For franchisees · where to start

Work out what fits — before anyone starts selling to you.

Jumping straight to a calculator before you know what you're looking at is how people end up buying what they were sold. Four steps, roughly in order.

How the figures are sourced · How we make money

1Read the guides

2Run the two tools

3Check the filings

4Get the FDD reviewed

Read these six before you contact anybody

Written from public filings, not franchisor marketing. The order matters — each assumes the one before it.

17 min readWhat owning a franchise is actually likeThe parts of the job that nobody puts in a brochure: the first year, the hours, the control you give up, and what you are really buying.28 min readYour credit score, what you can borrow, and what it can be spent onHow franchise lending actually works: which score matters, roughly what lenders look for, how much of your own money goes in, and what a loan can and cannot cover.38 min readTerritory, location, and how to check a franchise brokerWhy the site decision usually outlasts the franchise decision, and how to check the person recommending brands to you — including who actually pays them.47 min readHow to use this site, and what each number meansWhere every figure here comes from, which ones are comparable between brands, and the specific ways a franchise number can mislead you.58 min readPlanning your exit before you sign, and limiting the downsideWhat your stake is worth when you want out, what happens if it does not work, and the terms that decide both — all of which are set on the day you sign.69 min readThe red flags in a Franchise Disclosure DocumentSixteen things worth stopping for, item by item — including the four this site checks automatically on every brand, and what each one usually means.

See what fits, in your own numbers

Two short tools built on 1,766 brands' own filings. About a minute each, matches shown on screen, no email required — and no franchisor is told you were here.

Fit finder · 6 questions

Which kind of franchise suits me?

How hands-on you want to be, your experience and runway — matched against filed figures. Narrows the field; never tells you what to buy.

Start the 6 questions →

Budget finder · 1 slider

What can I actually afford?

Drag a slider, see every brand whose filed Item 7 range fits — the franchisor's own total investment figure, not the franchise fee.

Try the slider →

Which kind of franchise suits me?Match your interests and how hands-on you want to be against filed figures.

What kind of franchise suits you?

Six questions about how you want to work. This narrows the field to the categories that fit — it does not tell you what to buy.

How involved do you want to be?Where is your experience?What do you want out of it?Would you hold a licence or certification if the sector needs one?Are you prepared to employ staff from day one?Qualifications or certifications you holdOptional. Trade licences, professional registrations, degrees.Where would you operate?State or metro.When would you want to start?Will a spouse or partner be involved in running it?Can household income cover living costs while it ramps up?The single most common reason a first unit fails is the owner running out of runway, not the unit failing.

What appeals to you? (optional)

Then go and look at the filings yourself

Every brand page links to the document each figure came from. Shortlist several brands rather than one, and read Items 5, 6, 7, 12, 19 and 20 of each.

Browse by category All brands A–Z Top 20 rankings

When you're ready to actually talk to them

Tell us which brand and where you'd want to open, and we'll pass it to their franchise development team so they contact you directly. We're not a broker and we're not paid per introduction — your details go to the brand you named and nowhere else.

Neither tool is advice, and neither recommends a brand. They filter public filings against what you tell them. Not investment, legal or financial advice.