Is Alphagraphics or City Wide cheaper to open?

Alphagraphics costs $298,296–$383,696 and City Wide costs $229,729–$410,730 to open (FDD Item 7). City Wide has the lower entry cost.

Which earns more, Alphagraphics or City Wide?

Alphagraphics reports $1,523,124 average annual unit revenue vs $9,821,794 for City Wide (FDD Item 19). City Wide is higher.

Which is safer, Alphagraphics or City Wide?

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 28.9% for Alphagraphics and 0.0% for City Wide. Lower is safer, so City Wide has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Which is the better franchise, Alphagraphics or City Wide?

FranchiseVerdict grades Alphagraphics C and City Wide A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Alphagraphics vs City Wide

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Alphagraphics and City Wide are business services franchises. Alphagraphics requires an investment of $298K – $384K while City Wide requires $230K – $411K. In terms of revenue, City Wide reports higher average unit revenue at $9.8M. On SBA loan performance, City Wide has a lower charge-off rate (0.0%) compared to Alphagraphics (28.9%). FranchiseVerdict rates Alphagraphics C (Average) and City Wide A (Strongest tier).

Metric	Alphagraphics	City Wide
Verdict Grade	CAverageAverage	AStrongest tierStrongest tier
Investment Range	$298K – $384K	$230K – $411K
Franchise Fee	$50K	$70K
Royalty Rate	Tiered: 7% of Gross Sales, reducing to 5% after $1,371,933 in Gross Sales and $96,035 paid in Royalties during the Royalty Year, reducing further to 3% after $2,744,216 in Gross Sales and $164,649 paid in Royalties, subject to a yearly minimum	Greater of 5% of total Gross Sales or a Minimum Royalty Fee that escalates by months in operation, from $0 (months 1-6) up to $5,000/month (22+ months); a 1% Royalty Rebate is available if certain Gross Sales thresholds are met
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.5M	$9.8M
SBA Charge-Off Rate	28.9% (346 loans)	0.0% (32 loans)
Total Units	229	104
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1992	2001
FDD Year	N/A	2026

Investment Range

$298K – $384K

$230K – $411K

Franchise Fee

$50K

$70K

Royalty Rate

Tiered: 7% of Gross Sales, reducing to 5% after $1,371,933 in Gross Sales and $96,035 paid in Royalties during the Royalty Year, reducing further to 3% after $2,744,216 in Gross Sales and $164,649 paid in Royalties, subject to a yearly minimum

Greater of 5% of total Gross Sales or a Minimum Royalty Fee that escalates by months in operation, from $0 (months 1-6) up to $5,000/month (22+ months); a 1% Royalty Rebate is available if certain Gross Sales thresholds are met

Average Revenue (Item 19)

$1.5M

$9.8M

SBA Charge-Off Rate

28.9% (346 loans)

0.0% (32 loans)

Total Units

229

104

Unit Growth (YoY)

N/A

Year Began Franchising