AdvantaClean franchise unit economics
AdvantaClean franchisees run mold, water and air duct remediation businesses that bill insurers and homeowners by the job, usually working more than one territory as one operation.
AdvantaClean franchise at a glance
The 22 AdvantaClean franchisees who reported a full 2025 profit and loss averaged further adjusted EBITDA of 18.03% of revenue. AdvantaClean’s FDD defines adjusted EBITDA as gross profit less marketing, office, rent, insurance, vehicle, equipment, franchise fees and other overhead, with office wages, benefits and owner pay added back, and further adjusted EBITDA restates it at the current fees.
AdvantaClean franchisees averaged $829,475 of sales in 2025, with a median of $616,099, according to Item 19 of AdvantaClean’s 2026 FDD, issued 25 March 2026. The 22 in that group are 31%* of AdvantaClean’s 70 locations. Fees paid to AdvantaClean come to about 10.95%* of sales. An AdvantaClean franchise costs $171,474 to $309,944 to open.
- An AdvantaClean franchise costs $171,474 to $309,944 to open, including a $59,900 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- AdvantaClean charges a royalty of 7% of sales and a 1% brand fund contribution.
- At the average AdvantaClean location, wages took 32.68% and cost of goods took 17.06% of sales.
- Work out AdvantaClean's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from AdvantaClean's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- Under current fees, $178,361 of profit becomes $149,554.That is 21.50% of revenue down to 18.03%, a 3.47-point haircut.
- Royalty falls by whole-month group: 7% below $100,000, then 6%, 5% and 4%.That creates a step. A month billing $85,715 to $100,000 costs more royalty than a month billing $100,001.
- From year three the minimum royalty is $2,000 a month per territory, worth $28,571 of monthly revenue at 7%.The median franchisee bills $25,671 per territory a month, so the median pays the minimum at an effective 7.79%.
- Fixed annual obligations run $52,176 before a dollar of royalty.That is $36,000 of required local advertising plus $16,176 of technology, marketing management and online presence. That is 8.47% of median revenue.
- The system went from 142 territories to 70 in three years, with zero transfers.AdvantaClean had 2 openings against 74 departures, 16 of which converted to a sister brand. 24 openings are projected for 2026.
How much does an AdvantaClean franchise make?
The average AdvantaClean unit reported $829,475 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $616,099. The brand’s disclosure document puts further adjusted EBITDA at 18% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 10.9% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Cost of goods, direct labor, rent and the franchise fees come out of that figure, and office wages and owner pay are added back. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Service mix
System revenue by service line, 2025
| Service line | Share of system revenue | Share at average revenue * |
|---|---|---|
| Mold | 40.80% | $338,426 |
| Water | 23.40% | $194,097 |
| Air duct | 11.30% | $93,731 |
| Reconstruction | 8.00% | $66,358 |
| Contents | 7.70% | $63,870 |
| Other | 3.50% | $29,032 |
| Moisture control | 3.30% | $27,373 |
| Fire | 1.60% | $13,272 |
| Sanitization | 0.30% | $2,488 |
| Radon | 0.10% | $829 |
| Coil | 0.00% | n/a |
| Total | 100.00% | $829,475 |
Shares are as the brand reported it and represent total system revenue instead of an average. The dollar column is marked *, applying each share to the $829,475 average revenue as an illustration of scale.
Mold and water are 64.20% of system revenue. Add air duct and three lines take 75.50%. Seven of the eleven lines together account for 16.50%, and three of them round to under half a point.
The growth standard requires 10% in every service line. Absent an individual performance standard set by the franchisor, the default is a 10% increase in total sales and in sales for each service line. Applied to the system shares, that asks for 10% growth on a radon line at 0.10% of revenue and a coil line at 0.00%. So the standard as written applies even to lines that make up almost none of revenue.
Reconstruction is 8.00% of revenue and the only line at 3% royalty. So 92.00% of system revenue sits on the 7% to 4% scale. For a franchisee weighing whether to build capacity in rebuild work, the fee advantage is four points on the portion that qualifies. That is worth $2,654 on the average franchisee's current reconstruction volume *.
There is no exclusive territory. The designated territory has protected rights over roughly 80,000 owner-occupied households. A franchisee may face competition from other franchisees, from franchisor-owned outlets and from competitive brands the franchisor controls. The call center routes customers, which puts lead allocation inside the franchisor’s system.
