Non-Medical Home Care Franchise vs. Starting Your Own

What five years costs on each path, counting every cost we can source on both sides. Change the revenue to see how royalties grow with your sales.

Preview: figures awaiting verification

Some numbers on this page haven't been checked against their sources yet.

At a glance

Non-Medical Home Care: franchise vs. independent
	Franchise (4 brands)	Independent
Franchise fee	$49,500 – $54,000	$0
Initial investment	$89,725 – $350,550	$25,165 – $70,165*
Ongoing royalties	5% – 6% of revenue	None
Operating costs (5 years)	$27,240 – $44,740	$27,240 – $44,740
Brand, training, and support	Included	You build your own
5-year total cost	$197,661 – $678,667	$52,405 – $114,905*

Franchise fee
Franchise (4 brands)
$49,500 – $54,000
Independent
$0
Initial investment
Franchise (4 brands)
$89,725 – $350,550
Independent
$25,165 – $70,165*
Ongoing royalties
Franchise (4 brands)
5% – 6% of revenue
Independent
None
Operating costs (5 years)
Franchise (4 brands)
$27,240 – $44,740
Independent
$27,240 – $44,740
Brand, training, and support
Franchise (4 brands)
Included
Independent
You build your own
5-year total cost
Franchise (4 brands)
$197,661 – $678,667
Independent
$52,405 – $114,905*

5-year totals assume $212,070–$484,824 in yearly revenue (our forecast presets at full volume), the same sourced operating costs (insurance, software, fees) on both paths, and both the lean and professional independent plans. Franchise investment figures come from each brand's disclosure (FDD Item 7) and already include the franchise fee. * Excludes independent startup lines we haven't sourced yet.

What franchisees report taking in

From each brand's own disclosure (FDD Item 19), copied exactly. These are gross sales before royalties and costs, not profit, and not a promise of what you will earn.

Right at Home
Item 19 reports 2025 net billings (revenue, not profit) for 390 offices, split by how long each office has been open; this is the only brand here that shows offices in their second year separately, so we lead with those.
- Median 2025 net billings, offices open 13–24 months (19 offices; revenue, not profit)$448,134 a year
- Average 2025 net billings, offices open 13–24 months (19 offices; revenue, not profit)$491,975 a year
- Median 2025 net billings, offices open 25–36 months (14 offices; revenue, not profit)$718,951 a year
- Median 2025 net billings, all 390 offices open a year or more — mature system: 332 of them open over five years (revenue, not profit)$1,334,579 a year
Griswold Home Care
Item 19 reports 2025 gross receipts by territory count, quartile and years in the system, plus a year-by-year ramp for newer franchisees; we lead with the first-year and one-to-three-year figures.
- Average first-year gross receipts, new franchisees open at least one year (23 owners; revenue, not profit)$236,326 a year
- Median 2025 gross receipts, franchisees 1–3 years in the system (revenue, not profit)$264,405 a year
- Median 2025 gross receipts, single-territory franchisees open all of 2025 (23 owners; revenue, not profit)$707,699 a year
- Median 2025 gross receipts, all 59 franchised locations open all of 2025 — mostly mature, multi-territory owners (revenue, not profit)$1,492,691 a year
Always Best Care Senior Services
Item 19 reports systemwide sales, 2025 gross sales for franchisees open two years or more, and gross sales and owner discretionary profit margin by years in operation; only 3 single-unit owners fall in the 1–5 year group, so treat those figures with care.
- Median 2025 gross sales, single-unit franchisees 1–5 years in operation (3 franchisees; revenue, not profit)$672,721 a year
- Average owner discretionary profit margin, single-unit franchisees 1–5 years in operation (3 franchisees; the FDD's own figure)16.3%
- Median 2025 gross sales, all single-unit franchisees open a year or more (13 franchisees; revenue, not profit)$1,020,454 a year
- Median 2025 gross sales, franchisees operating two years or more — mature, mostly multi-territory owners (91 franchisees; revenue, not profit)$2,427,318 a year
Home Instead
Item 19 reports 2025 gross sales for 611 U.S. franchises, mostly open more than 15 years, plus a count of franchises in each sales band by tenure; the young-franchise rows are counts, not averages.
- Franchises 1–2 years old with 2025 gross sales under $500,000 (7 of 14 franchises in that tenure group)7
- Franchises 3–4 years old with 2025 gross sales under $1,000,000 (8 of 17 franchises in that tenure group)8
- Median 2025 gross sales, all 611 U.S. franchises — mature system: 411 of them have 21+ years' tenure (revenue, not profit)$2,352,450.95 a year
- Average 2025 gross sales, all 611 U.S. franchises — mature system (revenue, not profit)$2,750,875.94 a year

What a franchise does give you

Franchises cost more, but the fees buy real things. Weigh them honestly.

A national home care brand with about 390 offices reporting
RightStart training for the owner and two others, plus about two days of on-site help after opening
A required personal care policy and procedure manual matched to your state's license rules
Designated home care software and licensing support included in the setup fee
No minimum royalty in the first 12 months after opening
HomeCare Academy initial training at no fee (you pay travel)
A required local marketing program for the first six months
One of the lower monthly software fees among these brands
Item 19 includes a year-by-year ramp for newer owners, so you can see the early years
Headquartered in California, so the franchisor knows the state's licensing process
Initial training for two people included in the franchise fee
Item 19 discloses an owner discretionary profit margin, not just sales
A path to add skilled nursing services later if you choose
The largest brand here, with 611 U.S. franchises reporting in 2025
Training, materials and lodging for two people included in the franchise fee
A start-up kit with branded materials and basic equipment
A refundable-in-part deposit option to reserve a market before signing

Going independent means

You keep 100% of what you earn after costs — no royalties.
You build your own brand, systems, and customer base.
You need more self-reliance, especially in the first year.

Brand by brand

Five-year cost breakdown
Option	Initial investment	Royalties	Marketing fund	Fixed fees	Operating costs	5-year total	vs. independent
Right at Home	$94,330 – $176,239	$53,018 – $121,206	$21,207 – $48,482	$9,600 – $288,000	$27,240 – $44,740	$205,395 – $678,667	+$152,990 – $595,762
Griswold Home Care	$99,600 – $185,600	$53,018 – $121,206	$10,604 – $24,241	$7,200	$27,240 – $44,740	$197,661 – $382,987	+$145,256 – $300,082
Always Best Care Senior Services	$89,725 – $145,900	$63,621 – $145,447	$21,207 – $48,482	$10,500	$27,240 – $44,740	$212,293 – $395,070	+$159,888 – $312,165
Home Instead	$92,640 – $350,550	$53,018 – $121,206	$21,207 – $48,482	$30,000	$27,240 – $44,740	$224,105 – $594,978	+$171,700 – $512,073
Independent (lean start)	$25,165 – $38,165*	$0	$0	$0	$27,240 – $44,740	$52,405 – $82,905	—

Low figures pair the low end of each cost with low revenue; high figures pair the high ends. Franchise initial investment is each brand's FDD Item 7 estimate and already includes the franchise fee. Marketing fund and fixed fees show $0 where we have no sourced figure for that brand.

* Excludes independent startup lines we haven't sourced yet.

Costs are only half the picture

A franchise's brand, training, and support can help some owners reach customers faster. Weigh what those are worth to you against the difference above.

Back to the Non-Medical Home Care guide · Sources for these figures