The numbers side by side
Painting franchises are built for an owner who sells and manages crews rather than holding a brush. Going solo usually starts with the owner painting and estimating.
| Up-front fee | Total start-up | Share of sales (royalty) | Marketing or ad fee | Software or tech fee | Card processing | Term | Cash asked for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CertaPro Painters | $65,000 | $171,000 to $320,500 | 4% to 6% | 2% to 3% | 0.35% of sales | Not in the summary; your processor's rate | 10 years | $85,000 |
| Five Star Painting | $45,000 | $81,450 to $185,830 | 6% | 2% | $333 a month | Not in the summary; your processor's rate | 10 years | $50,000 |
| Going solo on Koira's Office plan | $0, no franchise fee | Your own vehicle and kit; see the tools list | 0%, you keep every sale | None required; you set your own budget | $0 on the Office plan | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2% (Koira) on card payments only | None; month to month | None asked |
Franchise figures are from each brand's listing in Entrepreneur's franchise directory, which summarizes the brand's Franchise Disclosure Document, and match the franchisor's own franchise page where it states them. Where a fee is a range, the disclosure document sets which end applies to you. Koira's figures are from koira.ai/pricing.
What the ongoing fees take
The up-front fee is paid once. The share of sales is paid on every job for the length of the agreement, before you pay yourself. Here is the arithmetic on an example year of $500,000 in sales, using the low end of each published rate:
| Brand | Royalty | Marketing or ad fee | Software or tech fee | Fees for the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CertaPro Painters | $20,000 | $10,000 | $1,750 | $31,750 |
| Five Star Painting | $30,000 | $10,000 | $3,996 | $43,996 |
| Going solo on Koira's Office plan | $0 | Your choice | $0 | $0, plus $10,000 if every sale were paid by card |
CertaPro Painters's tech fee is 0.35% of sales; Five Star Painting's tech fee is $333 a month. Card processing is left out of the franchise rows because the summaries do not set it; you would pay a processor either way. On Koira's Office plan, Koira keeps 2% of card payments on top of Stripe's processing, and nothing on cash or check.
The example sales figure is an example, not a promise of what either path earns. Use the calculator above with your own numbers.
What the fees buy
CertaPro Painters has been franchising since 1992 and asks for $85,000 in cash and a $250,000 net worth. Five Star Painting has franchised since 2007 and asks for $50,000 in cash. For that, a franchise sells a known name, a written system, training and a territory.
A painting franchise fits an owner who wants to sell and manage from the start. It fits less well if you are a painter who wants to paint, because the model expects the owner to run estimates and crews.
Going solo in painting
A solo painter can start with brushes, rollers, ladders and drop cloths, and add a sprayer as jobs grow. The work is estimating well, keeping crews busy between jobs and collecting deposits on bigger jobs.
See the painting tools list, the painting services and price list and painting insurance.
Koira's free Office plan covers the office side a franchise system would: a website that books jobs, estimates with signing and deposits, invoices and card payments and your day plan. Paid plans add the phone and crew tools.
Before you sign anything
Federal rules require the franchisor to give you its disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before you sign or pay. Read the fee items and any sales claims with their footnotes, and call former painting owners. Our handyman franchise guide walks through the document item by item.
Sources
- Entrepreneur franchise directory: CertaPro Painters, checked October 9, 2026
- Entrepreneur franchise directory: Five Star Painting, checked October 9, 2026
- Neighborly: Five Star Painting franchise investment, checked October 9, 2026
- eCFR: 16 CFR 436.2, when the disclosure document must be given, checked October 9, 2026
- Koira: Pricing (Office plan, card payments), checked October 9, 2026
- eCFR: 49 CFR 375.101, who must follow the household goods rules, checked October 8, 2026
Last checked October 9, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.