Franchise Facts Report → compare → Smile Source vs Ellie Mental Health
Smile Source vs Ellie Mental Health
Two health & wellness 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.
| Smile Source | Ellie Mental Health | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $60,500 – $435,000 | $290,300 – $508,875 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | — | $60,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 1.5% | 7.5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | — | in report |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 663 | 245 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +38 | +61 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 8% | 6% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | — | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2023 | 2024 |
Are Smile Source and Ellie Mental Health the same company?
No — Smile Source and Ellie Mental Health are franchised by separate companies. Smile Source's franchisor is Smile Source L.P.; Ellie Mental Health's is ELLIE FAM LLC. 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
Smile Source is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $60,500 – $435,000, against $290,300 – $508,875 for Ellie Mental Health.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Ellie Mental Health disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Smile Source's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Closures & failure rate
Smile Source reports 663 franchised outlets, net change +38 in the latest reported year, a 8% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Ellie Mental Health reports 245 franchised outlets, net change +61 in the latest reported year, a 6% 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 health & wellness medians.
Litigation
Smile Source's Item 3 could not be read from its filing, so we make no claim either way. Ellie Mental Health 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 health & wellness peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Smile Source vs Ellie Mental Health — frequently asked
Are Smile Source and Ellie Mental Health the same company?
No — Smile Source and Ellie Mental Health are franchised by separate companies. Smile Source's franchisor is Smile Source L.P.; Ellie Mental Health's is ELLIE FAM LLC. 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 Smile Source and Ellie Mental Health?
Smile Source and Ellie Mental Health are health & wellness franchises from different franchisors (Smile Source L.P. and ELLIE FAM LLC). Smile Source is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $60,500 – $435,000, against $290,300 – $508,875 for Ellie Mental Health. Only Ellie Mental Health disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Smile Source's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Is Smile Source more profitable than Ellie Mental Health?
Only Ellie Mental Health disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Smile Source's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Which is cheaper to open — Smile Source or Ellie Mental Health?
Smile Source is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $60,500 – $435,000, against $290,300 – $508,875 for Ellie Mental Health.
Is Smile Source or Ellie Mental Health growing faster?
Smile Source reports 663 franchised outlets, net change +38 in the latest reported year, a 8% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Ellie Mental Health reports 245 franchised outlets, net change +61 in the latest reported year, a 6% closure rate (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Health & wellness rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Smile Source 2023, Ellie Mental Health 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.