Planet Fitness vs Fit36 Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Planet Fitness vs Fit36 including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Planet Fitness Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
Investment $968,100 - $4,113,000$161,900 - $278,950
Franchise Fee $20,000$34,900
Royalty Fee 7% of Gross Membership Fees6%
Advertising Fee 9%2%
Year Founded 19922013
Year Franchised 20032014
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Planet Fitness Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options

 
Planet Fitness Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/No-/Yes
Start-up Costs No/No-/Yes
Equipment No/Yes-/Yes
Inventory No/No-/Yes
Receivables No/No-/Yes
Payroll No/No-/Yes

Training & Support

 
Planet Fitness Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
Training * Available at headquarters: 2 weeks * At franchisee's location: as needed On-The-Job Training: 19 hours Classroom Training: 48 hours
Support * Newsletter * Meetings * Toll-free phone line * Grand opening * Internet * Security/safety procedures * Field operations/evaluations * Purchasing cooperativesNewsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing * Co-op advertising * Ad slicks * Regional advertisingAd Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations * 40% of all franchisees own more than one unit * Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (70% of current franchisees are owner/operators)-

Expansion Plans

 
Planet Fitness Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness got its start in 1992 when Michael Grondahl acquired a struggling gym. He reduced membership prices to compete against better-known brands and focused on serving occasional or first-time gym users. Every Planet Fitness location holds a pizza night for members once a month, as well as a bagel morning, and Tootsie Rolls are available at all times.
Planet Fitness strives to promote health in a respectful atmosphere. For over a decade, Planet Fitness has gone to great lengths to provide its members with a friendly space to work out. We call it the Judgment Free Zone. We discourage weight dropping and obnoxious grunting so you can focus on your own workout and not the person next to you.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a single Planet Fitness facility ranges from $968,100 to $3,072,000 if you finance your equipment.
This includes $48,000 to $297,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
If you choose to purchase your equipment, the total investment necessary to begin operation of a single Planet Fitness facility ranges from $1,500,000 to $4,113,000.
This includes $295,000 to $912,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
These estimated initial investment ranges also apply to each location that you develop under the Area Development Agreement (plus the Area Development Fee you pay at the time you sign the Area Development Agreement). If you sign an Area Development Agreement, you must develop one or more Planet Fitness facilities, and you will pay an Area Development Fee of $10,000 per planned location (paid in full when you sign the Area Development Agreement) in addition to the then-current initial franchise fee due for each location at the time the Franchise Agreement for that location is signed.

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About Fit36

Become part of a vibrant and fast-growing segment of the fitness industry flanked by training and systems which will support your growth and help you stand out in the market.
Fit36® is a membership-based gym in the business of changing lives and is a perfect opportunity for people like you to become a multi-unit franchise owner. The simple Fit36 business model allows franchise owners to hand over the daily operations to an experienced manager.
Between 2005 and 2012, gym memberships grew 22%, to 9 million memberships. In a single year between 2012 and 2013, gym memberships exploded by +16.5% and total memberships increased by 8.5 million. This trend continues upward today, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Veteran Incentives  $5,000 off first-unit franchise fee