No spin. We researched 9 franchise intelligence platforms — including the new wave of AI-native FDD tools — so you can pick the right one. Pricing, data depth, coverage, and who each tool is actually built for.
Last updated: July 2026. Pricing verified from each platform's website. Includes new entrants Franchise Signal and Franchimp.
| Platform | Pricing | Free Tier | Brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| FranchiseIQ (FDDIQ)MOST FREE DATA | Free research tools + paid Pro reports | Full franchise pages, blog, calculators, tools | 5,800+ brands |
| Franchise Signal | Free browsing + $100/brand-year + guided packages | Browse brand profiles, sector analytics, 1 FDD download/30 days | 1,000+ franchises |
| Franchimp | Starts at $167/month | Free registration with limited browsing | 9,000+ franchisors |
| FranSpy | $99/mo (Starter) - $499/mo (Enterprise) | Very limited. Brand names only without subscription. | 8,000+ brands (claimed) |
| VettedBiz | Freemium (Pro at $19.99 one-time) | Basic brand info and high-level financials | 3,700+ brands |
| FDD Intel (chainportal.ai) | Free beta (planned $39/mo Pro) | Full access during beta | 4,000+ brands |
| FRANdata | Enterprise (custom pricing, typically $500+/mo) | None. Demo required. | 4,500+ brands |
| FranchiseGrade | Free for franchisees (matchmaking) | Matchmaking tool, basic brand info | 3,000+ brands |
| FDD Exchange | $29-99 per FDD document | None. Pay per document. | Document-based (not brand pages) |
| Feature | FranchiseIQ | Franchise | Franchimp | FranSpy | VettedBiz | FDD | FRANdata | FranchiseGrade | FDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDD Filings in Corpus | over 20,000 | 1,000+ | 18,000+ claimed | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Deep archive | 3,000+ | N/A (raw docs) |
| Franchise Brands Covered | 5,800+ | 1,000+ | 9,000+ | 8,000+ | 3,700+ | 4,000+ | 4,500+ | 3,000+ | N/A |
| SBA Loan Data | 57,000+ | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| FDD Item Coverage | All 23 | Multi-year key items | Raw docs | Select | 10-12 | Select | All 23 | Partial | Raw docs |
| Multi-Year YoY Analysis | Limited | Yes (core feature) | Raw docs only | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Claude MCP Integration | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Disclosure Scoring | 5-tier transparency | Proprietary score | No | No | No | No | Custom | Grades | No |
| Growth Forecasts | Yes | Outlet trends | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Closure Rate Calculator | Yes | Churn analytics | No | No | No | No | Custom | No | No |
| Blog / Educational Content | 220+ posts | Case studies | Some | No | Some | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Free Tier Value | Full pages + tools | Browse + 1 FDD/mo | Limited browsing | Minimal | Basic info | Full (beta) | None | Matchmaking | None |
| API Access | Coming | MCP tools | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Schema / AI Visibility | Full | Full | No | No | Partial | No | Full | No | No |
| Affiliate / Pay-to-Play Bias | None | None | Low | Low | Yes (marketplace) | None | Low | Yes (lead gen) | None |
A new category of franchise intelligence tools has emerged that treats FDDs as living data sources rather than static checklists. These platforms go beyond brand lookup — they offer multi-year trend analysis, AI-powered querying, and disclosure quality scoring.
Multi-year FDD analytics with Claude MCP integration
Franchise Signal covers 1,000+ franchise systems and focuses on what changes between FDD filing years. Its standout feature is a proprietary Disclosure Score that measures what percentage of franchised outlets actually appear in a brand's Item 19 financial performance representations. A brand claiming "strong financial performance" but only including 15% of its outlets in Item 19 is a very different signal than one covering 95%.
Franchise Signal has built a custom MCP (Model Context Protocol) connector for Claude. Users can ask Claude to pull multi-year FDD data, compare Item 19 methodology across brands, build financial models, and generate diligence summaries — all grounded in purchased FDD data. This is the first native AI-integration in the franchise data space. Requires purchasing brand-year access and adding MCP AI credits.
Smaller brand coverage (1,000+) compared to FDDIQ (5,800+) or Franchimp (9,000+). Brand-year pricing model ($100/brand/year) can add up for multi-brand screening. No SBA loan data integration. No free educational blog content for buyers learning FDD fundamentals.
Large raw FDD archive with franchisee-level databases
Franchimp claims the deepest raw FDD document archive — 18,000+ FDDs from 9,000+ franchisors going back to 2005. Beyond FDD documents, Franchimp maintains separate databases for franchisees, multi-unit operators, and franchise employees, claiming 450,000+ franchisee records. That gives it a distinct franchisee-level data angle, though the headline counts should be independently verified.
