THE NOW vs HealthSource Chiropractic

HealthSource’s unit count advantage evaporates the moment you look at per-unit economics. A 129-unit system where each franchise generates $609,587 in AUV yields roughly $78.6M in total network revenue—but units are shrinking at -2.3% YoY. That’s a contracting installed base, and at that AUV, the typical owner will nickel-and-dime every software line item. A POS-plus-marketing-automation stack can easily run $1,200–$2,000/month; a $609k shop feels that, a $1.37M shop doesn’t. The meaningful tradeoff is unit count versus wallet depth, and wallet depth wins because it drives average deal size and retention, not just logo count.

THE NOW brings 75 franchised units at $1,367,376 AUV, totaling over $102M in network revenue—33% more than HealthSource’s entire system despite 42% fewer locations. The comparable 6% royalty (vs. 7%) actually leaves more cash in franchisees’ pockets for tools that grow revenue, like scheduling and marketing automation. Both brands use an approved-supplier model, so terrain is a wash: you’ll fight the same gatekeeper battle either way. But timing and budget both tilt hard toward THE NOW. A franchisee investing $486k–$849k upfront with a $1.37M revenue ceiling can and will buy a premium integrated suite; a chiropractor scraping by on $101k–$630k all-in with a shrinking unit base is far more likely to ghost your demo.

HealthSource’s declining unit count signals a brand in consolidation, which means churn risk for your software seats. THE NOW, by contrast, has no disclosed negative growth, and its high-revenue model attracts multi-unit operators who standardize tech across locations. The bigger ACV potential, higher total system spend capacity, and lower contraction risk make this a straightforward call. Chase the money per unit, not the headcount.

Verdict: THE NOW’s 2.2x AUV and larger total system revenue beat a shrinking 129-unit HealthSource—wallet depth and owner appetite for software are what close deals, not a bigger but poorer roster.