K | $1.27M | High |
| 11 | The UPS Store | Business services | 5.0% royalty + 2.5% ad fund | $222K–$606K | $724K | High |
| 12 | Domino's Pizza | Food & QSR | 5.5% royalty + 4.0% ad fund | $231K–$744K | $1.42M | High |
| 13 | Taco Bell | Food & QSR | 5.5% royalty + 4.3% ad fund | $1.86M–$4.31M | no annual avg. | High |
| 14 | Dunkin' | Food & QSR | 5.9% royalty + 5.0% ad fund | $532K–$1.83M | $1.37M | High |
| 15 | European Wax Center | Personal services | 6.0% royalty + 3.0% ad fund | $332K–$777K | $902K | High |
| 16 | FASTSIGNS | Business services | 6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $231K–$386K | $1.09M | High |
| 17 | Firehouse Subs | Food & QSR | 6.0% royalty + 5.0% ad fund | $405K–$876K | $974K | High |
| 18 | Great Clips | Personal services | 6.0% royalty + 5.0% ad fund | $188K–$420K | $411K | High |
| 19 | Jimmy John's | Food & QSR | 6.0% royalty + 4.5% ad fund | $366K–$734K | $1.01M | High |
| 20 | Massage Envy | Personal services | 6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $696K–$1.05M | $1.21M | High |
| 21 | Minuteman Press | Business services | 6.0% royalty + 0.0% ad fund | $138K–$216K | $770K | High |
| 22 | Mr. Rooter Plumbing | Home services | 6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $153K–$299K | $2.09M | High |
| 23 | Scooter's Coffee | Food & QSR | 6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $1.16M–$1.35M | $1000K | High |
| 24 | Sport Clips | Personal services | 6.0% royalty + 5.0% ad fund | $237K–$581K | $419K | High |
| 25 | Teriyaki Madness | Food & QSR | 6.0% royalty + 4.0% ad fund | $393K–$1.12M | $1.11M | High |
| 26 | Tint World | Automotive | 6.0% royalty + 6.0% ad fund | $250K–$480K | $812K | High |
| 27 | Two Maids | Home services | 6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $93K–$150K | no annual avg. | High |
| 28 | Valvoline Instant Oil Change | Automotive | 6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $192K–$640K | $1.84M | High |
| 29 | Wingstop | Food & QSR | 6.0% royalty + 5.5% ad fund | $310K–$1.05M | $2.01M | High |
| 30 | Jersey Mike's Subs | Food & QSR | 6.5% royalty + 5.0% ad fund | $436K–$1.16M | $1.37M | High |
| 31 | 1-800 WATER DAMAGE | Home services | 7.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $143K–$312K | $770K | High |
| 32 | F45 Training | Fitness & wellness | 7.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $362K–$858K | $481K | High |
| 33 | Merry Maids | Home services | 7.0% royalty + 1.3% ad fund | $127K–$169K | $391K | High |
| 34 | Mr. Handyman | Home services | 7.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $162K–$215K | $774K | High |
| 35 | Take 5 Oil Change | Automotive | 7.0% royalty + 5.0% ad fund | $912K–$2.05M | $1.24M | Medium |
| 36 | The Joint Chiropractic | Personal services | 7.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $245K–$543K | $564K | High |
| 37 | 1-800-GOT-JUNK? | Home services | 8.0% royalty + 8.0% ad fund | $182K–$304K | no annual avg. | High |
| 38 | Club Pilates | Fitness & wellness | 8.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $413K–$1.03M | $988K | High |
| 39 | Crumbl | Food & QSR | 8.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $849K–$1.47M | $1.14M | High |
| 40 | Orangetheory Fitness | Fitness & wellness | 8.0% royalty + 3.0% ad fund | $765K–$1.1M | $802K | High |
| 41 | Subway | Food & QSR | 8.0% royalty + 4.5% ad fund | $263K–$630K | no Item 19 | High |
| 42 | Ziebart | Automotive | 8.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund | $450K–$924K | $1.41M | High |
| 43 | Midas | Automotive | 10.0% royalty | $385K–$940K | no annual avg. | High |
Other brands in our directory
These brands do not meet this ranking’s criteria or lack the required comparable disclosure. Open a profile for its figures and caveats.
7-Eleven, Anytime Fitness, Big O Tires, Christian Brothers Automotive, Express Employment Professionals, Kumon, Planet Fitness
Other rankings: Franchises Under $250K Total Investment · Franchises With Starting Investment Under $100K · Highest Disclosed AUV Franchises (Item 19) · Franchises With the Highest Sales-to-Investment Ratio · Fastest-Growing Franchise Systems (Item 20) · Franchises With the Lowest Unit Attrition (Item 20) · Franchises That Disclose Profit or Cost Data (Item 19)