The 10 Best Storage Franchises of 2025 in the USA

If you’re thinking about entering the storage unit business, investing in a storage unit franchise can be a smart move. But with so many options available, how do you know which franchise to choose?

In this article, we present the 10 best Storage Franchises of 2025 in the U.S. Each franchise offers unique advantages, from facility management technology to customer service support.

For each, we provide key financial details, including the average initial investment cost and potential earnings. If you’re looking for more information on any particular franchise, you can find links to our in-depth reviews below.

The Best Storage Franchises of 2025

FranchiseFranchising SinceLocations*Investment Range
Go Mini’s201296$292,000 – $635,000
UNITS200559$626,000 – $1,214,000
Zippy Shell200936$657,450 – $1,219,830
MyWay Mobile Storage20096$180,800 – $760,200
Cool Binz20221$735,000 – $1,271,000
Storage Authority20152$500,000 – $4,000,000
Extra Space StorageNot a traditional franchisen.a.n.a.
U-HaulNot a traditional franchisen.a.n.a.
PODS1999Does not offer franchises at the momentDoes not offer franchises at the moment
1-800-PACK-RATNot a traditional franchisen.a.n.a.
* franchised units

Go Mini’s

Franchising Since: 2012
Franchised Units: 96
Initial Investment: $292,000 - $635,000
Franchise Fee: $45,000
Royalty Fee: 8%

Go Mini’s is a leading franchise in the portable storage and moving industry, founded in 2002. It offers a range of portable storage containers, providing flexible solutions for both residential and commercial customers.

The company is headquartered in Westlake Village, California, and began franchising in 2012, rapidly expanding to over 200 locations across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Go Mini’s differentiates itself from competitors through its high-quality, durable containers that sit just 8 inches off the ground, making loading easier and reducing the risk of water damage.

They are also the only national portable storage franchise to offer 20-foot containers, catering to larger moving or storage needs.

Go Mini’s emphasizes customer convenience with flexible delivery options, allowing customers to pack at their own pace and schedule container pickups and drop-offs based on their needs.

The franchise caters to a wide variety of sectors, including personal moving, construction, retail, and industrial storage.

UNITS

Franchising Since: 2005
Franchised Units: 59
Initial Investment: $626,000 - $1,214,000
Franchise Fee: $55,500 - $222,000
Royalty Fee: 8%

UNITS Moving and Portable Storage was founded in 2004 and began franchising in 2005. Headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, the company offers a flexible and convenient alternative to traditional moving services and self-storage.

UNITS provides high-quality, weather-resistant, steel-constructed containers, which feature barn-style doors. Their ROBO-UNIT delivery system allows precise placement of containers, ensuring minimal content shifting during transport.

Serving both residential and commercial clients, UNITS offers storage solutions that can be used at the customer’s location or in one of their secure, climate-controlled storage facilities.

Zippy Shell

Franchising Since: 2009
Franchised Units: 36
Initial Investment: $657,450 - $1,219,830
Franchise Fee:
Royalty Fee: $16/container/mo.

Zippy Shell is a mobile self-storage and moving franchise that was founded in 2009. It offers a unique business model within the moving and storage industry, providing mobile storage solutions directly to customers’ homes or businesses.

The company delivers storage containers to a customer’s location, which can then be packed at the customer’s pace before being stored in a secure facility or transported to a new location.

Franchising since 2009, Zippy Shell has built a reputation for its innovative and efficient services, competing with other industry leaders like PODS.

With 36 locations in the U.S. it continues to expand in both residential and commercial markets.

MyWay Mobile Storage

Franchising Since: 2007
Franchised Units: 6
Initial Investment: $180,800 - $760,200
Franchise Fee: From $40,000 (up to $450,000)
Royalty Fee: 3.0%

MyWay Mobile Storage, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, provides portable storage solutions tailored to both residential and commercial needs.

The company began franchising in 2009 and has developed a business model that emphasizes simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

MyWay Mobile Storage delivers portable storage containers directly to customers, who can pack at their convenience before the units are either stored at a secure facility or transported to a new location.

