Buying a franchise is a great alternative for entrepreneurs to minimize the risk of starting a new business and learn what makes a business successful. It lets you invest in a brand with an established customer base and proven business processes. The cost of a franchise for sale depends on many factors but you can get one for less than $5,000 in initial franchise fee if you know where to look.
To get you started, here are 15 of the best websites to buy existing franchise:
- BizBuySell.com
- Franchise Opportunities
- BizBen.com
- Franchise Flippers
- National Franchise Sales
- Franchise.org
- Franchise Business Review
- Franchise Gator
- FranchiseGrade.com
- Franchise Direct
- All USA Franchises
- America’s Best Franchises
- Franchising.com
- The Franchise Mall
- TopFranchise.com
1. BizBuySell
- Locations: International
- Offer franchise resales: Yes
- Contact franchisors directly: Yes
- Initial franchise fee from: $149
- Support: Broker
- Standout feature: Discover resale businesses and assets such as equipment
If you are unsure if you want a franchise or an established business, BizBuySell is a franchise and business portal worth exploring. Franchise summaries often include on-location photos, financial information, growth potential, and competition analysis. You need a paid membership to unlock further details, but you can contact the seller directly.
One aspect that makes BizBuySale unique is that you can look for asset sales in addition to searching for franchises and businesses. For example, there are several asset listings for restaurant equipment. You can also purchase intellectual property (I.P.), such as a food recipe.
2. Franchise Opportunities
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $149
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Useful links for start-ups, notes military discounts
Franchise Opportunities has been connecting franchisees and franchisors for over 30 years. The website is easy to use because it organizes popular franchises by industry, right on the home page. Each franchise has extended summaries that include basic financial information, potential locations, notes on the best candidates, and whether the franchiser offers a military discount.
What separates Franchise Opportunities from the competition is its overall network. The parent company has a franchise broker website called BusinessBroker.net. So, if you’re interested in a particular franchise but don’t want to start from scratch, they can help connect you with a similar resale.
3. BizBen.com
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Contact franchisors directly: Yes
- Initial franchise fee from: $3,750
- Support: Listings and links to additional resources
- Standout feature: Consultants, useful resources for buyers and sellers
BizBen is a one-stop marketplace bringing franchise sellers and buyers together for over 25 years. The site comes with a search feature equipped with categories and filters to narrow down hundreds of listings and works even if you don’t have a membership. However, you need to sign up if you want to contact a franchisor. You can also post “looking to buy” ads if you can’t find a listing that matches your requirements.
With BizBen’s long history in the industry, the site can share insightful information from its established network to benefit both new and seasoned entrepreneurs. On top of listings, users can access a trove of resources that includes a list of brokers, financers, and other industry consultants, as well as expert blogs and community forums.
4. Franchise Flippers
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: Yes
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $1
- Support: Listings, consultancy
- Standout feature: Useful resources, free franchisee membership
Franchise Flippers is an online marketplace dedicated to franchise resales that started in 2018. The membership is free to use for buyers and is equipped with a comprehensive overview of each listing such as a business profile, images, and a general franchise overview by resident experts. Once you find a franchise you like, you’ll need to contact the site manager to provide you with an introduction to the franchisor.
What’s great about Franchise Flippers is that the organization comprises industry experts on franchise resale. Franchise Flippers will provide you with special franchise-specific insight, such as reason for selling, growth opportunities, and available financing options. There are also franchise resale consultants available at no extra cost.
5. National Franchise Sales
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: Yes
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Initial franchise fee from: N/A (sign-up required)
- Support: Listings, consultancy
- Standout feature: Dedicated advisor, financing intermediary, franchise application assistance
Since 1978, National Franchise Sales has been providing franchise brokerage services to US-based entrepreneurs. Listings are primarily of popular restaurant chains where in-house brokers offer a hands-on approach to the franchise process while ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. This includes appraising the value of franchise units, screening qualified franchisees, and arranging financing options.
