Cheapest Retail/Other Franchises to Open

Ranked on the low end of the Item 7 estimated initial investment, which the FTC requires to cover everything needed to open: the franchise fee, build-out, equipment, opening inventory and initial working capital. It is the honest floor, not a deposit — and the high end of the same range is often double it.

1. 1Card My Yard$10KItem 7 low
2. 2Sunoco$20KItem 7 low
3. 3Aerus Franchising$31KItem 7 low
4. 4Good Neighbor Pharmacy$44KItem 7 low
5. 5ZAGG$49KItem 7 low
6. 6Pod Plug$52KItem 7 low
7. 7Story Time Chess$66KItem 7 low
8. 8BoxDrop Direct$67KItem 7 low
9. 9Just Between Friends$67KItem 7 low
10. 10Batteries Plus$89KItem 7 low
11. 11Pump It Up Party$104KItem 7 low
12. 12The Great Frame Up$114KItem 7 low
13. 13The UPS Store$114KItem 7 low
14. 14Floral Image$129KItem 7 low
15. 15Culligan$130KItem 7 low
16. 16CPR Cell Phone Repair$130KItem 7 low
17. 17PayMore$132KItem 7 low
18. 18Nutrishop Usa$149KItem 7 low
19. 19Apricot Lane Boutique$150KItem 7 low
20. 20The Wild Goose Exchange$150KItem 7 low

Computed from Item 20 of each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document and recomputed as coverage grows. Brands are excluded where the filing's own outlet arithmetic doesn't balance — a mis-parsed table should not outrank a correct one. This list has never been, and cannot be, paid for. How this is calculated.