Cool Binz

Franchising Since: 2022
Franchised Units: 1
Initial Investment: $735,000 - $1,271,000
Franchise Fee: $59,900
Royalty Fee: 8.0 - 9.0%

Cool Binz is a unique franchise that specializes in providing innovative storage solutions for homes and businesses.

Founded in 2012, the brand focuses on creating customized storage systems that enhance organization and maximize space efficiency.

With a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, Cool Binz designs and installs tailored storage solutions for various environments, including closets, garages, and home offices.

Since 2022, the franchise has offered franchises and is actively looking for franchisees across the U.S.

Storage Authority

Franchising Since: 2015
Franchised Units: 2
Initial Investment: $500,000 - $4,000,000
Franchise Fee: $69,000
Royalty Fee: 6.0%

Storage Authority, founded in 2016 by Marc Goodin and Garrett Byrd, is the first U.S. franchise model focused solely on the self-storage industry.

Combining their extensive experience in self-storage and real estate, they created a franchise offering investors a profitable and scalable opportunity.

Brands offering different franchise models

Extra Space Storage

Third-party management partnership model

Extra Space Storage, founded in 1977, is the largest operator of self-storage facilities in the United States, with over 3,500 locations across 42 states.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, the company operates a real estate investment trust (REIT) model, managing both wholly-owned facilities and third-party-managed properties.

Extra Space Storage provides a range of storage solutions, including residential, business, and vehicle storage.

While Extra Space Storage does not operate as a traditional franchise, it offers third-party management partnerships. These partnerships allow property owners to leverage Extra Space’s industry expertise, branding, and operational support while maintaining ownership of their facilities

U-Haul

Broker model
U-Haul pays a 21% commission on average to its broker

U-Haul operates through a unique dealer partnership model instead of a traditional franchise setup.

Established in 1945, U-Haul allows independent businesses to offer its services, such as truck and trailer rentals, without requiring any upfront franchise fees.

This program gives businesses the opportunity to enhance their revenue by earning commissions, which can be as high as 22% per transaction depending on the type of rental or service provided.

U-Haul partners with a wide variety of businesses, ranging from gas stations to furniture stores, that have space available for U-Haul equipment.

These dealers retain control over their own business operations while benefiting from U-Haul’s well-known brand, extensive marketing support, and customer demand for moving and storage solutions.

U-Haul provides its dealers with training and operational guidance, and in return, they are responsible for offering top-notch customer service and managing U-Haul’s trucks, trailers, and moving supplies.

This model offers an attractive option for small business owners looking to increase their income without the financial commitments of a franchise, making it a popular choice for thousands of independent businesses across the U.S. and Canada.

Brands that do not offer franchises at the moment

PODS

PODS (Portable On-Demand Storage), founded in 1998 in Clearwater, Florida, is a pioneer in the portable moving and storage industry. It allows customers to have a portable storage container delivered directly to their location, which they can load at their own pace.

PODS began franchising in 1999, and it has expanded its operations across 46 U.S. states, as well as internationally in Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Unfortunately, PODS hasn’t been offering franchises for a number of years already since it was acquired by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in 2015.

1-800-PACK-RAT

1-800-PACK-RAT is a leading company in the portable storage and moving industry, founded in 2003.

Initially launched in North Carolina, the company expanded rapidly. Unfortunately, the company does not offer franchises anymore as of today (2025).

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This content has been made for informational and educational purposes only. We do not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the information presented in the article. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other professional advice. Nothing contained in this article constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, advertisement, or offer to buy or sell any franchises, securities, or other financial instruments in this or in any other jurisdiction in which such solicitation or offer would be unlawful under the franchise and/or securities laws of such jurisdiction.

All content in this article is information of a general nature and does not address the detailed circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Nothing in the article constitutes professional and/or financial and/or legal advice, nor does any information in the article constitute a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto. You alone assume the sole responsibility of evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of any information or other content in this article before making any decisions based on such information or other content.

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