Franchisees can sign up for a free membership to view available listings along with the business profile, franchise summary, pricing, and initial investment cost. Once you have a shortlist of potential franchises, an in-house advisor will contact you to evaluate your options and help you acquire a franchise. Note that there is an optional non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that members are asked to sign to get complete information on their listings.
Visit National Franchise Sales
6. Franchise.org (International Franchise Association)
- Locations: USA & International
- Contact franchisors directly: Yes
- Offer franchise resales: Yes
- Initial franchise fee from: N/A (sign-up required)
- Support: Advisor and broker with membership
- Standout feature: One feature of an overall organization of franchisers
The International Franchise Association (IFA) operates Franchise.org. It lists thousands of franchise opportunities from IFA members. You can search by industry, using filters to drill down to location, investment, and even veteran status. It’s a useful tool if you know where your passion lies. The website also lets you compare franchises.
What separates the IFA website from others is its resources. The downside is that the company is a dues-paying organization. However, members can take advantage of mentoring, networking, counsel, and more.
7. Franchise Business Review
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $3,500
- Contact franchisors directly: Yes
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Franchise rating system, gives awards for best franchises
Franchise Business Review has researched over 1,100 franchise brands covering all business segments. The directory lets you search by industry, investment, and special interests, like innovation or a second career. Franchise Business Review also offers a top 200 list. You may get value from its learning center with guides and articles for franchise beginners and new owners.
This franchise website stands out from other sites because it provides excellent reviews. For each franchise, it grades them in areas, such as training, leadership, core values, community, and the overall opportunity. Franchise Business Review offers a report card and score, along with a summary of the franchise. The website has a unique questions and answers section for each franchise to know the business better.
Visit Franchise Business Review
8. Franchise Gator
- Locations: USA & International
- Offer franchise resales: Yes
- Initial franchise fee from: $795
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Support: Listings and links to additional resources
- Standout feature: Includes press releases, social media about the franchises
Franchise Gator lists hundreds of franchise opportunities around the world. After searching by industry, investment, or location, you will see an easy-to-read summary of the franchise. This franchise website offers an informational blog and lets you request information on multiple franchises at once.
What separates Franchise Gator from other websites is that the franchise summaries are thorough. If available, they will list recent information like the franchise’s X (formerly Twitter) feed, awards, and press releases. This is a great way to learn more about the franchise and its culture in a public setting.
9. FranchiseGrade.com
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $895
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Support: No-cost advisor
- Standout feature: Free access to advisors, in-depth franchise industry reports
FranchiseGrade.com shines with its in-depth reports on over 2,500 franchises in a large variety of industries. Its team has compiled in-depth reports for over 50 franchise industries. The reports include crucial information like the average initial investment for that industry and income potential. You can access these reports when you sign up for a free account.
What separates FranchiseGrade.com from competitors is its free advice with a franchise consultant. In addition to messaging them with a question, you can contact one of its experts in franchises, such as its Chief Customer Officer, VP of Franchise Development, or Chief Executive Officer. Yes—all their direct lines are listed on the website.
10. Franchise Direct
- Locations: USA & International
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $3,995
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Dedicated section for work-from-home opportunities
Franchise Direct provides information on some of the most popular franchises, such as Ace Hardware, Midas, and Huntington Learning Center. It’s a franchise portal searchable by location, investment, or industry. Also, you can browse the top trending franchises through the site.
While some sites let you filter by at-home opportunities, Franchise Direct’s website has a dedicated section for these businesses. Additionally, it provides several articles and resources to learn more about working from home. It’s an excellent place to start if you are concerned about the pandemic or prefer the at-home option.
11. ALL USA Franchises
- Locations: USA only
- Contact franchisors directly: Yes
- Initial franchise fee from: $1,295
- Offer franchise resales: Yes
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Franchise-specific resources such as lawyers, consultants, and brokers
All USA Franchises has a searchable directory of over 3,000 franchises. Its software enables potential franchisees to make interview appointments directly with franchisors on the website. It also provides a curated list of resources for potential franchisees—lawyers, brokers, advisors, and consultants.
