CHRGD

Overview

CHRGD is a franchise royalty administration platform that converts franchisee point-of-sale sales into royalty calculations and collections. It is most relevant to franchisors that want recurring payments tied to sales and franchisees who need a clear account of those payments. The free plan removes monthly charges, but a transaction fee still applies to processed royalties.

Key features

Franchisors can set royalty and marketing-fund rules using percentages, caps, minimums, deferrals, and grace periods. That flexibility suits networks with different agreement terms, though it puts the onus on the franchisor to configure those terms correctly. Collections run nightly by default, with weekly and monthly schedules for organizations whose operating rhythm calls for less frequent transfers.

Active integrations include Square, FareHarbor, Stripe Connect, Clover, QuickBooks, and Xero. Lightspeed Retail, Lightspeed Restaurant, Loyverse POS, and Toast are coming soon; networks dependent on those systems should wait rather than plan around an integration that is not yet active. Stripe Connect supports ACH and card collection, transfers to franchisor accounts, and platform-fee handling.

The franchisee ledger shows daily sales, royalty calculations, transfer amounts, and transfer status. That gives franchisees a way to follow how sales translate into payments, while helping franchisors make collection activity more transparent. CHRGD also offers a multi-location dashboard, franchisee portal, standards checklists, operational audits, and compliance tracking, extending its scope beyond royalty processing into oversight of franchise operations.

The developer API uses OAuth 2.0 with PKCE and provides access to live sales, financial, and franchise data. For organizations that need to connect their own systems, that is a more useful starting point than a payment-only workflow. CHRGD describes itself as a progressive web app that works across devices, and its platform coverage includes Android, iOS, web, and API. Security measures stated for the product include AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit, SOC 2 Type II controls, role-based access, and audit logs.

Pricing

CHRGD uses a freemium model. Its Free Forever plan has no monthly fees and includes unlimited franchisee locations, POS integrations, automated royalty calculations, email support, and standard security features. The absence of a location cap makes it potentially useful for growing networks, but processed royalty payments incur a small transaction fee, so payment volume still has a cost. No higher-priced plan is described, so organizations should assess the free plan against their transaction costs and requirements rather than assume a paid tier is needed.

Support terms are described differently across CHRGD’s pages: the plan includes email support, while the homepage says email, chat, and phone support are included 24/7. Buyers who need to rely on a particular channel should confirm that it applies to their plan.

Platforms

CHRGD supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. Its progressive web app approach is intended to work across devices, which can suit franchisees and managers moving between locations and desktop work. API access is useful for teams integrating live franchise, sales, or financial data into their own workflows.

Who it's for

CHRGD is a strong candidate for franchisors that collect royalties from POS sales, need configurable rules across agreements, and want franchisees to see the calculations and transfer status behind payments. Its checklists, audits, and compliance tracking also make sense for networks seeking operational oversight alongside collections. It is a weaker fit for a network whose POS depends on an integration still coming soon, or for a buyer seeking a clearly stated all-in monthly cost for collections.

Pros and cons

Pros: Configurable royalty rules and nightly, weekly, or monthly collection schedules accommodate different franchise agreements and payment cadences.

Pros: The free plan includes unlimited locations and POS integrations, with no monthly fee, lowering the barrier for networks to centralize royalty administration.

Pros: A visible franchisee ledger and a broad set of operational oversight tools connect payment transparency with standards and compliance work.

Cons: A transaction fee applies to royalty payments even on the free plan, so payment volume affects total cost.

Cons: Several named POS integrations remain coming soon, limiting its immediate fit for networks that depend on them.

Cons: Support channels differ between the plan description and homepage, leaving buyers to verify which service applies to their account.

Alternatives

For restaurant-focused franchise management, compare Restaurant Franchise Management Software. Choose OpsAnalitica instead if a paid product with a free trial suits better; its custom pricing varies by business size, required features, and contract terms. FranConnect is another paid option, with pricing shaped by modules, integrations, data migration, and rollout scope.

Franchora is a paid alternative. If audit checklists are the priority, GoAudits offers a free trial but no free plan; its Starter plan is $10 a month with annual billing, priced per user per month. Ozchain is a freemium web option, with a Professional plan at A$50 a month. FranchiseKit is a paid web option with a $20 a month Email White Label plan and a $79 a month All-in-One plan, both billed monthly. IFX offers paid a la carte modules with custom pricing, while Janus 360 is a paid alternative with route-optimization pricing.

Verdict

Choose CHRGD if you are a franchisor seeking sales-linked royalty automation, flexible collection rules, and a transparent franchisee payment ledger without a monthly subscription. Its operational tools broaden the appeal beyond collections, but the transaction fee means the free plan is not free of usage costs, and integration gaps can rule it out for some POS environments. Look elsewhere if a required integration is not yet active or if predictable, clearly stated collection costs matter more than the absence of a monthly charge.