Top performers
What separates the top AdvantaClean performers
AdvantaClean publishes a range for its franchisees instead of grouped averages. The highest-selling of the 22 AdvantaClean franchisees reporting all of 2025 had $4,981,598 of revenue. The lowest-selling AdvantaClean franchisee in that group had $82,960. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $616,099. The average was $829,475. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The highest-selling AdvantaClean franchisee sells 60.0× the lowest-selling one. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $171,474 to $309,944, a 1.8× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 10.9% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
Live operating levers
- Wages.Wages take 32.7% of sales, against further adjusted EBITDA of 18.0%. The levers are staff productivity, scheduling against demand hour by hour, and the balance of base pay to commission.
- Jobs.Each job is won separately. Track how many quotes turn into work and the average job value.
- Memberships and rebooking.A recurring plan turns appointments into a monthly subscription and keeps the schedule fuller. Rebooking before the customer leaves keeps it full.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 22 of 70 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no attainment figure. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
Profit and loss
Profit and loss for reporting franchisees, 2025
| Line | Average | Share of revenue | Median | Median share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sales | $829,475 | 100.00% | $616,099 | 100.00% |
| Cost of goods sold | $141,496 | 17.06% | $65,732 | 10.67% |
| Direct labor | $271,090 | 32.68% | $177,656 | 28.84% |
| Gross profit | $416,889 | 50.26% | $313,414 | 50.87% |
| Adjusted profit | $178,361 | 21.50% | $142,978 | 23.21% |
| Further adjusted EBITDA, at current fees | $149,554 | 18.03% | $118,036 | 19.16% |
As the brand reported it.
Current fees take $28,807 off the average profit line and $24,942 off the median. 21.50% becomes 18.03%; 23.21% becomes 19.16%. The 18.03% restates the same businesses under the fee schedule AdvantaClean offers now.
Direct labor takes 32.68% of revenue and materials take 17.06%. Together they take 49.74%, leaving gross profit at 50.26%. At the median the same lines take 28.84% and 10.67% for a gross profit of 50.87%. So the middle of the distribution runs lighter on both.
One point of gross profit is worth $8,295 at the average. That is 5.5% of the restated $149,554 profit line *.
The largest franchisee runs 31.06% gross profit against 63.94% at the smallest. That is $4,981,598 of revenue against $82,960. The big one has 32.07% cost of goods and 36.85% direct labor; the small one is nearly all labor it performs itself. Scale in this model arrives with reconstruction work attached, and reconstruction comes with materials.
Profit runs from $656,277 to a loss of $71,198 across the 22. Under current fees, it runs from $583,538 to a loss of $89,768. The high franchisee keeps 13.17% of revenue and the low one loses 85.82% of it.
The royalty steps
Royalty rate by monthly sales
| Monthly sales | Royalty rate | Royalty at the top of the group | Royalty just above it * | Saved by crossing * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $100,000 | 7.0% | $7,000 | $6,000 | $1,000 |
| $100,000.01 to $150,000 | 6.0% | $9,000 | $7,500 | $1,500 |
| $150,000.01 to $200,000 | 5.0% | $10,000 | $8,000 | $2,000 |
| $200,000.01 and above | 4.0% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Reconstruction and reduced rate services | 3.0% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
The rates and groups are as the brand reported it; the last three columns are marked *, applying each rate to the group boundary.
A month billing $85,715 to $100,000 costs more royalty than a month billing $100,001. That is $6,000 at 6% against up to $7,000 at 7% *. The same pattern repeats at $125,001 to $150,000 against $150,001, and at $160,001 to $200,000 against $200,001. At AdvantaClean, the month an invoice is dated in decides which royalty rate applies to it.
Crossing $200,000 in a month cuts the rate to 4%. It falls from 7%, which is three points of revenue. On a $200,001 month the fee falls to $8,000 from the $14,000 a straight 7% would take. That matters for a franchisee running seasonal water damage volume, who can concentrate a surge inside one month.
Reconstruction has 3% and is 8.00% of system revenue. It is also billed outside sales for group purposes. So reconstruction dollars avoid the higher rate, and they also do not push the rest of the month into a lower group. An owner weighing whether to take the rebuild after the mitigation now has the fee side of that decision in numbers.
Minimum monthly royalty
| Months open | Minimum monthly royalty per territory | Monthly revenue it implies at 7% * | Annual revenue per territory it implies * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | Zero minimum | n/a | n/a |
| 7 to 12 | $500 | $7,143 | $85,714 |
| Second year | $1,250 | $17,857 | $214,286 |
| Third year and beyond | $2,000 | $28,571 | $342,857 |
The schedule is as the brand reported it; the implied revenue columns are marked *, dividing each minimum by the 7% first-group rate.
The median franchisee bills $25,671 per territory a month and the minimum asks for $28,571. So the median pays $48,000 of royalty against the $43,127 that 7% would produce, $4,873 more, at an effective 7.79% *. The gap closes at $342,857 of annual revenue per territory.
