Home Instead vs Right at Home franchise USA 2026: which one wins on real numbers?
Home Instead is the lighter bet on entry — $93K vs $94K (about $2K less). Home Instead runs the bigger network at 626 vs 566 outlets.
01 What actually matters
Numbers that separate them on a 5-year horizon — not the franchise-development pitch.
On pure entry capital, Home Instead is 1.0× cheaper than Right at Home — $93K vs $94K. That gap compounds over a 5-year horizon because build-out, equipment, opening inventory and the additional funds in FDD Item 7 all scale with format size.
One-time franchise fees are worth noting (FDD Item 5): Home Instead charges $54K 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 | Home Instead | Right at Home |
|---|---|---|
| Initial investment (Item 7) | $93K ↓ Lower | $94K |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 5% | 5% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Min space (sq ft) | 500 ↓ Smaller | 600 |
| Total US outlets (Item 20) | 626 ↑ Bigger | 566 |
| Franchise fee (Item 5) | $54K | $50K ↓ Lower |
| Additional funds | — | — |
Not sure if Home Instead or Right at Home actually fits *you*?
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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.
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05 Frequently asked
Wrapped in FAQPage JSON-LD for SERP rich-result eligibility.
Can I own multiple Home Senior Care franchises?
Yes — multi-unit ownership is the norm in mature US Home Senior 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.
How many Home Senior Care franchise brands are available in the US?
FRANticc's database lists 2 brands matching this comparison with verified investment data, store counts, and format details. Several more are covered across our full directory. Every figure is traced to the brand's Franchise Disclosure Document.
Which Home Senior Care brand has the largest network in the US?
Home Instead operates the largest network among these — 626 outlets. Large networks offer more brand recognition and supplier scale, but also mean denser intra-brand competition in already-saturated markets.
Do these Home Senior Care franchises offer territorial rights?
Territory is FDD Item 12, and it is where Home Senior Care franchisors differ most. Some grant a protected radius or a defined trade area; many grant no exclusivity at all and reserve the right to open company units, non-traditional locations or e-commerce channels inside your area. Read Item 12 word for word — "protected territory" and "exclusive territory" are not the same thing — then ask existing franchisees whether the brand has honoured it.
How long does it take to break even on a Home Senior Care franchise?
Payback on a Home Senior Care franchise in the US typically runs 24–48 months, depending on site traffic, build-out cost, and the royalty plus ad-fund load in FDD Item 6. The brands on this page start at $93K of initial investment (Item 7); pair that with the brand's Item 19 financial performance representation, where one is published, to model your own payback instead of relying on a franchise-development pitch.