Fitness franchises split into two very different businesses: boutique studios (F45, Orangetheory, Club Pilates, CycleBar) that sell high-priced memberships from a small footprint, and full gyms (Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, Gold's Gym) that sell cheaper memberships to far more people. Published capital requirements in our directory run from "over $100,000 liquid" for a 24/7 neighborhood gym up to a $1.8M–$4.5M build for a large-format Gold's Gym. Pick the model first, then the brand.
Open fitness franchise programs
These tables pull franchise programs currently listed in the PartnersWatch directory. Investment and fee figures come from each franchisor's own franchise page, as recorded on the listing. Franchisors update their numbers every year when the new disclosure document lands, so treat anything here as a starting point and confirm it in the current FDD.
| Program | Partner types | Terms | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| CycleBar | Franchisee | Total investment $410,809 - $1,110,193 per the 2025 FDD | Royalty |
| Club Pilates | Franchisee | On request | — |
| Hand & Stone | Franchisee | On request | — |
| European Wax Center | Franchisee | $327,600–$836,950 total investment (2025 FDD) | Royalty |
| Snap Fitness | Franchisee | On request | — |
| F45 Training | Franchisee | On request | — |
| Gold's Gym | Franchisee | $40K franchise fee; initial investment $1,793,500 to $4,537,000 | Royalty |
| Orangetheory Fitness | Franchisee | $350K liquid capital with $1M net worth | — |
| Anytime Fitness | Franchisee | Candidates typically need over $100,000 in liquid capital | — |
If you'd rather browse everything, the franchisee listings and the fitness and wellness category are the full lists.
What a gym franchise actually costs
People search "gym franchise cost" expecting one number. There isn't one, and the spread is huge. Here is what the brands in our directory say on their own pages:
| Brand | What they publish | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Gold's Gym | $40K franchise fee; initial investment $1,793,500 to $4,537,000; 5% royalty on monthly gross sales (US) plus 3% to marketing | Large-format strength gym, 15k–25k sq ft |
| CycleBar | Total investment $410,809 to $1,110,193 (2025 FDD); $250,000 liquid capital and $500,000 net worth | Indoor-cycling studio |
| Orangetheory Fitness | $350K liquid capital with $1M net worth | Heart-rate group training studio |
| Anytime Fitness | Candidates typically need over $100,000 in liquid capital | 24/7 neighborhood gym |
| Snap Fitness | No figure on the listing | Neighborhood gym |
| F45 Training, FS8, VAURA Pilates | No figure on the listing | Functional training and reformer Pilates studios |
| Club Pilates | No figure on the listing | Reformer Pilates studio |
A few things jump out.
Liquid capital is not total investment. Orangetheory's $350K is cash you need to show, not the full cost of opening. Anytime Fitness is the same: "over $100,000 liquid" tells you who they'll talk to, not what the build-out will run. Lenders, equipment leases and SBA loans cover the gap, and your liquidity is what makes that borrowing possible.
Net worth requirements filter harder than fees. A $1M net worth bar (Orangetheory) or $500K (CycleBar) rules out most first-time buyers before the franchise fee even comes up.
Big-box is a different game. Gold's Gym's range starts near $1.8M because you're fitting out 15,000+ square feet of strength equipment. That's a real-estate and financing business as much as a fitness one.
When a brand doesn't publish a number, it's usually in Item 7 of the Franchise Disclosure Document. Ask for it before your second call. If they won't send it, that tells you something too.
Boutique studios vs full gyms
This is the decision that matters, so spend time on it.
Boutique studios (F45, Orangetheory, Club Pilates, CycleBar) sell one class format at a premium. Footprints are small, staffing is coach-heavy, and revenue lives or dies on recurring memberships. The upside is high revenue per square foot. The downside is that you're selling a trend, and trends rotate. Indoor cycling had its peak; reformer Pilates is having one now. Ask any studio franchisor how their oldest units are doing, not their newest.
Full gyms (Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, Gold's Gym) sell access. Lower price per member, far more members, less dependence on any one class style. 24/7 models keep staffing lean because the gym runs unattended most hours. The risk is local competition: a budget chain opening down the road can take your price-sensitive members overnight.
My honest take: if you've never run a staffed business, the 24/7 neighborhood gym is the more forgiving model. If you have a sales background and a strong local network, a boutique studio rewards hustle in a way a gym doesn't.
Brand notes
F45 franchise (and FS8, VAURA Pilates)
F45 now sells under FIT House of Brands, which franchises three concepts on one platform: F45 Training, the low-impact FS8 format, and VAURA athletic reformer Pilates. The group reports roughly 1,500 studios in more than 55 countries. The useful part for a buyer is that you can compare all three concepts with the same franchise team, and owners share programming, education, technology and marketing support. Our listing doesn't carry an investment figure, so get Item 7 for whichever concept you're considering. See the listing.
Orangetheory franchise
Orangetheory runs heart-rate-based group sessions and awards single studios, area developer rights and master franchise rights in 25 countries. It's upfront that development slots are very limited relative to inquiries, and its bar is $350K liquid capital plus $1M net worth. Support covers real estate, operations, marketing, construction and design. This is a buyer-qualifies-for-them situation, not the other way around. See the listing.