Adding a territory adds $24,000 a year of minimum from its third year. A second territory has to reach $342,857 of its own revenue before it stops costing more in royalty than it generates at the rate. Average revenue per territory is $405,521 *, so the typical second territory clears it, with $62,664 of room.
At $82,960 of revenue the minimum alone is $24,000, 28.9% of the year's billing. That franchisee's reported profit is a loss of $71,198, deepening to $89,768 under current fees. The minimum is the mechanism that makes a thin territory expensive, and it arrives in full from month 25.
What the fees come to at each size
| Franchisee | Revenue | Royalty | Brand fund and call center at 2% | Fixed monthly fees | Fees to the franchisor | Plus required local advertising | Total share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest reporting | $4,981,598 | $348,712 | $99,632 | $16,176 | $464,520 | $500,520 | 10.0% |
| Average | $829,475 | $58,063 | $16,590 | $16,176 | $90,829 | $126,829 | 15.3% |
| Median | $616,099 | $48,000 | $12,322 | $16,176 | $76,498 | $112,498 | 18.3% |
| Lowest reporting | $82,960 | $24,000 | $1,659 | $16,176 | $41,835 | $77,835 | 93.8% |
We built this from the filed rates and the filed revenue figures.
The obligation runs 10.0% of revenue at the top and 93.8% at the bottom. The fixed $52,176 of advertising and monthly fees is why: it is 1.0% of revenue for the largest franchisee and 62.9% for the smallest *.
$36,000 of local advertising is required whatever the revenue. That is 5.84% at the median and 0.72% at the top. A shortfall can be collected by the franchisor and spent for them.
Brand fund and call center take 2% today and may rise to 7%. The brand fund may rise from 1% to 3% and the call center from 1% to 4%. On median revenue that headroom is worth $30,805 a year *, roughly a quarter of the restated profit line, so it belongs in any long-range plan as a stated risk.
The network and what it costs to open
Franchised territories, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminations | Non-renewals | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 142 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 101 | 0 |
| 2024 | 101 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 82 | 0 |
| 2025 | 82 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 70 | 0 |
As the brand reported it; every row reconciles exactly.
The system lost 50.7% of its territories in three years. That is 142 to 70, with 2 openings against 74 departures. AdvantaClean departures were 41 in 2023, 20 in 2024 and 13 in 2025. The 13 departures in 2025 were 15.9% of the 82 territories at the start of that year *.
Zero territories transferred to a new owner in three years. AdvantaClean recorded no transfers while 74 territories left the system.
24 openings are projected for 2026 against 2 across the prior three years. No agreements are signed and waiting. The 24 projected openings are twelve times the 2 openings of 2023 to 2025.
16 of the 43 other departures moved to a sister brand. Those 16 owners moved to another brand owned by the same group, and the other 58 departures left the group.
What it costs to open a territory
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Tools, equipment and initial inventory | $65,000 | $75,000 |
| Initial franchise fee | $59,900 | $73,900 |
| Vehicle | $0 | $60,000 |
| Additional funds, three months | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Grand opening marketing | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Insurance deposit and initial premiums | $3,500 | $9,000 |
| Opening assistance fee | $7,500 | $7,500 |
| Security deposits and rent | $0 | $8,000 |
| Vehicle enhancements and wrap | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Industry certifications, licenses and training | $1,000 | $10,000 |
| Travel to training | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Business management and technology system | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Office furniture | $0 | $2,000 |
| Professional fees | $500 | $2,000 |
| Technology fee, three months | $1,797 | $1,797 |
| Marketing management fee, three months | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Online local presence fee, three months | $747 | $747 |
| Credit card processing technology | $30 | $500 |
| Total | $171,474 | $309,944 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Discounts available
- AdvantaClean takes 15% off both the Initial Franchise Fee and the Initial Territory Fee for current or honorably discharged U.S. veterans and their spouses.
- AdvantaClean charges a $32,000 territory fee instead of $40,000 for a second territory bought at the same time as the first.
From Item 5 of the AdvantaClean 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Tools and inventory at $65,000 to $75,000 is the largest single line. It is larger than the franchise fee at the low end. This is equipment-led work (dehumidifiers, air movers, containment, meters) and the kit has to exist before the first job. The vehicle line adds $0 to $60,000.
The build is 0.21 to 0.37 times the average franchisee's revenue. That is $171,474 to $309,944 against $829,475, or 0.28 to 0.50 times the median $616,099 *. Against the restated profit line of $149,554, the high column is 2.1 years of profit at the average.