FDDs are raw documents (view/download), not item-level extracted data. No SBA loan integration. Claimed counts (18,000+ FDDs, 450,000+ franchisees) should be independently verified. Paywalled for meaningful access including CSV export. No buyer-diligence educational content. Best used alongside an analysis platform rather than as a standalone research tool.
FDDIQ occupies a distinct position in this landscape. While Franchise Signal focuses on multi-year trend analysis and Claude MCP, and Franchimp provides the largest raw document archive, FDDIQ differentiates on:
Every data point links back to the original FDD filing. Not summaries — the actual extracted text from all 23 items.
57,000+ SBA loan records cross-referenced to franchise brands. See actual default rates, not just claims.
220+ educational articles teaching buyers how to read FDDs, spot red flags, and make informed decisions. Not just data — judgment.
FDDIQ earns nothing when you choose a specific franchise. No marketplace, no lead generation, no franchisor pay-to-play.
Full franchise pages, financial analysis, closure rates, and growth forecasts without a credit card or paywall.
Item-by-item guides, legislation trackers, enforcement databases, and buyer checklists — all free and publicly indexed.
Largest free franchise intelligence platform
No API yet (coming), some niche brands may lack deep data
Multi-year FDD analytics with Claude MCP integration
Smaller brand coverage (1,000+). Brand-year pricing can add up for multi-brand research. No SBA data integration.
Large raw FDD archive with franchisee/multi-unit databases
Paywalled for downloads and CSV export. FDDs are raw documents, not extracted data. Claim counts (18,000+ FDDs, 450,000+ franchisees) should be verified independently.
Paywalled franchise data aggregator
Fully paywalled. No free tier worth mentioning. No blog or educational content.
Franchise marketplace with FDD data
Marketplace model creates affiliate bias. Less deep data per brand.
New entrant with institutional focus
Very new (Q4 2025/Q1 2026). No blog. No "Why Us" page. Pricing not finalized.
Enterprise franchise analytics
Expensive. Not accessible to individual franchisees. Sales-driven model.
Franchise matchmaking and ratings
Matchmaking model means data is gatekept behind lead gen. Not a research tool.
Raw FDD document marketplace
No data extraction. You get the PDF, you do the work. No analysis tools.
Before trusting any franchise data platform with your investment decision, verify it provides these critical capabilities. Not all platforms surface the same data — and the gaps matter.
| Capability | FDDIQ | Fr. Signal | Franchimp | FranSpy | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw source-linked FDD documents | ✓ | ✓ | Raw PDFs | — | Can you see the actual FDD filing, or just summaries someone else wrote? |
| Year-over-year change logs | — | ✓ | Multiple years available | — | Can you see what the franchisor changed between filing years (fees, territory, litigation)? |
| Item 19 methodology coverage | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | Does the platform tell you what percentage of outlets are included in financial performance claims? |
| Closed/transferred unit counts (Item 20) | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | Does the platform surface closures and transfers, not just total openings? |
| SBA loan default history | ✓ | — | — | — | Can you see whether franchisees of this brand have defaulted on SBA loans? |
| No affiliate/broker/lead-gen bias | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Does the platform earn money when you choose a specific franchise? This skews recommendations. |
| Free depth without paywall | ✓ | Browse free | — | — | Can you do meaningful research without entering a credit card? |
| Educational content for buyers | ✓ | ✓ | Some | — | Does the platform teach you how to read and use FDD data, or just show you numbers? |
Checkmarks indicate the platform provides this capability natively. Partial coverage noted where applicable.
Full franchise pages with financial analysis, Item 19 data, SBA loan outcomes, closure rates, and growth forecasts. All free. Start here, then cross-reference with VettedBiz for a second opinion.
Year-over-year FDD deltas, outlet growth/churn trends, and disclosure scoring. If you need to see what changed between filing years or whether Item 19 is cherry-picked, Franchise Signal is the strongest tool.
Franchimp has the largest FDD archive (18,000+, back to 2005) plus franchisee/multi-unit databases. FDD Exchange for same-day PDF delivery of new filings. Use alongside FDDIQ for analysis.
Brokers need depth across hundreds of brands. FranSpy covers the most brands. FRANdata provides institutional-grade analytics for high-value clients.
FRANdata for predictive modeling and benchmarks. FDDIQ for raw data extraction and SBA loan cross-referencing. Franchise Signal for multi-year trend analysis and disclosure scoring.
FDDIQ for deep research on specific brands. VettedBiz for browsing and discovering brands you have not considered yet. Both have useful free tiers.