Club Pilates franchise
Club Pilates sells reformer Pilates on a recurring membership model. Owners get the brand's national vendor relationships (which matters a lot when you're buying a room full of reformers) and training in sales, membership recruitment and retail. If you're searching "pilates franchise", this and VAURA Pilates are the two to compare. No investment figure on our listing yet. See the listing.
CycleBar franchise
Indoor cycling on a membership model, with ongoing training, weekly and monthly webinars and one-on-one support. The published total investment of $410,809 to $1,110,193 and the $250K liquid / $500K net worth bar make it one of the more transparent studio brands. See the listing.
Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness
Both are neighborhood gym franchises with long track records. Anytime Fitness reports a 6,000+ location network across seven continents and offers flexible club prototypes, which helps if your site is awkward. Snap Fitness reports 1,000+ clubs and 800,000 members across 17 countries and walks new owners from site selection to grand opening. Anytime Fitness · Snap Fitness.
Gold's Gym
The legacy strength brand, now part of RSG Group, franchises 15k–25k square foot gyms in 30 countries. This is the only fitness listing we have with a royalty on the page: 5% of monthly gross sales in the US plus 3% of revenue to marketing. Budget for that 8% when you model margins. See the listing.
Beyond fitness: home services and retail
A lot of people looking at gyms are really looking for "a franchise with recurring revenue that I can manage rather than work in." If that's you, home services deserve a look. They tend to need less real estate and no equipment-heavy build-out.
- Mr. Handyman (Neighborly): initial investment $161,900–$215,000, including a $67,000 franchise fee. The model is explicitly for owners who manage a team rather than do repairs themselves. 365+ North American locations.
- SERVPRO: fire, water, mold, storm and biohazard restoration, with 2,400+ franchises and in-house financing for qualified buyers. No investment figure on the listing. Restoration is insurance-driven work, so demand doesn't depend on consumer mood, which is the main reason people searching "servpro franchise opportunities" are interested in the first place.
- Batteries Plus (retail): $49,500 franchise fee, initial investment $262,646 to $496,996, minimum $125,000 liquid capital. It's currently advertising $107,000+ in incentives for stores opened by the end of 2026, plus discounts for veterans and first responders.
And for completeness, since it comes up in the same searches: Burger King now grows in the US mainly through multi-unit acquisitions by proven operators. If you haven't run restaurants before, it's not really an open door.
For lower-cost options across every category, our guide to choosing a franchise covers how to read royalties and disclosure documents in more depth.
How to check a fitness franchise before you sign
- Get the FDD early. Item 7 (initial investment), Item 19 (financial performance, if they publish one) and Item 20 (unit openings, closures and transfers) are the three to read first.
- Call owners the franchisor didn't pick for you. Item 20 lists current and former franchisees. Call the former ones. Ask why they left.
- Model churn, not just sign-ups. Fitness memberships cancel. Ask what monthly attrition looks like at a mature studio and build your projections on that.
- Check territory protection. Two studios of the same brand three miles apart will eat each other. Find out exactly what your territory is and whether it's written into the agreement.
- Price the refresh. Equipment wears out and concepts get rebranded. Ask what the franchisor required existing owners to spend on remodels in the last five years.
- Talk to a franchise attorney. A few hours of legal review is the cheapest insurance you'll buy in this process.
PartnersWatch is an independent directory. We list these programs from each franchisor's own public page and aren't paid by them. Brands can claim or correct their listing at any time.
FAQ
How much does it cost to open a gym franchise?
It depends heavily on format. In our directory, published figures range from "over $100,000 in liquid capital" for Anytime Fitness to an initial investment of $1,793,500 to $4,537,000 for a large-format Gold's Gym. Boutique studios like CycleBar sit in between at $410,809 to $1,110,193.
How much does an F45 franchise cost?
FIT House of Brands, which franchises F45 Training, FS8 and VAURA Pilates, doesn't publish an investment figure on the page our listing is based on. Ask the franchise team for the current Franchise Disclosure Document; Item 7 lists the full estimated initial investment.
What do you need to open an Orangetheory franchise?
Orangetheory asks for $350K in liquid capital and a $1M net worth. It also says development slots are very limited compared with the number of inquiries it receives.
Is a Pilates franchise a good investment?
Reformer Pilates is in demand right now, and Club Pilates and VAURA Pilates both run on recurring memberships, which helps. The risk is that boutique formats follow trends. Check how the brand's oldest studios are performing and what equipment refreshes cost before committing.
Which fitness franchise is cheapest to start?
Of the programs in our directory that publish numbers, the neighborhood 24/7 gym model (Anytime Fitness, with a liquid capital bar of over $100,000) has the lowest published threshold. Several brands don't publish figures, so request the FDD from each before comparing.
What are the best franchise programs outside fitness?
If you want recurring revenue without a gym build-out, home services such as Mr. Handyman ($161,900–$215,000 initial investment) or restoration through SERVPRO are worth comparing. Browse all franchisee listings to see what's open.
Do fitness franchises charge royalties?
Almost all do. Gold's Gym is the one fitness listing in our directory that publishes its rate on the page: 5% of monthly gross sales in the US plus 3% of revenue to marketing. For other brands, check Item 6 of the disclosure document.