What makes All USA Franchises unique among competitors is that it’s largely ad-free. There is only one small ad on the site. The company does not earn revenue by advertising franchises. The majority of its revenue comes from its digital marketing arm: WebFindYou, a marketing agency specializing in franchises. A franchise directory largely without ads provides a much more user-friendly experience.
12. America’s Best Franchises
- Location: USA only
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $6,995
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Suggests alternate franchises within listings
America’s Best Franchises is a comprehensive directory of thousands of successful franchises. You can search by industry, cost, and state. Franchise summaries include general information about the business, finances, history, and the number of units. It also lets you know if financing is available in-house.
What makes America’s Best Franchises unique is its well-designed website. Its easy-to-read organization makes it a breeze to learn about franchises. This website also has an informative learning center with additional links to help you find more information. You can learn about securing financing, get recommendations for business groups and magazines, and find other useful advice.
Visit America’s Best Franchises
13.Franchising.com
- Locations: USA & Canada
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $30,000
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Great information for beginners, excellent resources for learning
Franchising.com offers a wide variety of franchise opportunities. You can search by industry, investment, location, and business type, such as eco-friendly, home-based, or franchises specifically for women. The summaries are not as detailed as other sites, however; to learn more, you need to request information through Franchising.com.
This is one of the best franchise websites for information about the industry. If you’re unsure what type of business you’d like to start—this info can help you make that decision. You can find guides, articles, links, and videos. Subscribe to its free newsletter to get the latest franchise industry info delivered to your inbox.
14. The Franchise Mall
- Locations: USA only
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $275
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Support: Listings only
- Standout feature: Franchise comparisons
The Franchise Mall is a directory of thousands of available franchise opportunities in North America. The website itself is a bit clunky and hosts a bunch of ads but the listings are up-to-date and provide comprehensive business profiles. The search feature is available even if you don’t log in and can be filtered according to industry and investment cost. You can also view according to preset categories such as top franchises, top low-cost, recently added, recently updated, and various investment cost brackets.
What’s unique about this marketplace is that it allows you to compare similar franchises to a specific franchise listing. It shows franchise fees, royalty, and development costs for all franchises in the same category (i.e. kiosk vending franchises). You can contact the franchisor directly, however, you’ll need to look for the company’s contact information on your own.
15. TopFranchise.com
- Location: USA & International
- Contact franchisors directly: No
- Initial franchise fee from: $140
- Offer franchise resales: No
- Support: Listings-only
- Standout feature: Largest selection of international franchises
TopFranchise.com provides thousands of franchises from around the world. The franchise listings are well-curated and read more like a blog than a stale directory listing. If you’re considering starting your own franchise, it has quality resources and provides a no-cost consultation from an advisor.
What separates TopFranchise.com from other websites is its international reach. Browse available franchises in countries like India, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. If you’re interested in bringing a different, international franchise to the US, this is a great website to start your search.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
These are a few common questions we see about franchises for sale.
The best place to look for franchise opportunities is in online marketplaces, like those listed above. It offers a trove of business information plus additional features, such as comparison tools and consultancy services, to help you reach your franchising goal.
The quick answer is yes, although less common. Also referred to as franchise resales, an existing franchise can be available because the previous owner was unsuccessful (fixer-upper), the franchise is growing but the previous owner can no longer manage the business for personal reasons (on-track), or the previous owner is selling a highly successful franchise for top dollar (cash cow).
Owning a franchise can be profitable with the right planning and management. According to Franchise Business Review, the average annual income of franchise owners who own two to four units is $142,638[1].
Bottom Line
Franchising is a great business venture to consider, whether you are a new or seasoned entrepreneur. With the internet providing easy access to information, researching franchises for sale is as simple as looking for marketplaces that list franchise opportunities online. The 15 listed above are some of the best websites to buy a franchise and should help make sure that your franchising journey is off to a great start.