FDD Exchange for raw FDD documents (you need the PDF for legal work). FDDIQ for quick analysis and cross-referencing Item 17, Item 19, and Item 20 data. Franchise Signal for year-over-year disclosure change tracking.
FDDIQ for comprehensive brand analysis and SBA loan data. Franchise Signal for tracking your brand's outlet trends, disclosure changes, and competitive positioning.
Programmatic access to FDDIQ franchise data, FDD extraction, and SBA loan records.
Industry-level financial benchmarks, closure rates, and growth metrics across 19 categories.
57,000+ SBA loan outcomes cross-referenced to franchise brands. See actual default rates.
Search and filter 5,800+ franchise brands by investment, category, and SBA eligibility.
How to read financial performance representations and spot manipulation.
Understanding the real initial investment vs. what the FDD estimates.
Industry-level closure rates, bankruptcy patterns, and why franchises fail.
Real-world profitability data by concept type, not franchisor claims.
Most franchise research starts with a simple question: "Is this brand worth it?" FDDIQ answers that for free with more data than any other platform offers without a credit card — including SBA loan outcomes no competitor provides. For multi-year trend analysis, layer in Franchise Signal. For raw FDD documents and franchisee data, use Franchimp. Start with FDDIQ, then layer in specialized tools as your needs grow.
Start Researching Free →FranchiseIQ (FDDIQ) leads in data depth with over 20,000 FDD filings, 5,800+ brands, and 57,000+ SBA loan outcomes. Unlike competitors that aggregate or estimate, FDDIQ extracts all 23 FDD items directly from source documents. Franchise Signal is the strongest choice for multi-year FDD trend analysis and Claude MCP integration, while Franchimp markets a broad raw FDD document archive going back to 2005. FDDIQ offers the largest free tier of any franchise intelligence platform.
Franchise data platforms range from free to $499/month. FDDIQ offers the most data for free (full franchise pages, 220+ blog posts, calculators, tools). FranSpy charges $99-499/month with limited free access. Franchise Signal charges $100 per brand-year for specific FDD data, with free browsing. Franchimp starts at $167/month. VettedBiz uses a freemium model. FDD Intel (chainportal.ai) is in free beta with plans for $39/month.
Franchise Signal is a multi-year FDD analytics platform covering 1,000+ franchises. It provides year-over-year disclosure deltas, outlet growth/churn trends, and a proprietary Disclosure Score measuring what percentage of franchised outlets appear in Item 19 financial performance representations. Its Claude MCP integration lets users query purchased FDD data directly inside Claude AI — asking it to compare FDD years, analyze Item 19, review Item 7 investment trends, summarize outlet growth, or build pro-formas. Pricing is $100 per brand-year plus usage-based MCP AI credits.
Franchimp markets a large FDD document archive (claiming 18,000+ FDDs from 9,000+ franchisors going back to 2005) plus franchisee and multi-unit operator databases with claimed 450,000+ franchisee records. FDDIQ has 20,000+ FDD filings in its extraction corpus covering 5,800+ brands, with all 23 FDD items extracted and cross-referenced against 57,000+ SBA loan outcomes. FDDIQ is free for research use with 220+ educational articles, while Franchimp starts at $167/month. They serve different needs: Franchimp for breadth of raw FDD documents and franchisee data, FDDIQ for depth of analysis, SBA integration, and buyer-diligence workflows at no cost.
Buyers should check whether a platform provides: (1) raw source-linked FDD documents, not just summaries; (2) year-over-year change logs so you can see what the franchisor changed between filing years; (3) Item 19 methodology coverage — does the platform tell you what percentage of outlets are included in financial performance claims?; (4) closed and transferred unit counts from Item 20, not just total openings; (5) SBA loan default history cross-referenced to the brand; and (6) whether the platform has affiliate, broker, or lead-generation bias that could skew its recommendations.
FranSpy ($99-499/month) offers 8,000+ brands but is fully paywalled. You cannot see any data without paying. FDDIQ provides 5,800+ brands with full franchise pages, financial analysis, and growth forecasts for free. Most users find FDDIQ covers their research needs without paying. For multi-year trend analysis, Franchise Signal at $100/brand-year may provide better targeted value.
A Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) contains 23 disclosure items covering: franchisor background, business experience, litigation history, bankruptcy, initial fees (Item 5), other fees (Item 6), estimated initial investment (Item 7), restrictions on products/services, franchisee obligations, financing, franchisor obligations, territory rights, trademarks, patents, obligation to participate, restrictions on sales, renewal/termination/transfer (Item 17), public figures, financial performance representations (Item 19), and outlet statistics (Item 20).