Across the 313 Australian franchise brands for which FranchiseInsights maintains Brand Intelligence Reports, the median combined fee burden runs approximately 7–10% of gross sales. F45 Training sits at the upper end of that band: its royalty structure alone is 7% of gross sales (with a $2,500/month floor), and its total investment ceiling of $786,000 + GST is more than three times the Health & Fitness category average of $253,030. The franchise fee is $60,000. Here is what every line item in that cost structure actually means for a prospective buyer.

Full Cost Breakdown

AUD $349,000–$786,000 + GST

median: AUD $450,000–$550,000

Initial franchise fee$60,000 (16.1%)

Fitout and equipment$200,000 (53.7%)

Equipment and technology$50,000 (13.4%)

Initial inventory and supplies$10,000 (2.7%)

Working capital and contingency$50,000 (13.4%)

Ongoing royalty$2,500 (0.7%)

What the Initial Investment Covers

Publicly available data from the franchisor's own communications and FranchiseInsights operator research indicates that the total initial investment in an F45 Training studio ranges from approximately $349,000 to $786,000 + GST. The wide range reflects significant variation in site size, location, and fitout complexity. The major cost components are:

• Franchise fee: approximately $60,000 — the upfront licence payment granting operating rights under the F45 Training brand
• Fitout and equipment: approximately $200,000–$450,000 — the dominant cost driver, covering studio construction, flooring, lighting, and the branded equipment rigs that define the F45 Training training environment
• Technology and programming infrastructure: approximately $50,000–$100,000, proprietary technology enabling the class programming model is a core element of the franchise system
• Initial inventory and supplies: approximately $10,000–$20,000, consumables and branded merchandise
• Working capital and contingency: approximately $50,000–$150,000, pre-revenue operating costs and a buffer for the ramp-up period

The franchise fee of $60,000, while significant, represents less than 20% of even the lower end of the total investment range. Fitout and equipment is the capital-intensive variable buyers tend to underestimate.

How the Fee Compares to the Category

Across the 37 brands in the Health & Fitness category that we maintain Brand Intelligence Reports for, the average total investment is $253,030. The average franchise fee is $55,686. At the same time, the average royalty is 7.2%. The average marketing levy is 2.2%.

F45 Training's franchise fee ($60,000) is marginally above the category average. Its investment ceiling ($786,000), however, is more than three times the category average total investment, driven by premium metropolitan fitout requirements. Prospective buyers comparing F45 Training to lower-cost fitness franchises should factor this premium positioning into their capital planning, the brand targets affluent urban demographics, and the fitout reflects that positioning.

For a broader look at how fitness franchise entry costs compare across the market, the franchise cost comparison for Australia provides cross-category context.

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Ongoing Costs Most Buyers Miss

The Fee Structure Beyond the Franchise Fee

The franchise fee is a one-time entry cost. The ongoing fee structure is what determines long-term financial performance. F45 Training's ongoing obligations, based on publicly available data, are:

• Royalty: 7% of gross sales OR $2,500/month, whichever is higher. At a studio generating $400,000 per annum, the percentage-based calculation ($28,000/year) exceeds the floor, so the 7% rate applies.
• Brand fund: 2% of gross sales OR $200/month, whichever is higher. At typical revenue, the percentage-based figure applies.
• Marketing fund: approximately $2,500/month fixed, regardless of revenue performance, this fee applies.

The royalty structure means that at higher revenue levels, the fee burden in absolute dollar terms rises proportionally. The fixed marketing fund component ($2,500/month, or approximately $30,000/year) adds a layer of cost that does not scale down in low-revenue months.

Labour, Rent, and Operating Costs

Beyond franchisor fees, studio-level operating costs are substantial. Based on FranchiseInsights operator research and publicly available benchmarks:

• Labour (trainer wages and payroll obligations): approximately 25–40% of revenue
• Rent and outgoings: approximately 8–15% of revenue (premium metropolitan locations push toward the upper end)
• Utilities (power, water, internet): approximately 3–5% of revenue
• Equipment maintenance and replacement: approximately 2–4% of revenue
• Insurance and compliance: approximately 2–4% of revenue
• Supplies and consumables: approximately 2–3% of revenue

These operating cost layers sit on top of the franchisor's royalty and levy obligations. Prospective buyers assessing affordability would benefit from running realistic revenue scenarios through the free Financial Reality Calculator at /calculator before committing.

The 5-Year Term Risk

F45 Training's franchise term is 5 years, short by Australian industry standards, where 10-year initial terms are common among comparable fitness brands. Under the Australian Franchising Code of Conduct, franchisors must provide prospective franchisees with a disclosure document at least 14 days before signing (clause 9 of the Code). Renewal rights and conditions must be disclosed, but a 5-year term means renewal negotiations arise sooner, and a franchisee who has invested $500,000+ in fitout is in a structurally weak negotiating position at renewal time.

Prospective buyers may wish to consider how this term length interacts with the capital recovery timeline before committing. For a different take on franchise cost structures, the Jim's Group franchise cost breakdown illustrates how a low-investment, services-based model compares to the capital-intensive fitness studio model.

