The Franchise 500 is more than just the world’s first and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Now in its 47th year, this ranking is a snapshot of the franchise industry— capturing what has changed, what has stayed the same, and why franchising continues to be such an attractive model both for business owners looking to grow their brands and entrepreneurial hopefuls looking for a business to start.

In this year’s ranking, you’ll find brands and industries of all types. Some have been around since our first Franchise 500 (and even earlier!). Others are innovative newcomers, including companies in novel industries such as virtual reality, hormone replacement therapy, and indoor air-quality services. They’re all proof that franchising is still a powerful engine for growth, and that, for prospective franchisees, the possibilities are almost endless.

If you’re considering franchise ownership, this list can be a valuable tool in your search for the right opportunity—whether you’re looking to join up with an older, proven brand or get in on the ground floor of what could be the next big thing. We rank the top 500, but also list all the other franchises whose information we verified. That’s a total of more than 1,300 companies across more than 160 industry categories.

So, how do we determine which of those companies earned a coveted spot in our Franchise 500 ranking? Read on to find out.

The Five Pillars of the Franchise 500^®

Some key factors that go into our evaluation:

Note: Pillars are not listed in order of importance or weighting.

Our ranking process begins by gathering the data. Starting in June 2025, we asked franchisors to fill out an online application and submit a copy of their current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) or Canadian Disclosure Document. A grand total of 1,354 companies supplied all the required information this year. Each submission was vetted by our editorial team before being entered for data analysis.

To be eligible to rank, a franchisor must be seeking new franchisees in the U.S. or Canada and must have had a minimum of 10 units open and operating as of July 31, 2025, with at least one franchise located in North America. Each eligible franchisor was scored based on more than 150 data points, and those with the highest cumulative scores became this year’s Franchise 500. (An overview of the data points can be seen above.)

Note: The Franchise 500 is not intended to endorse, advertise, or recommend any particular franchise. It is solely a tool to compare franchise operations. You should always conduct your own careful research before investing in a franchise. Read the FDD and related materials, get help from a franchise attorney and an accountant to review legal and financial documents, talk to as many existing and former franchisees as possible, and visit their outlets. Protect yourself by doing your due diligence to find the opportunity that’s best for you.

Research compiled by Tracy Stapp Herold, Jordan Hall, and Michael Frazier, with assistance from Sean Strain, June Munoz, Alisha Bajaj, Ava Brooks, and Natasha Libombo; technical assistance from Michael Flach and Angel Cool.