Franchise brand comparison
Club Pilates vs Pure Barre
Compared on figures each brand discloses in its own Franchise Disclosure Document — 2025 for Club Pilates, 2025 for Pure Barre. Investment, fees, and Item 19 gross sales, with the sample size behind every average.
Short answer
Pure Barre is the cheaper entry — about $157,000 less at the midpoint of the Item 7 range — and carries a lighter fee load at 7% royalty with no separate local advertising minimum, against Club Pilates' 8% plus a floor of $1,500 a month or 2% of prior-month sales. On disclosed revenue the gap is not close: Club Pilates averages $984,270 across 849 studios; Pure Barre averages $368,588 across 599. That works out to 1.61x capital efficiency for Club Pilates against 0.78x for Pure Barre, meaning a Pure Barre studio generates less annual revenue than it cost to build. Club Pilates also has the tightest quartile spread of any brand we have reviewed at 1.90x, against Pure Barre's 3.05x — a weak Club Pilates studio still averages $686,457, while Pure Barre's bottom quartile averages $192,833. Both figures are gross sales, and reformer studios carry instructor cost on every class.
Side by side
| Measure | Club Pilates | Pure Barre |
|---|---|---|
| Concept category | Fitness & movement | Fitness & movement |
| FDD year | 2025 | 2025 |
| Total investment (Item 7) | $385,048–$839,058midpoint $612,053 | $314,411–$629,345midpoint $471,878 |
| Initial franchise fee | $65,000 | $60,000 |
| Royalty | 8% | 7% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% |
| Local advertising | greater of $1,500/mo or 2% | None disclosed separately |
| Average gross sales (Item 19) | $984,270849 units — studios open the full 2024 calendar year | $368,588599 units — qualified studios, full-year 2024 |
| Median gross sales | $969,022 | $344,889 |
| Top quartile | $1,305,116 | $588,040 |
| Bottom quartile | $686,457 | $192,833 |
| Revenue ÷ investment | 1.61x | 0.78x |
| Quartile spread | 1.9x | 3.0x |
Bolded figures mark the stronger side of a row where both brands disclose a comparable number — lower investment, higher revenue, higher return on capital, narrower quartile spread. A brand that discloses nothing is never marked as losing a row: an undisclosed figure is an unknown, not a poor result.
What the numbers mean
Investment is Item 7, the franchisor's own estimate of everything needed to open. Club Pilates discloses a total initial investment of $385,048 to $839,058 in its 2025 FDD, a midpoint of $612,053, with an initial franchise fee of $65,000. Pure Barre discloses a total initial investment of $314,411 to $629,345 in its 2025 FDD, a midpoint of $471,878, with an initial franchise fee of $60,000.
Revenue is Item 19, and the unit count matters as much as the figure. Club Pilates reports average gross sales of $984,270 and a median of $969,022 across 849 units (studios open the full 2024 calendar year). Pure Barre reports average gross sales of $368,588 and a median of $344,889 across 599 units (qualified studios, full-year 2024).
Return on capital divides disclosed average sales by the midpoint investment. Club Pilates returns 1.61x and Pure Barre returns 0.78x. This measures capital efficiency, not profit — it says how much annual revenue each dollar of build-out buys, and says nothing about the margin either concept actually runs.
Quartile spread divides top-quartile revenue by bottom-quartile: 1.9x for Club Pilates and 3.0x for Pure Barre. It is the number brand marketing never leads with, because it measures how much of your outcome depends on site selection and operating skill rather than on which brand you sign.
Full review
Club Pilates
Cost, fees, and Item 19 revenue, reviewed against the 2025 FDD.
Full review
Pure Barre
Cost, fees, and Item 19 revenue, reviewed against the 2025 FDD.
Frequently asked
- Club Pilates vs Pure Barre: which is the better franchise?
- Pure Barre is the cheaper entry — about $157,000 less at the midpoint of the Item 7 range — and carries a lighter fee load at 7% royalty with no separate local advertising minimum, against Club Pilates' 8% plus a floor of $1,500 a month or 2% of prior-month sales. On disclosed revenue the gap is not close: Club Pilates averages $984,270 across 849 studios; Pure Barre averages $368,588 across 599. That works out to 1.61x capital efficiency for Club Pilates against 0.78x for Pure Barre, meaning a Pure Barre studio generates less annual revenue than it cost to build. Club Pilates also has the tightest quartile spread of any brand we have reviewed at 1.90x, against Pure Barre's 3.05x — a weak Club Pilates studio still averages $686,457, while Pure Barre's bottom quartile averages $192,833. Both figures are gross sales, and reformer studios carry instructor cost on every class.
- How much does a Club Pilates franchise cost compared to Pure Barre?
- Club Pilates discloses a total initial investment of $385,048 to $839,058 in its 2025 FDD, a midpoint of $612,053, with an initial franchise fee of $65,000. Pure Barre discloses a total initial investment of $314,411 to $629,345 in its 2025 FDD, a midpoint of $471,878, with an initial franchise fee of $60,000.
- Does Club Pilates or Pure Barre generate more revenue?
- Club Pilates reports average gross sales of $984,270 and a median of $969,022 across 849 units (studios open the full 2024 calendar year). Pure Barre reports average gross sales of $368,588 and a median of $344,889 across 599 units (qualified studios, full-year 2024). These are gross sales, not profit, and the number of units behind each average decides how much it tells you.
- What are the ongoing fees for Club Pilates and Pure Barre?
- Club Pilates charges a royalty of 8% and a brand fund contribution of 2%, plus a local advertising obligation of greater of $1,500/mo or 2%. Pure Barre charges a royalty of 7% and a brand fund contribution of 2%.
Other comparisons
Before you rely on any of this
FDDs are filed annually and figures move. Request the current document from each franchisor and read Items 5, 6, 7 and 19 yourself — this is a summary to orient you, not a substitute for the disclosure or for your own advisors. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or compensated by either brand; see our disclosure policy.
Compare every brand at once in the sortable cost comparison table, or run these figures against your own assumptions in the ROI & payback calculator.