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How F45 Training Compares

Fitness Franchise Fee Comparison

The table below compares F45 Training to three brands in the boutique fitness and gym franchise category, using publicly available figures from FranchiseInsights brand profiles. Do not read any column here as a category average, for the category-average figures, see the prose above.

Brand	Total Investment	Franchise Fee	Royalty Rate	Marketing Levy
F45 Training	$349,000–$786,000 + GST	$60,000	7% or $2,500/month	2% or $200/month
Anytime Fitness	See brand report	See brand report	See brand report	See brand report
9Round Fitness	$100,000–$250,000 + GST	See brand report	See brand report	See brand report
Body Fit Training	See brand report	$40,000–$60,000	See brand report	See brand report

Figures for competitor brands reflect publicly available data from FranchiseInsights brand profiles. Where a figure is not publicly disclosed, "See brand report" indicates the full data is available in that brand's paid Brand Intelligence Report.

F45 Training's total investment range ($349,000–$786,000) is meaningfully higher than 9Round Fitness ($100,000–$250,000), reflecting the difference in studio format, F45 Training builds out larger, equipment-intensive spaces in high-rent urban precincts, while 9Round Fitness targets smaller-format, lower-fitout studio concepts. Both sit within the boutique fitness franchise segment, but their capital requirements serve very different buyer profiles.

For a detailed comparison of the fitness franchise category, the F45 Training vs Anytime Fitness franchise comparison covers how these two brands differ on fee structure, term length, and market positioning. Detailed brand-level data for Anytime Fitness and 9Round Fitness is available in their respective Brand Intelligence Reports.

Customer Sentiment

Google reviewers rate F45 Training locations at an average of 4.7/5 across 366 reviews (based on publicly available Google reviews sampled 2026-10-04). That rating reflects the product's strong member experience, a signal that the class format resonates. It does not, however, speak to franchisee financial outcomes, which the publicly available data only partially captures. The F45 Training franchise owner reviews analysis consolidates publicly available franchisee feedback and media reporting for buyers who want the operator perspective.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) administers the Australian Franchising Code of Conduct, which governs disclosure and conduct obligations across all franchise systems including F45 Training. Prospective buyers can review the Code's requirements through the ACCC's franchising guidance, and further government-level guidance on buying a franchise is available through business.gov.au.

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What the Numbers Don't Tell You

Independent Risk AssessmentFranchiseInsights

F45 Training

Moderate Risk

Overall classification across investment, regulatory, operational, market, and brand-stability dimensions. The underlying numerical score and the dimension-by-dimension breakdown are in the full Brand Intelligence Report.

The public cost data, investment range, franchise fee, royalty structure, marketing levy, network size, and category comparison, gives a buyer the entry-level picture. It does not give them the full picture.

What the Paid Report Adds

The F45 Training Brand Intelligence Report ($197) contains analysis that the public numbers cannot provide:

A five-dimension risk score. The report scores F45 Training across Financial, Structural, Operational, Market, and Legal dimensions, producing a numerical risk rating that locates the brand within our independent risk classification framework. The overall classification above (Moderate Risk) is the band, the report contains the number and the dimension-by-dimension breakdown that explains why it lands there.

Profit scenarios. The report models what a studio at different revenue levels, conservative, base case, and optimistic, actually returns after all franchisor fees, operating costs, and debt service are accounted for. This is the analysis that answers the question buyers most need answered: what does an owner actually take home?

Regret drivers. FranchiseInsights has identified the specific factors that past F45 Training franchisees have cited publicly as the sources of underperformance and regret. These are pattern-recognition findings drawn from media coverage, regulatory filings, and FranchiseInsights research, not marketing copy from the franchisor. Knowing them before signing is materially different from learning them after.

Suitability analysis. The report identifies the operator profile for whom F45 Training is a strong fit and the profile for whom it carries elevated risk, based on capital position, operational background, and market-location factors.

Franchisor questions. The report includes the specific questions to put to F45 Training's franchising team before signing, questions the public cost data does not prompt, but that clause 9 of the Australian Franchising Code of Conduct creates the right to ask.

The gap between what the public numbers show and what the paid report reveals is material. Prospective buyers may wish to consider whether $197 is a reasonable cost before committing $349,000 to $786,000. For buyers earlier in their research, the Due Diligence Kit at /due-diligence-kit provides a structured framework for evaluating any franchise opportunity before requesting a disclosure document.

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Get the Full Analysis

The free Financial Reality Calculator at /calculator allows prospective buyers to model their own revenue assumptions against the public fee structure, royalty rate, marketing levy, fixed fees, and operating cost benchmarks, before requesting a disclosure document from the franchisor.

For buyers who want a broader view of what franchise investment at this capital level actually looks like across categories, the best franchises in Australia analysis provides a cross-category comparison anchored in our dataset of 313 brands. Buyers also researching the operational side of studio ownership may find value in the bookkeeping franchise cost analysis for context on how ongoing compliance costs accumulate across franchise categories.

The F45 Training Brand Intelligence Report is available now at $197. It contains the numerical risk score, profit scenarios, regret drivers, suitability analysis, and the franchisor question list, the analysis that the public numbers alone cannot provide.