What the sector pays
Investment declared by the networks is 34% higher in measured networks with 50 or more active CNPJs than in those with up to 9, and within the same category the difference falls to 9%, without statistical significance; the franchise fee follows size within the segment, without significance within the category, and no association is detected for the royalty in 72 networks
Difference in the median declared investment between networks with 50 or more active CNPJs and networks with up to 9, without control for category, in 717 measured networks, readings from October 30 to November 8, 2026; within the same category, the difference is 9%, without statistical significance (p = 0.095)
See the full table (11 rows)
| Item | Network's active CNPJs | Networks | Median | First quartile | Third quartile | Relative to the category median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial investment | Up to 9 | 309 | R$ 160,000 | R$ 80,000 | R$ 300,000 | 0.0% |
| Initial investment | 10 to 49 | 281 | R$ 190,000 | R$ 100,000 | R$ 300,000 | 0.0% |
| Initial investment | 50 or more | 127 | R$ 215,000 | R$ 149,500 | R$ 350,000 | +9.1% |
| Franchise fee | Up to 9 | 141 | R$ 40,000 | R$ 25,000 | R$ 50,000 | -1.0% |
| Franchise fee | 10 to 49 | 115 | R$ 40,000 | R$ 30,000 | R$ 59,950 | +0.1% |
| Franchise fee | 50 or more | 43 | R$ 45,000 | R$ 30,000 | R$ 58,000 | 0.0% |
| Royalties on gross revenue | Up to 9 | 36 | 5% | 5% | 6% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 10 to 49 | 27 | 6% | 5% | 7.5% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 50 or more | 9 | 5% | 5% | 6% | |
| Advertising fund on gross revenue | Up to 9 | 19 | 2% | 1.5% | 2% | |
| Advertising fund on gross revenue | 10 to 49 | 16 | 2% | 1.38% | 2% |
Rank correlation between size or age and declared value, with and without controlWithout control, with a 95% interval, and within the category and the segment, with the permutation test p in parentheses. A positive value indicates a higher declared value in larger or older networks.
| Measure of size or age | Item | Networks | Without control | Within the category | Within the segment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network's active CNPJs | Initial investment | 717 | 0.18 (0.10 to 0.25) | 0.10 (0.095) | 0.12 (0.009) |
| Network's active CNPJs | Franchise fee | 299 | 0.19 (0.07 to 0.29) | 0.16 (0.158) | 0.21 (0.002) |
| Network's active CNPJs | Royalties on gross revenue | 72 | 0.01 (-0.22 to 0.24) | insufficient sample | 0.12 (0.435) |
| Addresses in the store locator | Initial investment | 434 | 0.06 (-0.04 to 0.15) | 0.16 (0.019) | 0.09 (0.142) |
| Addresses in the store locator | Franchise fee | 179 | 0.05 (-0.10 to 0.19) | -0.04 (0.799) | 0.10 (0.214) |
| Addresses in the store locator | Royalties on gross revenue | 57 | 0.09 (-0.18 to 0.34) | insufficient sample | 0.19 (0.288) |
| First identified unit | Initial investment | 568 | 0.12 (0.04 to 0.20) | 0.05 (0.398) | 0.12 (0.022) |
| First identified unit | Franchise fee | 228 | 0.05 (-0.09 to 0.17) | 0.08 (0.543) | 0.08 (0.302) |
| First identified unit | Royalties on gross revenue | 58 | 0.08 (-0.18 to 0.33) | insufficient sample | 0.20 (0.259) |
| Network's active CNPJs | Royalty exemption | 277 | 0.11 (-0.00 to 0.23) | 0.25 (0.015) | 0.11 (0.131) |
By addresses in the network's own store locatorAddresses listed on the network's website. The last column is the median of the ratios between the network's value and the median of its category, in categories with 5 or more networks with the item. Cells with 8 or more networks.
