Cheapest Pizza Franchises to Open: Low-Cost Options Ranked

A cheap pizza franchise starts with a clear comparison: total opening investment, initial franchise fee, format, and buyer eligibility. This guide ranks the published investment floors in nine brands’ 2026 Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), with eight brands in the outside-buyer ranking and Domino’s shown separately because of its internal-candidate policy. For fees, royalties and additional formats, see the pizza franchise cost comparison.

PizzaForno’s technology license model has a separate cost and classification discussion in the PizzaForno license-versus-franchise guide.

“Cheapest” means the lowest published Item 7 floor among the ranked formats. It is not an average, a guaranteed opening budget, or a ranking of operating difficulty. Each row uses the FDD issued on the date shown, rather than a website estimate. Some published floors include reduced fees that a first-unit buyer may not qualify for. Confirm eligibility, available territory, and the current FDD before budgeting.

Compare a low-cost pizza franchise by its published Item 7 floor

The ranking uses standard restaurant formats open to outside applicants, ordered by their published low end. For Pizza Hut, the lowest-floor traditional format is the inline/endcap Delco; its other traditional formats appear below. Availability and approval still depend on the franchisor. The Restaurant Finance Monitor PDF URLs end in “2025”, but the documents’ cover issuance dates are in 2026.

Rank	Brand	Total investment, Item 7 (low to high)	Initial fee, Item 5	Format (Item 1 or Item 7)	FDD issued
1	Hungry Howie’s	$238,982 to $697,322	$25,000 standard; $12,500 qualified veteran	Carryout/delivery restaurant; limited on-premises consumption	April 15, 2026
2	Papa John’s	$281,485 to $890,267	$5,000 to $25,000, depending on incentives	Standard Restaurant, predominantly delivery/carryout	March 31, 2026
3	Marco’s Pizza	$286,477 to $811,186	$25,000 standard	Primarily takeout/delivery; possible dine-in	April 18, 2026
4	Mountain Mike’s	$356,000 to $993,946	$30,000 standard first unit	Dine-in, delivery and carryout restaurant	April 13, 2026
5	Little Caesars	$376,500 to $1,769,200	$20,000 standard	Traditional carryout restaurant; some drive-thru locations	March 27, 2026
6	Papa Murphy’s	$450,330 to $693,450	$25,000 first store	Take-and-bake retail food outlet	March 27, 2026
7	Donatos	$546,637 to $1,060,537	$30,000 standard	Brick-and-mortar restaurant with dine-in, carryout and delivery	April 29, 2026
8	Pizza Hut	$670,000 to $960,000	$25,000	Inline/Endcap Delco Delivery/Carryout Restaurant	March 25, 2026

Outside the ranking: Domino’s Traditional Store, $231,450 to $743,500 per its April 1, 2026 FDD Item 7; Item 5 initial application-processing fee $0 to $10,000 depending on store type and incentives. Per its franchising page, checked 2026-10-13, it considers only internal candidates and requires at least one year as a Domino’s general manager or supervisor.

Compare these pizza brands side by side

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Little Caesars

Per its March 27, 2026 FDD, Little Caesars’ Item 7 range is $376,500 to $1,769,200 and its standard Item 5 initial fee is $20,000. Its franchise site, checked 2026-10-13, lists the same range and fee, so there is no website-versus-FDD investment difference; see the pizza franchise cost comparison for full breakdowns.

Domino’s

Per its April 1, 2026 FDD, Domino’s Traditional Store Item 7 range is $231,450 to $743,500, with an Item 5 initial application-processing fee of $0 to $10,000 depending on store type and incentives. Its franchising page, checked 2026-10-13, says it is considering only internal franchisee candidates and requires at least one year as a Domino’s general manager or supervisor; the pizza franchise cost comparison provides full breakdowns.

