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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Ace Hardware vs Matco Tools

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Ace Hardware2025 FDDMatco Tools2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Ace Hardware

    $134,600 – $2,001,550

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Matco Tools

    $104,374 – $376,241

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Ace Hardware

    Not available

    Matco Tools

    $20,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 31

    Royalty · Item 6

    Ace Hardware

    Not available

    Matco Tools

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Ace Hardware figures come from its 2025 FDD and Matco Tools figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Ace Hardware discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Ace Hardware: 8, Matco Tools: 12). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Ace Hardware

    $134,600 – $2,001,550
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Matco Tools

    $104,374 – $376,241
    Matco distributorship — Total initial investment: $104,374 to $376,241
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Ace Hardware

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Matco Tools

    $20,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 31
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Ace Hardware

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Matco Tools

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Ace Hardware

    $65
    Digital Circular: $65/month; advertising placement $425/month per store
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Matco Tools

    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Ace Hardware

    5,144
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 74

    Matco Tools

    1,741
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 88
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Ace Hardware

    +277
    Calculated: 4,867 at end of 2022 → 5,144 at end of 2024

    Matco Tools

    −111
    Calculated: 1,852 at end of 2023 → 1,741 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Ace Hardware

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Matco Tools

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Ace Hardware

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Matco Tools

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Ace Hardware

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Matco Tools

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Ace Hardware
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2023 RFR participating Ace branded single-store Reporting Stores in the Super H…
    $5,308,506
    other Super Hardware Format average annual sales volume
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Participating Ace branded single-store Reporting Stores in the 2023 RFR
    689 stores
    other Number of participating Ace branded Reporting Stores in 2023 RFR
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2023 RFR Reporting Stores in the Super Hardware Format
    $1,301,349
    other Super Hardware Format low annual sales
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73
    +5 more groups in the full report
    Matco Tools
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 225
    $16,715
    other 19B 225
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard1456 Middlethird
    239 distributors
    other 19A Chart2 Standard1456 Middlethird
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 83
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard
    1,456 distributors
    other 19B Standard
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85
    +9 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Ace Hardware vs Matco Tools: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Ace Hardware or Matco Tools?
    Ace Hardware: $134,600 – $2,001,550 (2025 FDD · Item 7); Matco Tools: $104,374 – $376,241 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Matco Tools. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Ace Hardware or Matco Tools?
    Ace Hardware: 5,144 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 74); Matco Tools: 1,741 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 88). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Ace Hardware and Matco Tools disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Ace Hardware has reviewed Item 19 figures for 8 location groups; Matco Tools has reviewed Item 19 figures for 12 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Ace Hardware report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Matco Tools report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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    Plain-language meaning of each Item