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.
Here is how the two businesses work. 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.
This Stratus vs Coverall comparison covers model type, investment, revenue structure, territory, support, and the owner each brand fits. Coverall facts come from the franchise FAQ and franchise opportunity pages on Coverall's official website and from its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which Coverall directs prospects to review. Stratus Clean facts come from our own site and disclosures.
We have no interest in disparaging Coverall. It is a 40-year brand that reports more than 8,000 franchised businesses. The goal is to give you an accurate basis for your own due diligence.
| Factor | Stratus Clean (Master Franchise) | Coverall (Unit Franchise) |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Exclusive rights to award unit franchises and sell cleaning contracts in a defined territory | An individual commercial cleaning business under a Janitorial Franchise Agreement |
| Your role | Executive: recruit, train and support unit owners; lead B2B sales | Owner-operator: deliver cleaning services to assigned and self-sourced accounts |
| Who does the cleaning | Independent unit franchisees in your network | You, often starting solo or with a partner, adding employees as you grow |
| Typical investment | $275,000 to $300,000 all in (license fee averaging about $125,000 plus about $150,000 working capital); see FDD Item 7 | Described by Coverall as low startup cost, with in-house financing and multiple franchise packages; see Coverall FDD Item 7 |
| Financial qualification | $250,000+ net worth; $125,000 to $150,000 liquid | Not published on Coverall's site; discussed in its franchise presentation |
| Territory | Exclusive, protected, sized by population; a state or a cluster of counties | Local market supported by one of 46 Regional Support Centers; territorial rights disclosed in Coverall FDD Item 12 |
| Revenue model | Nine revenue streams; roughly 90% recurring | Billing from cleaning accounts, plus preventative maintenance and on-demand services |
| Initial training | One week at HQ, two weeks in your territory, dedicated onboarding coach | Core 4 Cleaning Process certification, business operations training, one-on-one mentorship |
| Green positioning | Green Seal-certified proprietary products | Health-Based Cleaning System; Core 4 process built on CDC and AORN standards |
| Founded / scale | 2006; 100+ master territories, 5,500+ unit franchisees in the U.S. and Canada | 1985; 8,000+ franchised businesses across 90 markets |
| Veteran incentive | 10% off the initial franchise fee through VetFran | Up to 10% military discount |
Stratus Clean figures are typical ranges; your FDD Item 7 is the authoritative investment disclosure. Coverall figures are drawn from the franchise pages on coverall.com and should be verified against its current FDD.
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. When you win an account, you assign it to a unit owner who services it. 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.
The people doing the work are independent business owners who bought a unit franchise from you, so your results depend on helping them succeed. If you are still deciding which tier fits you in general, our master vs. unit franchise guide compares the two roles across ownership, earnings, and risk. The rest of this section is specific to Coverall.
Coverall's franchise FAQ describes a different ownership experience. 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 spouse or family member and add employees as the business grows. Its FAQ also notes that many customers request service outside the typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. window.
Local support in the Coverall system comes from Coverall North America, which reports over 450 employees across 46 Regional Support Centers and a Global Support Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Coverall's franchise pages market the unit business; they do not offer a master or regional franchise to prospects.
Bottom line: a Stratus master franchise and a Coverall franchise are not interchangeable. One is a regional franchisor business. The other is an owner-operated cleaning business.
Because the models differ, the capital requirements differ by an order of magnitude.
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 (a master fee of $75,000 to $200,000 and a total initial investment of $110,000 to $350,000, depending on territory), 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. Its franchise FAQ says opportunities are designed with low startup costs and financing for qualified candidates, and because investment details vary, it directs prospects to the FDD. Coverall offers in-house financing, sells tiered franchise packages sized to the initial customer base, and states that no prior cleaning or business experience is required.
Neither number is "better." They buy different assets. The Stratus investment buys a regional franchisor business with a protected territory and nine revenue streams. The Coverall investment buys a cleaning business you operate.
