Franchise Facts Report → compare → Great Clips vs Cost Cutters
Great Clips vs Cost Cutters
Two beauty & personal care franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Great Clips | Cost Cutters | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $187,800 – $419,900 | $180,990 – $342,340 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $35,000 | $39,500 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 6% | 6% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | in report | $1,144,397 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 4,439 | 329 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +12 | -134 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 2.4% | 8.9% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | disclosed | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Low | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2025 |
Are Great Clips and Cost Cutters the same company?
No — Great Clips and Cost Cutters are franchised by separate companies. Great Clips's franchisor is GREAT CLIPS INC; Cost Cutters's is THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC.. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Cost Cutters is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $180,990 – $342,340, against $187,800 – $419,900 for Great Clips.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Closures & failure rate
Great Clips reports 4,439 franchised outlets, net change +12 in the latest reported year, a 2.4% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Cost Cutters reports 329 franchised outlets, net change -134 in the latest reported year, a 8.9% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against beauty & personal care medians.
Litigation
Great Clips discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report). Cost Cutters discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report).
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against beauty & personal care peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Great Clips vs Cost Cutters — frequently asked
Are Great Clips and Cost Cutters the same company?
No — Great Clips and Cost Cutters are franchised by separate companies. Great Clips's franchisor is GREAT CLIPS INC; Cost Cutters's is THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC.. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Great Clips and Cost Cutters?
Great Clips and Cost Cutters are beauty & personal care franchises from different franchisors (GREAT CLIPS INC and THE BARBERS, HAIRSTYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN, INC.). Cost Cutters is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $180,990 – $342,340, against $187,800 – $419,900 for Great Clips. Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Is Great Clips more profitable than Cost Cutters?
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Which is cheaper to open — Great Clips or Cost Cutters?
Cost Cutters is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $180,990 – $342,340, against $187,800 – $419,900 for Great Clips.
Is Great Clips or Cost Cutters growing faster?
Great Clips reports 4,439 franchised outlets, net change +12 in the latest reported year, a 2.4% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Cost Cutters reports 329 franchised outlets, net change -134 in the latest reported year, a 8.9% closure rate (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Beauty & personal care rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Great Clips 2025, Cost Cutters 2025). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.