Other formats disclosed in the 2026 FDDs

Different formats should remain visible without mixing their floors into the standard-format ranking. These are the other separately stated Item 7 restaurant totals in the cited FDDs:

Brand and format	Total investment, Item 7	Initial fee, Item 5	FDD issued
Papa John’s Small-Town Restaurant	$281,485 to $890,267, same Item 7 table as standard	$5,000	March 31, 2026
Papa John’s Non-Traditional Restaurant	$125,000 to $423,302	$5,000	March 31, 2026
Pizza Hut Freestanding Delco Delivery/Carryout	$816,000 to $1,900,000	$25,000	March 25, 2026
Pizza Hut Fast Casual Delco, dine-in/delivery/carryout	$818,000 to $2,130,000	$25,000	March 25, 2026
Pizza Hut Restaurant Based Delivery / Delivery Based Restaurant, dine-in/delivery/carryout	$846,000 to $2,130,000	$25,000	March 25, 2026
Domino’s Non-Traditional Store, ordinarily carryout; internal candidates only	$107,450 to $709,500	$0 to $10,000 application-processing fee	April 1, 2026

Hungry Howie’s April 2026 Item 7 says its estimate also includes nontraditional restaurants, without a separate format total. Marco’s April 2026 FDD describes Special Venue concepts but provides no separate Item 7 opening range for them. Papa Murphy’s March 2026 and Mountain Mike’s April 2026 Item 7 each provide one restaurant investment table.

Little Caesars’ March 2026 FDD describes food trucks for existing franchisees, with a $7,500 Item 5 fee but no separate truck Item 7 total; its LC Express license program is outside that FDD. Donatos’ April 2026 Item 5 lists a $15,000 nontraditional fee but Item 7 supplies no separate nontraditional restaurant total. Pizza Hut Express is covered by a separate disclosure document, not the March 2026 traditional FDD cited here. A fee alone cannot establish a lower opening investment.

Development-rights and territory-reservation tables are not additional restaurant formats. They are excluded from the single-unit ranking, whether they cover reservation fees alone or include the first restaurant in a multi-unit commitment.

Where franchise websites and FDDs differ

These franchise pages were checked 2026-10-13. The ranking uses the dated FDD figures above:

• Papa Murphy’s: its FAQ lists $367,428 to $733,124, versus $450,330 to $693,450 in its March 2026 FDD. The FAQ fee range of $15,000 to $25,000 spans subsequent and first-store fees; the first-store fee in Item 5 is $25,000.
• Mountain Mike’s: its site lists $356,000 to $994,000, versus $356,000 to $993,946 in its April 2026 FDD. The site lists fees of $15,000 to $30,000; Item 5 specifies $30,000 for a standard first unit, while Item 7 includes qualifying additional-unit fees as low as $7,500.
• Pizza Hut: its site lists a traditional estimate of $579,000 to $2,053,500. Its March 2026 FDD instead supplies the four format-specific ranges above. The site’s $46,000 to $453,000 nontraditional estimate is a website figure, not an Item 7 total verified in that traditional FDD, and is excluded from the ranking and FAQ endpoints.
• Papa John’s: its site’s traditional and nontraditional investment ranges match its March 2026 FDD. Its site lists a $25,000 traditional franchise fee, while Item 5 allows $5,000 to $25,000 depending on incentives.
• Hungry Howie’s, Marco’s and Little Caesars: the checked website investment ranges match their respective 2026 FDDs. Little Caesars’ range is now sourced directly to Item 7, not merely to its site.

What take-and-bake changes

Papa Murphy’s customers bake their pizzas at home. Its March 27, 2026 FDD describes store models without pizza ovens, venting hoods or dining areas, and its FAQ, checked 2026-10-13, describes “no ovens or dine-in”. Those are specific format features. They do not establish that this is the simplest business to run or that its total investment is lower than the other brands.

Mobile pizza: a qualitative option

Nelly Belly’s about page describes wood-fired pizza and piadina food trucks and catering. Its franchising page, checked 2026-10-13, offers protected territories to select partners but publishes no franchise fee or total investment. No FDD is available in the evidence for this comparison, so Nelly Belly remains a format example, not a ranked cost option. Request its FDD before making an investment comparison.

Cheapest is a filter, not the answer

Use the published floor to narrow a shortlist, then compare the actual format, property assumptions, Item 6 recurring fees and required purchases. For example, Donatos calls its recurring charge a Licensing Fee: 4% of Net Sales per Item 6 of its April 29, 2026 FDD. That terminology does not remove the recurring cost. The guide to low or no royalty fees explains why the initial investment and ongoing charges need separate comparisons.

Request the current FDD and review it with an attorney and accountant. The pizza franchise cost comparison has full breakdowns; the guide to reading an FDD explains the disclosure structure. For other concepts, see food franchises under $25K and under $100K, with their stated qualifications. For the April 2026 FDD figures, see Blaze Pizza franchise cost.

Buyers preparing for due diligence can also consult the books about buying a franchise.