RiseUp Fitness vs 9Round

9Round is the stronger play right now, and it’s not close. The franchise count (142 units, 141 franchised) delivers immediate TAM that RiseUp’s two corporate locations can’t touch. Even with negative unit growth, that installed base gives our sales team 141 doors to knock on today, each needing POS, scheduling, and marketing automation to run group fitness. RiseUp’s single-location economics might look richer on paper ($370K AUV), but with zero franchised units and a dormant FDD, there’s no pipeline and no repeatable sales motion to scale into. We can’t build a software GTM around a brand that isn’t actively selling franchises.

Timing and terrain tilt the decision further. 9Round’s current 2026 FDD means the system is alive—new franchisees are buying, existing owners are renewing, and corporate is maintaining compliance. That active cycle creates continuous software evaluation moments. More importantly, 9Round’s approved-supplier procurement model lets owners pick their own tech stack, so we compete on product merit instead of fighting a corporate gatekeeper. RiseUp’s franchisor-controlled model, if it ever scales, would force us through a centralized approval process that kills deal velocity and shrinks margins.

The tradeoff is real: RiseUp’s higher investment range and AUV hint at unit-level budget per location, but that’s hypothetical value locked behind a dormant system. 9Round’s lower investment might mean tighter software budgets per gym, yet 141 open-buying units is an addressable pool we can start converting this quarter. Scale, access, and active system momentum beat a future promise every time.

Verdict: Target 9Round now and harvest the installed base while RiseUp remains a watchlist footnote.