Quick answer: Stratus Building Solutions (Stratus Clean) sells an executive master franchise. Coverall sells unit cleaning franchises. Choose Stratus if you want to build and lead a regional network of franchisees in an exclusive territory. Choose Coverall if you want to own and run a single commercial cleaning business at a lower entry cost.
As a Stratus master, you buy a protected territory, award unit franchises inside it, win cleaning contracts, and assign that work to your unit owners. As a Coverall Franchise Business Owner, you buy a cleaning business, certify in Coverall's Core 4 Cleaning Process, and service customer accounts with help from a local Coverall Support Center.
Coverall facts come from the franchise FAQ and franchise opportunity pages on Coverall's official website and from its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Stratus Clean facts come from our own site and disclosures. The goal is an accurate basis for your own due diligence, not to disparage a 40-year brand.
| Factor | Stratus Clean (Master Franchise) | Coverall (Unit Franchise) |
|---|---|---|
| Your role | Executive: recruit, train and support unit owners; lead B2B sales | Owner-operator: deliver cleaning services to assigned and self-sourced accounts |
| Typical investment | $275,000 to $300,000 all in; see FDD Item 7 | Described by Coverall as low startup cost, with in-house financing; see Coverall FDD Item 7 |
| Territory | Exclusive, protected, sized by population; a state or a cluster of counties | Local market supported by a Regional Support Center; see Coverall FDD Item 12 |
| Revenue model | Nine revenue streams; roughly 90% recurring | Billing from cleaning accounts, plus preventative maintenance and on-demand services |
| Founded / scale | 2006; 100+ master territories, 5,500+ unit franchisees in the U.S. and Canada | 1985; 8,000+ franchised businesses across 90 markets |
Verify all figures against each brand's current FDD.
Stratus Clean: you become the franchisor in your territory. As a Stratus master franchisee, you hold two rights inside a defined region: the right to award unit franchises and the right to secure commercial cleaning contracts. You do not clean, and you do not carry a janitorial payroll. Your team is small, your week is mostly weekdays, and your job is business development and franchisee support. It is an executive model franchise, not a hands-on janitorial franchise. Our master vs. unit franchise guide compares the two roles across ownership, earnings, and risk.
Coverall: you own and operate a cleaning business. You sign a Janitorial Franchise Agreement and complete training, after which you may be able to purchase customer accounts in your area. You can also pursue your own clients, and Coverall will help put the contract in place. According to Coverall, many owners start out alone or with a family member, and many customers request service outside the typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. window.
A Stratus Clean master franchise typically runs $275,000 to $300,000 all in: a master license fee averaging about $125,000 plus roughly $150,000 in working capital. Our investment overview publishes the full disclosed ranges, and our master franchise cost guide breaks down every line item. We ask for a net worth of $250,000 or more with $125,000 to $150,000 liquid, and most candidates fund the investment through personal capital, lender financing, or a combination of both.
Coverall positions its franchise as low-cost. Because investment details vary, it directs prospects to the FDD. Coverall offers in-house financing and sells tiered franchise packages sized to the initial customer base.
Neither number is "better." They buy different assets: a regional franchisor business on one side, a cleaning business you operate on the other. Whichever you evaluate, read the FDD in full, especially Items 5, 6, 7, 12, and 19. The FTC Franchise Rule gives you at least 14 days to review the FDD before you sign.
A Stratus master franchise earns from nine revenue streams, including franchise fees, contract sales, royalties on unit revenue, insurance revenue through our national insurance program, and supply sales. Roughly 90% of that revenue is recurring because it rides on janitorial contracts that renew month after month. Our master franchise earnings guide explains each stream.
For context on system health, our 2025 franchised regions averaged $3.2 million in unit volume, the top five regions averaged $9.5 million, and system-wide sales reached $238 million.* Those are system figures, not a representation of what any individual master owner earns.
A Coverall Franchise Business Owner earns by servicing commercial cleaning accounts: everyday janitorial work, plus on-demand services and preventative maintenance such as carpet, hard floor, and window cleaning. Coverall provides billing and collections support and identifies new accounts owners can purchase. Royalty and support fees are disclosed in Coverall's FDD Items 5 and 6; review them directly before you compare margins.
Commercial cleaning holds up well in downturns, as we explain in why commercial cleaning is one of the most recession-resilient businesses you can own. The question is whether you want to earn from one cleaning business or from a network of them.
A Stratus master territory is an exclusive, protected region sized by population. It can be a full state or a cluster of counties. While your agreement is in place, we do not award that region to another master or allow another Stratus operator to sell units inside your boundaries. Our guide to what it means to own a Stratus master territory covers the mechanics, and our available territories page lists open U.S. and Canadian markets.
Coverall's public franchise pages do not describe an exclusive territory grant for individual owners; the specifics of your service area are in Item 12 of its FDD and the Janitorial Franchise Agreement. Our guide on how to verify an exclusive territory shows which Item 12 wording to look for.
Our training and support program starts with pre-opening training, followed by one week at corporate headquarters and two weeks on site in your own territory, with a dedicated onboarding coach. You also get StratusConnect, a National Accounts program, and a peer network of master owners across 100+ territories. Ralph Sizemore of Stratus Clean of Columbia, SC, says: "I would definitely do the franchise with Stratus over again. They've been so supportive."
Coverall's support is oriented to running a cleaning operation well. Its franchise FAQ lists training in business operations and customer service, certification in the Core 4 Cleaning Process, equipment training, one-on-one mentorship, local center and field support, and billing and collections support.
Stratus Clean is the fourth-largest commercial cleaning franchise in North America, with Green Seal-certified proprietary products. Our recognition record includes:
Coverall's recognition, per its own site, rests on longevity and scale: franchising since 1985 and more than 8,000 franchised businesses across 90 markets.
Our fit guide details the profile, including who should not buy a master territory.
Stratus vs Coverall comes down to which role you want: operator or regional franchisor. Stratus Clean is the choice for an executive who wants to own the regional franchisor position: awarding units, selling contracts, and building a network that generates nine revenue streams with roughly 90% recurring.
Our six-step discovery process lets you review the FDD, talk with our corporate team, and speak with current masters before you decide. Contact Rob Lancit, VP of Franchise Development, at (516) 551-4773 in the U.S. or (604) 833-0911 in Canada, or email rlancit@stratusclean.com. See also our Stratus vs Anago and Stratus vs Jan-Pro comparisons.
Based on Coverall's official franchise FAQ, Coverall sells unit franchises: individual commercial cleaning businesses operated under a Janitorial Franchise Agreement. Stratus Clean sells master franchises, in which you award unit franchises and sell contracts inside an exclusive territory.
Coverall says that after you complete training, you may have the opportunity to purchase customer accounts in your area, and that you can also find your own clients with its help. Ask for the account purchase terms in writing.
*Calculation and further explanation of the Average Unit Volume, Average of Top 5 Performing Regions, and System-wide Sales appear in Item 19 of the Stratus Clean FDD. Individual results may differ. See Item 19 for financial disclosures and Item 7 for total investment information.
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