Affordability Index / Franchises $250K–$500K

Franchises $250K–$500K

Premium franchise opportunities between $250,000 and $500,000. Multi-unit potential with established brands, strong unit economics, and brand recognition.

Showing top 20 of 208 brands in this tier. Ranked by data quality and revenue.

#BrandIndustryInvestmentFeeRevenueRoyaltyUnitsGrowthSBA Default
1Music Go RoundEducation/Tutoring$335K$444K$25,000$1,350,2294%37-8.1%0% ✅
2Plato's ClosetHome Services$356K$468K$25,000$1,206,3015%6+27.3%0.89% ✅
3Once Upon A ChildChild Services$356K$486K$25,000$1,178,2615%10+80%2.61% ✅
4Z PLUMBERZHome Services$257K$419K$44,900$1,169,2258%27+3.3%0% ✅
5The ToxHealth/Wellness$258K$449K$49,500$1,120,4588%1+500%0% ✅
6USA InsulationHome Services$300K$470K$55,000$1,116,6955%11-12.5%7.14% ⚠️
7AKTOther$400K$496K$60,000$1,079,4017%8+450%15.38% ⚠️
8ServiceMaster Clean/Restore SPE LLCHome Services$267K$443K$72,500$1,036,63010%1,959-1%0% ✅
9AlphaGraphicsRetail$296K$379K$49,750$1,025,8987%5-100%14.29% ⚠️
10Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Franchise, LLCQSR$292K$408K$40,000$1,018,8215%7+233.3%
11Play It Again SportsFitness$346K$460K$25,000$1,014,7645%13-62.5%5.45%
12LindoraOther$272K$492K$60,000$934,4077%31null%
13Medi-WeightlossHealth/Wellness$251K$494K$60,000$883,59310%88-1.4%13.64% ⚠️
14Style EncoreRetail$339K$459K$25,000$873,9635%-5null%4%
15MR. TRANSMISSION® / MILEX® COMPLETE AUTO CAREAutomotive$267K$363K$45,000$842,5057%107+0.9%16.67% ⚠️
16Sir SpeedyRetail$252K$299K$55,000$759,3686%132-2.2%0% ✅
17CLOTHES MENTOR®Retail$305K$429K$25,000$729,0534%120-5.7%5.77%
18Smash My TrashQSR$372K$492K$49,500$705,4748%496+0.2%0% ✅
19TemperatureProHome Services$444K$484K$147,500$705,0706%26-10.3%17.39% ⚠️
20goGLOWBeauty/Salon$283K$497K$60,000$692,3258%0null%0% ✅

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Frequently Asked Questions

What franchise can I buy for $500K?
At $500K, you have access to well-known restaurant chains, hotel franchises, large-format retail, and established fitness brands. This range includes brands with $500K–$2M+ in annual unit revenue and proven multi-unit operator models.
Should I buy one $500K franchise or two $250K franchises?
It depends on your management capacity and risk tolerance. Two smaller franchises offer diversification across categories and dayparts but require managing two operations. One larger franchise may have stronger brand recognition and higher per-unit revenue. Multi-brand operators often start with one, prove the model, then expand.
What SBA default rate is acceptable for a $300K franchise?
Look for SBA default rates below 5%. Rates above 8% suggest systemic issues with the concept. FranchiseIQ shows SBA default data for every brand where it's available — use it to filter out underperforming concepts before investing.
Data sourced from over 20,000 FDD filings. Last updated April 2026.