Top 10 Low-Cost Franchises to Consider in 2020

Becky Martin, writer

Published at 18/02/2018, Updated on 07/10/2020 , Reading time: 6 min

Top 10 Low-Cost Franchises to Consider in 2020
Photo © low-cost-franchises-2018.jpg

Fancy a career change but always thought franchising was expensive and strictly for fast food businesses? Well, fear not; there are plenty of low-cost franchise opportunities to consider for a new career in the new year.


If you fancy a new challenge and like the thought of owning your own business without having to fork out a huge sum of cash up front, this article could have the perfect answer for you. We have compiled our top 10 low-cost franchises to consider in 2020. And believe us - due to their affordable price, they can drive impressive returns on investment.

Top 10 low-cost franchises to consider in 2020

New year is synonymous with change and challenging yourself, and what better than a career change to do exactly that? These 10 franchises all offer something unique and, for the most part, fall in completely different sectors. Therefore, there should be something in this article to suit everyone.

  1. Tubz

For a low-cost business opportunity with a very modest start-up cost and minimal storage requirements, consider investing in a Tubz franchise. This leading sweet vending brand provides packages with a two-year guarantee for towers and floor machines, as well as other products, such as corporate clothing and inventory stock.

Tubz vending towers can hold nine tubs of nine products, or 81 individual tubs, for just £1 each. Each tower is mechanically operated too, which means location owners won't have to spend money on electricity.

What is the investment?

You can invest in this profitable franchise opportunity from just £2,995. And, with the vending machines having 24/7 operating capabilities, what’s not to love?


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  1. Clubs Complete

If you enjoy working with children, Clubs Complete could be the affordable franchise opportunity for you. Classing itself as a ‘business in a box’, it provides childcare, educational services and extracurricular activities for children at lunch time, after-school clubs, birthday parties and more.

This low-cost franchise is a complete, turn-key business opportunity with an expected revenue of £40,000 after two years.

What is the investment?

This is a rather cheap franchise opportunity, with it asking for a minimum investment of £2,998 and a total investment of £9,995.

  1. ComputerXplorers

Fancy running your own location of the leading children’s computing franchise in the UK? Delivering fun technology and computing classes up and down the country, ComputerXplorers is proud to inspire young people:

“When that chance to make a difference to children’s futures is wrapped up in a business opportunity with such low costs, high potential earnings and flexibility, it’s a powerful combination.”

Of course, your profit in the first year depends on how many hours you put in, but there is scope to earn over £60,000!

What is the investment?

There is the low investment of £14,950 for the classic franchise package – and, better still, 100-percent funding is available. No experience is necessary either, so this makes it accessible to everyone!

  1. Filtafry

This unique franchise provides a complete fryer management service for customers across the UK. There is unlimited growth potential and franchisees can develop a vast network of clients in no time.

Why should I choose this franchise?

  • Minimal overheads and stock to purchase
  • Can run operations from home
  • Comprehensive training
  • Exclusive territory

What is the investment?

A minimum investment of just £5,000 is all you need to get stared with FiltaFry. To see the full list of what you get in return for your investment, see FiltaFry’s franchise profile here.

  1. Kumon

Tutoring franchises are big business at the moment and one of the most recognisable names in the UK is Kumon. Established over 50 years ago, Kumon’s classes are now attended by over four million students across the globe.

What is the investment?

Owning your very own Kumon franchise couldn’t be easier; all you need is a minimum investment of £3,000. This covers the licence fee and marketing fee for the first year. You will need to prepare for rent fees and running costs as well though.


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  1. One Element

If you’re a fitness fanatic, One Element could be the perfect low-cost franchise opportunity for you. The ambitious franchise provides group HiiT fitness training in outdoor spaces like parks. As it’s not restricted by four walls, the franchise model boasts great opportunities for growth for an affordable investment.

What is the investment?

A minimum investment of just £4,000 is all that’s needed.

  1. Diamond Home Support

If you've always dreamed of owning your own care business, why not open your very own Diamond Home Support care franchise? Being three businesses in one, it offers everything from residential cleaning and gardening to ironing and shopping, and only uses reliable and professional workers who are vetted and insured.

What is the investment?

The start-up package to set up your own Diamond Home Support business is just £2,495 +VAT, which means this is one of the most low-cost domestic cleaning and home help franchise opportunities available in the UK.

  1. Snak Appeal

Start running your own business under an ethical brand that supports children's charities nationwide. Snak Appeal places sweets and snacks in workplace and leisure premises and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018.

A member of the BFA, it now has over 65 franchisees in the UK alone, and is constantly on the lookout for ambitious businesspeople to carry its special cause-related marketing concept forward.

What is the investment?

To become a franchisee at Snak Appeal, you'll need a total investment of around £4,800 to pay for stock and display boxes.

Luckily, there are no ongoing fees when you join this network, and you'll also receive a free start-up package to help you get your business off the ground as quickly as possible.

  1. UK Prestige Car Brokers

Crazy for cars? This is the low-cost franchise business for you. When you become a franchisee, you’ll work with private and business clients, agents and dealers to source and sell some of the most exclusive vehicles on the market, as well as ‘everyday’ cars.

Clients don’t pay a fixed fee, as you’ll be paid this by the dealer who supplies or buys the vehicle. Essentially, you earn money from the consultancy fees.

You can easily operate it from home, so there are low overheads. Also, there’s no stock to fork out on either.

What is the investment?

You only need to invest £2,500 to become a franchisee. Find out more about the brand by clicking here.

  1. Lingotot

Shape young minds with this children’s language business. You can join over 120 tutors and franchisees and help teach under-11s Arabic, Chinese, French, German and more. You don’t have to be fluent in a language to run this franchise. It’s up to you whether you want to teach classes yourself or hire tutors to do it for you.

This could be an incredibly rewarding and exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs who have always had a love of languages but never considered making a career out of it.

What is the investment?

Yet another brilliant franchise opportunity for under £10,000! It costs just £8,200 to invest in Lingotot. And, if you don’t have the necessary capital upfront to invest, you can spread the cost for just £106 a month!

Low-cost franchises - too many to choose from!

As you can see, there are low-cost franchise opportunities in a whole host of sectors, and the minimum investment for most of those mentioned is under £10,000! So why wait? Why not make 2020 the year you put into action a career you’ve always dreamed of but never thought was doable financially? On top of these 10, we have even more affordable franchises in our network for you to browse; simply click here.

Becky Martin, writer

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