See Through the Murk.
Every franchise disclosure buries the real risks. We find them before you sign.
What's Really in Your FDD?
What Most Reviews Cover
Franchise fee, royalty rate, territory size, litigation count. The fundamentals any review will surface. It's also where most buyers stop.
What They Don't
Whose units are in the “average revenue” table, and whose were left out. Growth headlines that net out transfers and buybacks. Personal guarantees that survive termination. “Protected” territories with online sales carved out. Franchises sold that never opened.
But Can't I Just Ask a Chatbot?
You can—and you'll get a confident, complete-looking answer in two minutes. What you won't get: any way to know which numbers are wrong, what's on the scanned pages it never read, or whether this brand's terms are normal—or the worst in their category. We extract 202 fields with two independent reads, a page citation on every value, and a library of 1,910 FDDs across 1,500+ brands to say what's unusual. The difference isn't the summary. It's knowing it's right. A chatbot reads the one FDD you hand it. When we hold the brand's prior filing, we compare the two and show you what changed.
Inside Your FDD Report
Proprietary Transparency Rating
A 0-100 score computed from 32 forensic checks across five pillars: Disclosure, Trajectory, Solvency, Consistency, and Litigation.
32 Forensic Checks
Every FDD is analyzed against 32 binary risk indicators across five categories.
Territory & Non-Compete
Identifies loopholes that let HQ compete against you in your own territory.
Termination & Exit Clauses
Surfaces non-compete traps that survive termination and post-term restrictions.
Unit Economics Stress Test
Models conservative, base, and optimistic scenarios computed from the disclosed Item 19 numbers. The conservative case is grounded in the median, not the cherry-picked average.
Why I Built This
“After going through the franchise buying process firsthand, and learning the hard way what disclosure documents leave out, I set out to build the tool I wish I'd had. Franchise Sonar is that tool.”
— The Founder // Built from Experience
Your Due Diligence Options
| FDD Attorney | Franchise Consultant | Franchise Sonar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $2,500+ | $40,000+ | $499 |
| Time | 2-4 weeks | Ongoing | Under 60 seconds |
| Coverage | Legal only | Sales-biased | 32 forensic checks |
FDD Attorney
Franchise Consultant
Franchise Sonar
Protect Your Investment Before You Sign
$499 to protect a $250,000 decision = 0.2% of your investment
Essential Scan
or 4 interest-free payments of $49.75
- ✓Murk Score™ risk rating (0-100)
- ✓Item 3 litigation summary
- ✓Items 19-21 financial representations audit
- ✓Integrity Dashboard saved to your terminal
- ✓Professional PDF report
Complete Report
or 4 interest-free payments of $124.75
- ✓Everything in Essential Scan
- ✓Full 23-item FDD forensic analysis
- ✓What changed since last year’s FDD — field by field, both years page-cited
- ✓Six forensic analysis modules, raw-document deep read (typically 20-30 pages)
- ✓Territory & non-compete deep-dive
- ✓3-scenario unit economics model
- ✓Franchisee interview questions + attorney review checklist appendix
Deep Dive Package
or 4 interest-free payments of $249.75
- ✓Complete Report (everything above)
- ✓60-minute video consultation with analyst
- ✓Walk through your specific findings
- ✓Negotiation strategy discussion
- ✓Priority follow-up email with action items
| Feature | Free | $199 | $499 | $999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murk Score | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Snapshot Metrics (fees, investment, units) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Item 3: Litigation Summary | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Item 19: Financial Representations Audit | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrity Dashboard | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Items 12 & 17: Territory + Exit Deep-Dive | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3-Scenario Unit Economics Model | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Franchisee Validation Questions + Attorney Priorities | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| What Changed Since Last Year’s FDD (two-vintage comparison) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| 60-Minute Analyst Consultation | — | — | — | ✓ |