Whichever you evaluate, read the FDD in full. The FTC Franchise Rule requires every franchisor to disclose the estimated initial investment and to give you at least 14 days to review the FDD before you sign. These are the items to put side by side:
| FDD Item | What it tells you | What to compare between Stratus and Coverall |
|---|---|---|
| Item 5 | Initial franchise fee | Master license fee vs. the Coverall package you would buy |
| Item 6 | Ongoing fees | Royalties and management or billing fees as a share of revenue |
| Item 7 | Estimated initial investment | All-in cost, including working capital |
| Item 11 | Training and support | Length and content of initial training |
| Item 12 | Territory | Whether your area is exclusive and what the franchisor reserves |
| Item 19 | Financial performance | What is measured (system sales, account billing) and how |
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 and how they compound.
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. Item 19 of our FDD is where that conversation belongs.
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, according to Coverall's service pages. Coverall provides billing and collections support and runs an active marketing program that 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.
Both are legitimate ways to participate in a growing sector. Commercial and residential services are tied for the fastest-growing franchise sector at 3.2% year over year, and the International Franchise Association projects $921.4 billion in franchise output across 845,000 establishments in 2026. Commercial cleaning also 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, from statewide opportunities such as Idaho, Mississippi, and Montana to metro territories like Raleigh/Durham, Knoxville, Buffalo, and El Paso.
Coverall franchisees operate in a local market served by a Regional Support Center. Coverall's public franchise pages do not describe an exclusive territory grant for individual owners; the specifics of your service area and any territorial rights are in Item 12 of its FDD and the Janitorial Franchise Agreement. Ask for that language directly and read it alongside the account purchase terms. Our guide on how to verify an exclusive territory shows which Item 12 wording to look for.
Our training and support program is built for someone who has never run a franchisor business before:
Masters describe that peer culture consistently. Rob McKeown, a multi-territory Stratus master, says: "I haven't found a single person in the Stratus system that wasn't open to helping...giving you great advice, suggestions; sharing things they've done along the way to make their businesses grow faster and better." Ralph Sizemore of Stratus Clean of Columbia, SC, adds: "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 (which Coverall says is built on CDC and AORN standards), equipment training, one-on-one mentorship, local center and field support, and billing and collections support.
Owners can purchase a cleaning starter kit, order branded apparel and marketing materials, and apply for a college scholarship program for their children. Coverall also offers up to a 10% discount to military personnel and veterans.
Both programs are comprehensive for what they teach. The content is simply different: Stratus trains you to sell contracts, award franchises, and lead a network; Coverall trains you to deliver a certified clean and manage a service business.
Stratus Clean is the fourth-largest commercial cleaning franchise in North America and the nation's leading green commercial cleaning franchise. Our proprietary products carry Green Seal certification, an independent third-party environmental standard. Our recognition record includes:
Coverall's recognition, per its own site, rests on longevity and scale. It reports franchising since 1985, more than 8,000 franchised businesses, approximately 50,000 customers across 90 markets, and a 4.7 out of 5 average rating across 1,000+ Google reviews of its support locations. Coverall states that Coverall North America is private equity-owned.
Our masters come from education, sales, insurance, engineering, and retail. 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. Coverall is a proven path into business ownership for someone who wants to run a cleaning operation with a strong brand behind them. 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.
If the second description sounds like you, the next step is a conversation. Our six-step discovery process lets you review the FDD, talk with our corporate team, and speak with current masters before you decide, and our master franchise due diligence checklist keeps the review organized. 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. Weighing other master franchises too? See 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 and supported by local Coverall Support Centers. Stratus Clean sells master franchises, in which you award unit franchises and sell contracts inside an exclusive territory.
Coverall's website does not publish its fee schedule. It describes low startup costs with in-house financing and directs prospects to its FDD, where the initial franchise fee appears in Item 5, ongoing royalty and support fees in Item 6, and the total estimated investment in Item 7. A Stratus Clean master franchise typically runs $275,000 to $300,000 all in; our cost guide itemizes it. Request both FDDs and compare Items 5 through 7 directly.
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, including what happens if an account cancels. In the Stratus model, the master wins contracts and assigns them to unit owners in the network.
Stratus Clean grants each master an exclusive, protected territory sized by population, which can be a state or a cluster of counties. Coverall's public franchise pages do not describe an exclusive territory for individual owners; its territorial terms are disclosed in Item 12 of its FDD.
A former executive with sales and management experience who wants to lead a network rather than operate a single cleaning business will generally find the Stratus Clean master model the closer fit, since a Stratus master never does the cleaning. Coverall suits owners who want to run the cleaning business themselves at a lower entry cost.
*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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