Working capital (cash to run the business day to day) of $15,000 to $30,000 covers three months. Against fixed obligations of $52,176 a year ($13,044 a quarter of advertising and monthly fees alone) that range leaves very little for wages and materials in a quarter where the phone stays quiet. The minimum royalty has yet to start at that point, which is the only relief in the first six months.
The fee charged in 2025 was structured differently from the one on offer. That is $4,250 to $5,000 of franchise fee plus $34,000 to $40,000 of territory fee, against a single $59,900 to $73,900 figure now. An existing owner weighing a second territory should note that the same filing prices an additional territory bought at the same time at $32,000.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does an AdvantaClean franchise make?
AdvantaClean franchisees averaged $829,475 of sales in 2025, with a median of $616,099, according to Item 19 of AdvantaClean’s 2026 FDD, issued 25 March 2026. The 22 in that group are 31%* of AdvantaClean’s 70 locations. Fees paid to AdvantaClean come to about 10.95%* of sales. An AdvantaClean franchise costs $171,474 to $309,944 to open.
What should an AdvantaClean business be billing?
The 22 franchisees who operated and reported for all of 2025 averaged $829,475 of revenue with a median of $616,099, a low of $82,960 and a high of $4,981,598. They held a median and average of 2 territories each, with a maximum of 6 and a minimum of 1. That works out at roughly $405,521 of revenue per territory. The wider population is 34 franchisees across 69 territories open 12 months or more at the end of 2025. One franchisee in one territory had been open less than 12 months.
What does an AdvantaClean profit and loss look like?
On average revenue of $829,475, AdvantaClean franchisees reported cost of goods sold of $141,496 (17.06%), direct labor of $271,090 (32.68%), gross profit of $416,889 (50.26%) and adjusted EBITDA of $178,361 (21.50%). Restated by the franchisor under its current fee schedule, further adjusted EBITDA becomes $149,554 (18.03%). At the median the figures are $616,099 of revenue, 50.87% gross profit, $142,978 of adjusted EBITDA (23.21%) and $118,036 restated (19.16%). Adjusted profit adds back indirect salaries, benefits and owner compensation, so it describes what the business produces before the owner is paid.
What fees does AdvantaClean charge?
Royalty is the greater of a rate or a minimum. The rate is 7% of monthly sales below $100,000, 6% from there to $150,000, 5% to $200,000 and 4% above, applied to the whole month. Reconstruction and reduced-rate services pay 3% and are excluded from the group calculation. The minimum is $500 a month per territory in months 7 to 12, $1,250 in the second year and $2,000 from the third year. No minimum applies in the first six months. On top sit a 1% brand fund contribution that may rise to 3%, a 1% call center fee that may rise to 4%, a $599 monthly technology fee that may rise 25% a year, a $500 monthly marketing management fee, a $249 monthly online local presence fee. The local advertising requirement is $36,000 a year spent with third parties.
What growth does the agreement require at AdvantaClean?
Absent an individual minimum performance standard for a calendar year, the default requirement is a 10% increase in total sales and a 10% increase in sales for each service line. The territory has protected rights: a franchisee may face competition from other franchisees, from outlets the franchisor owns and from competitive brands the franchisor controls. The franchisor’s call center routes and assigns customer work inside the designated territory.
Who does bookkeeping for an AdvantaClean franchise?
Three mechanics here make the monthly close consequential. The royalty rate is set by the month's sales as a whole, with steps at $100,000, $150,000 and $200,000. So revenue recognition timing inside a month changes the fee. A business billing near a boundary needs its invoicing calendar managed. The minimum royalty of $2,000 a month per territory from year three has to be accrued against the greater of rate or minimum. That means the accrual differs from 7% of sales for any territory under $28,571 of monthly revenue. The median reporting franchisee sits below that. And reconstruction revenue is carried at 3% and excluded from the group calculation on everything else. So the chart of accounts has to separate it cleanly or the royalty calculation is wrong in both directions at once. Underneath all three sits the split between cost of goods and direct labor. That runs 17.06% and 32.68% at the average and 10.67% and 28.84% at the median, a range wide enough that job-level costing is what tells an owner which jobs are worth taking. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- The filing gives no attainment figure. The filing does not say how many locations reached the average it publishes.
Questions worth putting to AdvantaClean
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- Which factors does AdvantaClean see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many AdvantaClean locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Which side of $28,571 a month is each territory on at AdvantaClean?
We review your unit economics, cash forecast and reporting, built around the royalty groups and the minimum that decide this model.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from AdvantaClean Systems, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. AdvantaClean® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: AdvantaClean Systems, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 25 March 2026.
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Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?It explains what each role owns and when the next hire pays for itself.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?It traces where the extra revenue went, line by line.