Great Clips vs Sport Clips franchise USA 2026: which one wins on real numbers?
Great Clips is the lighter bet on entry — $188K vs $237K (about $49K less). Great Clips runs the bigger network at 4441 vs 1702 outlets.
01 What actually matters
Numbers that separate them on a 5-year horizon — not the franchise-development pitch.
Great Clips is expanding fastest here — 101 outlets per year since founding in 1982. High-velocity brands signal momentum but also mean new territory for individual franchisees gets handed out quickly; lock in your preferred area early.
Great Clips charges 6% royalty on revenue — recurring, uncapped, and deducted before your own margin is calculated. Factor it into every pro-forma.
One-time franchise fees are worth noting (FDD Item 5): Sport Clips charges $70K upfront on top of the setup capex. This is a non-refundable sunk cost before revenue begins — bake it into your at-risk capital calculation.
02 The numbers, visualised
Primary format per brand, from FDD Item 7. A brand's smaller express or non-traditional formats can cost materially less.
Initial investment (FDD Item 7)
Total initial investment, low end of each brand's FDD Item 7 range for its primary format. Several US brands also run smaller express, non-traditional or conversion formats at materially lower investment — check the brand page for the full Item 7 table.
Network scale — total outlets
Total US outlets from FDD Item 20. Bigger networks mean more brand recognition and supplier scale; smaller ones mean less intra-brand competition in your trade area.
Customer ratings
Which brand's outlets are rated higher by customers, aggregated across locations. Exact star rating and review volume are in Brand Health.
Direction only — the underlying rating & review count are Pro data.
03 Side-by-side
Straight from each brand’s FDD. Green badge marks the more favourable value for a typical first-time operator.
| Metric | Great Clips | Sport Clips |
|---|---|---|
| Initial investment (Item 7) | $188K ↓ Lower | $237K |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 6% | 6% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Min space (sq ft) | 900 ↓ Smaller | 1000 |
| Total US outlets (Item 20) | 4441 ↑ Bigger | 1702 |
| Franchise fee (Item 5) | $20K ↓ Lower | $70K |
| Additional funds | — | — |
Not sure if Great Clips or Sport Clips actually fits *you*?
BrandFit asks 6 visual questions about your operator profile, capital, and location — then ranks all 184 brands by predicted success-fit for your situation. See where these brands really stand for someone like you.
Ready to talk to Great Clips or Sport Clips?
FRANticc is independently run. We are not the franchisor, and neither brand pays us. Submit your enquiry through either brand’s page.
04 Explore these brands in depth
Same data plus the full FDD breakdown, fee load, contract fairness and SBA lending picture — free on every brand page.
· Related comparisons
Visitors researching this pair often look at these.
05 Frequently asked
Wrapped in FAQPage JSON-LD for SERP rich-result eligibility.
What is the minimum space required for a Beauty & Personal Care franchise?
Among these brands, the smallest footprint is Great Clips at 900+ sqft. Square footage is only half the site test — most US franchisors also specify traffic counts, co-tenancy, parking ratios and a trade-area population in the franchise agreement, and will reject a site that hits the minimum footprint but misses those.
Which Beauty & Personal Care brand has the largest network in the US?
Great Clips operates the largest network among these — 4441 outlets. Large networks offer more brand recognition and supplier scale, but also mean denser intra-brand competition in already-saturated markets.
Can I own multiple Beauty & Personal Care franchises?
Yes — multi-unit ownership is the norm in mature US Beauty & Personal Care systems, and most franchisors sell it as an area development agreement: a fee paid up front for the right to open N units on a fixed schedule inside a defined territory. The terms sit in FDD Items 5 and 12. Miss the development schedule and the franchisor can usually reclaim the territory, so treat the schedule as a covenant, not a target.
What is the typical contract term for these Beauty & Personal Care franchises?
Contract terms among these brands range from Great Clips (10-yr term · renewal at Great Clips' sole discretion for additional 10 yrs · must sign then-current agreement); Sport Clips (Text missing from provided document snippet.). Shorter terms offer renewal leverage but can mean the brand exits a weak market; longer terms lock you in but often include renewal fees. Always clarify renewal terms in writing before signing the initial contract.