| Item | Addresses in the store locator | Networks | Median | First quartile | Third quartile | Relative to the category median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial investment | Up to 9 | 108 | R$ 239,500 | R$ 146,750 | R$ 350,000 | 0.0% |
| Initial investment | 10 to 49 | 183 | R$ 200,000 | R$ 127,500 | R$ 350,000 | 0.0% |
| Initial investment | 50 or more | 143 | R$ 240,000 | R$ 142,500 | R$ 450,000 | +19.7% |
| Franchise fee | Up to 9 | 45 | R$ 45,000 | R$ 30,000 | R$ 60,000 | -1.0% |
| Franchise fee | 10 to 49 | 79 | R$ 45,000 | R$ 35,000 | R$ 50,000 | +6.7% |
| Franchise fee | 50 or more | 55 | R$ 45,000 | R$ 30,000 | R$ 60,000 | 0.0% |
| Royalties on gross revenue | Up to 9 | 21 | 5% | 5% | 6% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 10 to 49 | 25 | 6% | 5% | 8% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 50 or more | 11 | 6% | 4.5% | 7% | |
| Advertising fund on gross revenue | Up to 9 | 9 | 2% | 1% | 2% | |
| Advertising fund on gross revenue | 10 to 49 | 14 | 2% | 1.5% | 2% |
By network ageYear of the first unit identified in the CNPJ, in networks with at least five CNPJs, and declared franchising start year. Cells with 8 or more networks.
| Item | First unit or declared start | Networks | Median | First quartile | Third quartile | Relative to the category median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial investment | Before 2000 | 84 | R$ 269,000 | R$ 150,000 | R$ 385,000 | +3.8% |
| Initial investment | 2000 to 2009 | 118 | R$ 200,000 | R$ 126,750 | R$ 350,000 | 0.0% |
| Initial investment | 2010 to 2014 | 113 | R$ 196,000 | R$ 107,000 | R$ 300,000 | -1.5% |
| Initial investment | 2015 to 2019 | 151 | R$ 165,000 | R$ 99,995 | R$ 288,000 | 0.0% |
| Initial investment | Since 2020 | 102 | R$ 189,000 | R$ 99,250 | R$ 300,000 | +5.9% |
| Franchise fee | Before 2000 | 43 | R$ 45,000 | R$ 30,000 | R$ 53,000 | +0.1% |
| Franchise fee | 2000 to 2009 | 56 | R$ 45,000 | R$ 30,000 | R$ 60,000 | 0.0% |
| Franchise fee | 2010 to 2014 | 42 | R$ 40,000 | R$ 25,750 | R$ 50,000 | 0.0% |
| Franchise fee | 2015 to 2019 | 51 | R$ 40,000 | R$ 25,000 | R$ 50,000 | +0.1% |
| Franchise fee | Since 2020 | 36 | R$ 46,750 | R$ 38,675 | R$ 50,000 | +5.3% |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 2000 to 2009 | 14 | 6% | 5% | 6% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 2010 to 2014 | 15 | 5% | 4.5% | 6% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | 2015 to 2019 | 15 | 5% | 5% | 6.5% | |
| Royalties on gross revenue | Since 2020 | 8 | 5% | 4.75% | 5.25% | |
| Initial investment, declared franchising start | Up to 2014 | 14 | R$ 168,500 | R$ 100,250 | R$ 375,000 | |
| Initial investment, declared franchising start | 2015 to 2019 | 19 | R$ 100,000 | R$ 64,500 | R$ 177,000 | |
| Initial investment, declared franchising start | Since 2020 | 18 | R$ 315,000 | R$ 142,500 | R$ 480,000 |
Royalty and advertising fund scheme, by sizeNetworks that report the item, by active CNPJs. Schemes with fewer than 5 networks are grouped.
