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Real FDD numbers for every major home-service franchise — fees, royalties, and 5-year cost — versus building independently for $79/month.
If you're weighing a home-service franchise, the single most important thing to understand is what it actually costs — not the marketing brochure number, but the real total from the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the entry fee, the royalties, the marketing funds, and the fees that keep coming for the life of the agreement.
This page pulls together the 2026 FDD numbers for the major home-service franchises we've analyzed in depth — across cleaning, lawn care, moving, junk removal, handyman, painting, carpet cleaning, and pet-waste — so you can compare them side by side, and against the independent alternative. Each franchise links to a full breakdown.
Most home-service franchises cost between roughly $60,000 and $520,000 in total initial investment per their 2026 FDDs, with franchise fees from about $25,000 to $165,000 and ongoing royalties of 4% to 21% of revenue. The core operating costs — vehicle, equipment, insurance, labor — are the same whether you franchise or not. The "franchise premium" is the fee plus royalties you pay purely for the brand and system: typically $170,000–$275,000+ over 10 years. An independent operator with professional systems avoids that premium entirely.
Every franchise below is covered in a dedicated, full FDD breakdown. Click any name for the complete analysis, 5-year cost model, and the independent-alternative comparison.
| Franchise | Vertical | Total Investment (Item 7) | Franchise Fee | Ongoing Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merry Maids | Residential cleaning | $126,880–$170,110 | $55,000 | 7% royalty + ~1.3%/wk ad |
| Two Men and a Truck | Moving | $146,950–$512,450 | $50,000–$165,000 | 6% + minimums |
| Lawn Doctor | Lawn care | $135,820–$163,902 | $114,950–$118,000 | 10% + 5% ad (15% net) |
| Mr. Handyman | Handyman | $161,900–$215,000 | $67,000 | 7% + 2% MAP + mktg min. |
| 1-800-GOT-JUNK | Junk removal | $168,800–$258,150 | $65,000–$97,500 | 16–21% of gross |
| DoodyCalls | Pet-waste removal | $76,450–$93,850 | $39,900 | 7.5% + 1.5% (9%) |
| Chem-Dry | Carpet cleaning | $60,000–$285,000 | $24,950–$39,950 | $310/mo + 4% |
| College Hunks | Junk & moving | $193,100–$345,500 | $75,000 | 7% + 2% (9%) |
| Weed Man | Lawn care | $81,150–$109,400 | $30,000 | 7% net + 1.2% ad |
| CertaPro Painters | Painting | $171,000–$320,500 | $65,000 | 6/5/4% tiered + 3% + local |
| HomePro Systems | All verticals | $0 to start | $0 | $79/mo flat (Sage incl.) |
Figures from each brand's most recent FDD (Item 7 total investment, Items 5–6 fees) as of 2026. Ranges vary by market, format, and number of territories. See each linked breakdown for full detail and sources.
Get franchise-grade systems — operations, pricing, marketing, hiring, and AI coaching — for $79/month. No franchise fee. No royalties. No territory limits.
Start Free Today See Pricing →By ongoing fee load, 1-800-GOT-JUNK is the highest: 8% royalty + 8% sales/marketing/technology + up to 5% branding cooperative = 16–21% of gross revenue. Lawn Doctor is next at 10% royalty + 5% marketing fund (15% of net). By franchise fee, Two Men and a Truck (up to $165,000) and Lawn Doctor ($114,950–$118,000, with equipment bundled) top the list. By total investment, Two Men and a Truck's Metro Market (up to $512,450) and College Hunks' dual-concept model (up to $345,500) are the most expensive to open.
Chem-Dry has the lowest entry point and the lightest ongoing load in this comparison: $60,000–$285,000 total, a $24,950–$39,950 fee, and just $310/month plus 4% of net sales — with no separate ad fund. DoodyCalls ($76,450–$93,850) and Weed Man ($81,150–$109,400) are also relatively low-cost entries. Even so, every franchise charges an upfront fee plus ongoing royalties — the exact costs an independent operator with professional systems avoids.
We've published a complete FDD breakdown for each brand — real Item 7 numbers, ongoing fees, a 5-year cost model, an honest look at what the franchise does well, and how the economics compare to going independent.
$126,880–$170,110 to open, a $55,000 fee, 7% royalties — as the franchise count shrinks.
Full breakdown →$146,950–$512,450 for a Metro Market, then 6% of every dollar with minimums.
Full breakdown →A $114,950+ fee — nearly the whole startup cost — plus a 15%-of-net ongoing load.
Full breakdown →$161,900–$215,000, a $67,000 fee, 7% + 2%, plus marketing minimums from $60K/year.
Full breakdown →The heaviest load in home services: up to 21% of gross, forever.
Full breakdown →$39,900 fee + 9% of gross — for a business you can start with a bucket and a rake.
Full breakdown →The lightest fee structure here — $310/mo + 4% — but still a fee-and-royalty model.
Full breakdown →$193,100–$345,500 for both concepts, a $75,000 fee, and 9% ongoing.
Full breakdown →One of the lowest-cost lawn entries — $81,150–$109,400 with a $30,000 fee.
Full breakdown →$171,000–$320,500, tiered royalties, and a heavy 12%-of-sales local marketing rule.
Full breakdown →Strip away the operating costs every business has — trucks, equipment, insurance, payroll — and what's left is the franchise premium: the fee and the royalties you pay purely for the brand and the playbook. Across these brands, that premium runs from roughly $170,000 to well over $275,000 over ten years, and far more for high-revenue operators paying a percentage of gross.
Our data study breaks this down in detail: The Real Cost of a Home-Service Franchise. And you can model your own numbers with The Franchise Math Calculator.
HomePro Systems gives independent home-service operators the same operational backbone a franchise provides — SOPs, pricing tools, marketing systems, hiring frameworks, and AI coaching — for $79/month, with no franchise fee, no royalties, and no territory restrictions. Over five years, the major franchises above cost roughly $175,000 to $850,000+ in combined entry and fees; HomePro costs about $7,940. You keep 100% of what you earn and own the brand you build.
Per 2026 FDDs, most home-service franchises require $60,000–$520,000 in total initial investment, with franchise fees of roughly $25,000–$165,000 and ongoing royalties of 4–21% of revenue. See the comparison table above for brand-by-brand figures.
Royalties range widely — from Chem-Dry's 4% (plus a flat $310/month) to 1-800-GOT-JUNK's combined 16–21% of gross. Lawn care brands like Lawn Doctor run 10%+5%, while moving and handyman brands sit around 6–9%, often with minimums and mandatory marketing spend.
No. Cleaning, lawn care, junk removal, pet-waste, and most home-service businesses have low barriers to entry. A franchise sells you a brand and a playbook; the underlying work is learnable. HomePro Systems provides franchise-grade systems for $79/month without the fee or royalties.
Chem-Dry ($60,000+), DoodyCalls ($76,450+), and Weed Man ($81,150+) are among the lowest-cost entries. But "low-cost franchise" still means an upfront fee plus ongoing royalties — costs you avoid entirely by building independently with professional systems.
Get the operational infrastructure of a franchise — SOPs, scripts, pricing tools, AI coaching — without a six-figure entry fee or a percentage of your revenue leaving every month.
Start Free Today See Full Pricing →Disclaimer: Franchise cost and performance figures are based on publicly available Franchise Disclosure Documents, FDD analyses, and industry research current as of 2026. Actual costs vary by market, format, and territory. Always request and review the current FDD before making any investment decision. HomePro Systems is not affiliated with any franchise system referenced on this page.
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