Which costs less to open, Rooterman or Roto-Rooter?

Rooterman: $45,075 – $82,475 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 24); Roto-Rooter: $123,110 – $281,550 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Rooterman. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.

Which has more locations, Rooterman or Roto-Rooter?

Rooterman: 517 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49); Roto-Rooter: 448 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 41). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.

Do Rooterman and Roto-Rooter disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Rooterman makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Roto-Rooter makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

Rooterman vs Roto-Rooter

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.

Rooterman2026 FDD

Roto-Rooter2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

Rooterman

$45,075 – $82,475

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 24

Roto-Rooter

$123,110 – $281,550

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

Rooterman

$4,975

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14

Roto-Rooter

Not available

Royalty · Item 6

Rooterman

Not available

Roto-Rooter

Not available

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
Only neither brand has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

Rooterman

Roto-Rooter

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

Rooterman

$45,075 – $82,475

TOTAL

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 24

Roto-Rooter

$123,110 – $281,550

Total Estimated Initial Investment

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

Rooterman

$4,975

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14

Roto-Rooter

Not available

No single standard fee identified

Royalty (Item 6)

Rooterman

Not available

No reviewed royalty record

Roto-Rooter

Not available

No reviewed royalty record

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

Rooterman

$10,000

Advertising Cooperative Fee — Up to greater of $10,000 or 2% of Gross Sales per year

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

Roto-Rooter

Not available

No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

System scale & health

Disclosure

Rooterman

Roto-Rooter

Total outlets (Item 20)

Rooterman

517

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49

Roto-Rooter

448

Outlets at end of 2025

2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 41

Net outlet change (Item 20)

Rooterman

−136

Calculated: 653 at end of 2023 → 517 at end of 2025

Roto-Rooter

−15

Calculated: 463 at end of 2022 → 448 at end of 2025

Outlet exits (Item 20)

Rooterman

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Roto-Rooter

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Franchising since (Item 1)

Rooterman

March 2022

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8

Roto-Rooter

1936

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 12

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

Rooterman

2021

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8

Roto-Rooter

1935

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 12

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

Rooterman

Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

Roto-Rooter

Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

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.

Rooterman vs Roto-Rooter: common questions

Which costs less to open, Rooterman or Roto-Rooter?: Rooterman: $45,075 – $82,475 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 24); Roto-Rooter: $123,110 – $281,550 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Rooterman. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
Which has more locations, Rooterman or Roto-Rooter?: Rooterman: 517 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49); Roto-Rooter: 448 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 41). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
Do Rooterman and Roto-Rooter disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: Rooterman makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Roto-Rooter makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. 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