| Item | Network's active CNPJs | Networks that report | Exemption | Fixed amount | Percentage | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalties | Up to 9 | 126 | 17 | 18 | 91 | |
| Royalties | 10 to 49 | 113 | 18 | 13 | 82 | |
| Royalties | 50 or more | 38 | 11 | 5 | 22 | |
| Advertising fund | Up to 9 | 105 | 23 | 7 | 75 | |
| Advertising fund | 10 to 49 | 83 | 19 | 10 | 54 | |
| Advertising fund | 50 or more | 32 | 11 | 21 |
The amount a franchise network charges is declared by the network itself, and the size of the network is measured independently, by the active CNPJs (Brazilian company registry) with the brand's trade name and by the addresses the network lists on its own website. The indicator cross-references the two sources to check whether larger networks charge more, in readings from October 30 to November 8, 2026 and with the CNPJ database, reference month October 2026. In the 717 networks with declared investment and measured size, the median lowest investment is R$ 160,000 in networks with up to 9 active CNPJs, R$ 190,000 in those with 10 to 49 and R$ 215,000 in those with 50 or more, with a rank correlation of 0.18 (95% interval from 0.10 to 0.25).
Within the same category, the difference of 34% falls to 9% and loses statistical significance. The typical network with up to 9 CNPJs sits at the category median, and the typical network with 50 or more active CNPJs, 9.1% above the category median (95% interval from 0.0% to +20.0%, which includes zero difference). The within-category rank correlation is 0.10, with p = 0.095 in a permutation test, and within the segment, a broader control, the correlation is 0.12, with p = 0.009. The rest of the difference cannot be distinguished from chance with the available sample. Most of the raw difference stems from the composition of the size bands, with high-investment categories more present among large networks.
The franchise fee has a median of R$ 40,000 in networks with up to 9 CNPJs and of R$ 45,000 in those with 50 or more active CNPJs, with a raw correlation of 0.19 (interval from 0.07 to 0.29). The association holds within the segment, with a rank correlation of 0.21 (p = 0.002), and is not significant within the category, where the typical network with up to 9 CNPJs sits 1.0% below the category median and the typical network with 50 or more active CNPJs sits at the category median. There the rank correlation is 0.16 (p = 0.158, in 241 networks). The lack of significance stems in part from the smaller sample and does not indicate that the fee ceases to vary with size. For the royalty on gross revenue, no association with size is detected even in the raw comparison, with a median of 5% in networks with up to 9 CNPJs, 6% in those with 10 to 49 and 5% in those with 50 or more, and a rank correlation of 0.01 (interval from -0.22 to 0.24), in 72 networks, and within the segment, of 0.12 (p = 0.435). The wide interval, an effect of the sample of 72 networks, does not rule out a moderate association in either direction. The advertising fund on gross revenue has a median of 2% in networks with up to 9 and with 10 to 49 active CNPJs, and the band of 50 or more does not gather 8 networks with the data. A royalty exemption is declared by 13.5% of the networks with up to 9 CNPJs that report the item and by 28.9% of those with 50 or more active CNPJs, a difference without statistical significance in the raw comparison and within the segment (p = 0.131).
Measured by the addresses in the store locator on the network's own website, in 434 networks, the median investment is R$ 239,500 in networks with up to 9 addresses and R$ 240,000 in those with 50 or more, with a raw correlation of 0.06 (interval from -0.04 to 0.15). Within the category, the typical network with 50 or more addresses sits 19.7% above the category median (95% interval from +3.8% to +29.5%), with a within-category rank correlation of 0.16 (p = 0.019). By age, networks whose first identified unit dates from before 2000 declare a median investment of R$ 269,000, and those that emerged from 2020 onward, R$ 189,000. Within the category, the difference of 42% falls to -2% and is not statistically significant, with a rank correlation of 0.05 (p = 0.398). The franchising start year declared on the page, reported by 51 networks with investment, does not allow control for category and shows no clear direction, with medians of R$ 168,500 (through 2014), R$ 100,000 (2015 to 2019) and R$ 315,000 (from 2020).
How we calculate
The values come from the offer census, with the literal excerpt and URL for each network, under the same rules as the indicator of conditions by category. Of the pages of the networks in this comparison, 806 were read on October 30, 2026 and 80 on November 8, 2026. 111 networks whose page carries a date before 2024 are removed. The lowest declared investment applies, after the review of atypical values, as does the lowest franchise fee, with a fee equal to zero left out of the median. Royalty and advertising fund are included only when the percentage applies to gross revenue, including gross receipts or gross sales, and, when there is a range, the highest percentage applies. Percentages on another base, fixed amounts, exemptions and values in foreign currency do not enter any median. Since networks without a CNPJ count are also removed, the counts on this page are smaller than those of the indicators of declared investment and declared royalties.
