Franchise opportunities compared
Autism Care Therapy vs BrightStar Care
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.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Autism Care Therapy and BrightStar Care disclose 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 (Autism Care Therapy: 4, BrightStar Care: 5). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Autism Care Therapy |  BrightStar Care |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $350,996 – $754,076 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $96,454 – $220,186 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $65,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13 | $50,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 16 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | $5.25 Royalty rate — non-National Accounts 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $3.00 Brand fund contribution maximum 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15 | $2.50 General marketing fee rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 13 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 61 | 427 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 104 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +8 Calculated: 5 at end of 2023 → 13 at end of 2025 | +49 Calculated: 378 at end of 2023 → 427 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 2021 From a verified franchisor listing | 2005 From a verified franchisor listing |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Affiliate-Owned Outlets 12,278 claims/month other Affiliate-Owned Outlets median · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Outlets 4,973 claims/month other Franchised Outlets lowest · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Reporting Outlets 4,973 claims/month other Reporting Outlets lowest · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56 +1 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — BrightStar franchised and affiliate-owned first agencies, 12 months or longer a… $1,943,606 other revenue, 2025, agencies open ≥12 months · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 86 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised first agencies, 12 months or longer as of December 31, 2025 $2,427,980 other revenue, 2025, franchised agencies open ≥12 months · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 86 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised first agencies open at least 24 months $2,513,604 other revenue, 2025, franchised agencies open ≥24 months · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 86 +2 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.