Size is the count of active CNPJs with the brand's trade name in the database for October 2026, the same used in the network profiles, excluding the 104 networks with a generic name, which have no count, and the 54 with an undercount recorded in the census. The second measure is the number of addresses listed in the store locator on the network's website, read up to November 8, 2026. Age is the year of the first unit identified in the CNPJ, in networks with at least five CNPJs in any status, as in the indicator of network births, and, separately, the franchising start year declared on the page. The size bands follow the cutoffs of the offer transparency indicator, with the two highest combined, and each published cell has 8 or more networks.
The control for category compares each network with the median of its own category, calculated with all the networks in the category that declare the item, in categories with 5 or more. If size merely reflected the composition of the bands, the median of these ratios would be the same in all of them. The test is the within-category rank correlation, with 5,000 permutations of size among networks in the same category, in categories with three or more networks, and the same test within the segment serves as a broader control. For the royalty, only 1 category gathers 5 networks on the same base, and the control for the royalty and the advertising fund is the segment. The main test is that of investment against active CNPJs, and we treat as supported an association with p below 0.05. The other tests serve as checks and are published only with 40 or more networks.
What this figure does not show
- The values are declared by the networks themselves, read between October 30 and November 8, 2026, are not verified by the observatory and do not have a uniform composition, since each network includes different items. They generally refer to the smallest model offered, and the binding document is the disclosure document (Circular de Oferta de Franquia), delivered to the candidate.
- No value is verified by the observatory, and declaring is the network's choice. The 717 networks with investment and measured size do not represent those that do not publish conditions.
- Size is measured by trade name. A CNPJ is not equivalent to a unit, the trade name of an MEI (individual microentrepreneur regime) is almost never filled in in the open database, and units under another name are left out of the count, so microfranchise or single-operator networks tend to appear smaller than they are. Namesakes may remain in the count. The store locator lists what the network publishes, including company-owned stores.
- The lowest declared investment generally refers to the smallest model, and networks with more models may have the value pulled down for that reason. The indicator describes an association across networks and does not indicate causation, nor does it serve as a reference for negotiating a specific franchise.
Frequently asked questions
Is a franchise from a large network more expensive?
Not consistently. In readings from October 30 to November 8, 2026, the lowest investment declared by the networks has a median of R$ 160,000 in networks with up to 9 active CNPJs (Brazilian company registry) and of R$ 215,000 in those with 50 or more active CNPJs, 34% more. Among networks in the same category, the difference falls to 9% and loses statistical significance. In the same subset, the franchise fee follows size within the segment, without significance within the category, and no association with size is detected for the royalty in 72 networks.
Do larger franchise networks charge higher royalties?
No association is detectable in 72 networks. The royalty on gross revenue declared by the networks has a median of 5% in networks with up to 9 active CNPJs (Brazilian company registry) and of 5% in those with 50 or more active CNPJs, with a rank correlation of 0.01 and a 95% interval from -0.22 to 0.24, wide enough not to rule out a moderate association. A royalty exemption is declared by 28.9% of the larger networks that report the item and by 13.5% of the smaller ones, a difference without statistical significance.
Is the franchise fee higher in larger networks?
The franchise fee declared by the networks has a median of R$ 40,000 in networks with up to 9 active CNPJs (Brazilian company registry) and of R$ 45,000 in those with 50 or more active CNPJs. The association with size appears among networks in the same segment (p = 0.002) and is not significant among networks in the same category (p = 0.158, in 241 networks), which allows no conclusion either that the fee varies or that it does not vary with size.
Does a franchise from an older network cost more?
Networks whose first identified unit dates from before 2000 declare a median investment of R$ 269,000, and those that emerged from 2020 onward, R$ 189,000. Among networks in the same category, the difference falls to -2% and is not statistically significant.
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What the sector paysOther indicators in the same group
Maintained by Marktech, which serves franchise networks and franchises. The brands cited belong to their owners and are mentioned here only to identify the network the data refers to.