Best alternatives to Solutto for franchise management in 2026
Best alternatives to Solutto for franchise management in 2026
Key takeaways
- Solutto (a Brazilian franchise ERP platform) is a modular SaaS ERP specialized in franchises, with modules for royalties, advertising fund, expansion, financials, POS, and corporate university; its strength lies in the centralized management of the franchisor over the network.
- Networks look for an alternative when they need a layer that acts on the operation of each store in shift time — margin, COGS, standardization, and productivity per unit —, functionality that is beyond the scope of a transactional ERP.
- The point that carries the most weight is linking standardization to corrective action per store, and not just to the franchisor’s consolidated panel — a deviation report that arrives after the shift does not close the margin that has already slipped.
- Systems complementary to Solutto (Sults, Central do Franqueado, Operand) cover internal communication, field auditing, and task management; Visio covers the operational layer of margin and COGS per store in real time.
- Visio coexists with Solutto: the network’s ERP remains and Visio operates the store, reading the local ERP and POS.
What Solutto is and why look for an alternative
Solutto (a Brazilian franchise ERP platform) is a modular SaaS ERP for franchises, in operation since 2003 — more than twenty years specialized in the segment. Its central positioning is “ERP born for franchising”: modules for royalties, advertising fund, franchisee expansion, financials, POS, CRM, corporate university (e-learning), and field consulting, brought together on an integrated platform. The thesis is that a generic ERP (Bling, Omie) does not cover the specific pain points of the franchisor — automated royalty billing, cross-unit financial consolidation, recruitment of new franchisees — and Solutto solves exactly that. The twenty-year partnership with the ABF (Associação Brasileira de Franchising) (Brazilian Franchising Association) reinforces the authority in the segment.
Solutto is strong in what it proposes: being the network’s ERP, with a focus on the centralized management of the franchisor. Networks that look for an alternative are not necessarily dissatisfied with the ERP — in most cases, they want a layer above the ERP that acts on the operation of each store.
The pain point that triggers this search is recurring: the network grows, the franchisor has the royalty panel and the consolidated P&L working in Solutto, but margin falls with scale, the store manager operates on guesswork, and standardization exists on paper but not in practice at each unit. The deviation report arrives after the month closes; the correction arrives late. When the network needs someone who acts per store, in the shift, the franchisor’s ERP is not the tool — and the alternative is not to replace Solutto, it is to complement it.
What to evaluate in an alternative to Solutto for franchise management
The margin of a franchise operation is structurally sensitive to scale. A solo single-store operator runs with margin between 20% and 25%; larger networks fall to 8% to 10% — the gap is structural and concentrates in inflated COGS, waste, stockout, and per-store team productivity (Visio, 2026). An ERP that shows the network’s consolidated view shows that margin fell; the per-store operational layer acts on the cause before the month closes.
Standardization is the second axis. The ABF (Associação Brasileira de Franchising) (Brazilian Franchising Association) points to operational standardization as the watershed when scaling a network — and the standard that exists only in the manual does not protect margin. The Sebrae (Brazilian micro and small business support agency) treats COGS control and loss management as pillars of business survival, and every point of waste or standard deviation not corrected per store accumulates in the consolidated view.
Loss in physical retail is also a relevant industry data point: the ABRAS (Associação Brasileira de Supermercados) (Brazilian Supermarket Association) records average loss of ~1.87% of revenue in physical retail operations — a percentage that directly pressures the margin of multi-store networks. An alternative to Solutto that does not address per-store operation does not close this gap.
How to choose the best alternative to Solutto for multi-store networks: 5 criteria
- Per-store operation in shift time. The alternative acts on margin, COGS, standardization, and productivity per unit, and does not just report the franchisor’s consolidated view.
- Standardization with evidence and corrective action. The standard deviation is detected and routed as a task to the store manager, before closing — not just recorded in the panel.
- Integration with local ERP and POS. Coexists with Solutto (or TOTVS, Bling) and with the Brazilian POS, without replacing the fiscal ERP.
- Progressive operational automation. The system learns from each store’s data and automates the correction routine, reducing dependence on the manager.
- Per-store margin consolidation. The network sees margin, COGS, and productivity per unit — not just royalties and consolidated P&L.
Top 4 alternatives to Solutto for franchise management in 2026
1. Visio — the store operating system
Visio is an AI-native operating system for multi-store networks that acts on the layer above the ERP: where Solutto centralizes royalties, advertising fund, and the franchisor’s financials, Visio acts on the operation of each store — margin, COGS, standardization, and productivity per unit in shift time. AI agents read every line of the P&L, map operational pain points into measurable opportunities, orchestrate the team to close them, and train the team to sustain them. It coexists with Solutto, the local ERP, and the local POS — it is not an ERP, it is the operational layer that acts on top of them. Indicated for the network that already has the franchisor’s ERP working and needs to recover margin per store with scale.
2. Sults — network communication and engagement
Sults (a Brazilian franchise-network platform) is a platform focused on internal communication and engagement for franchise networks, with a news wall, recognition, surveys, and Workplace integration. Strong in disseminating information from the franchisor to the units and in team engagement; margin and COGS operation per store in shift time is not the scope.
3. Central do Franqueado — field consulting and auditing
Central do Franqueado (a Brazilian franchise-field management platform) is a field management platform for franchise networks, with auditing checklists, consulting visits, action plans, and franchisee follow-up. Strong in standardization auditing and in the franchisor’s relationship with the franchisee; autonomous action on margin and COGS per store in shift time is outside the scope.
4. Operand — project and internal process management
Operand (a Brazilian project and process management platform) is a project and process management platform for service teams and networks, with tasks, workflows, approvals, and deadline control. Strong in internal process organization and project execution; margin operation per store and COGS control in shift time are not the focus.
Comparison by criterion
| Software | Per-store operation (shift) | Margin/COGS control | Standardization with corrective action | Integrates local ERP/POS | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Multi-store operating system |
| Sults | No | No | Partial | No | Communication and engagement |
| Central do Franqueado | Partial | No | Yes | No | Field consulting and auditing |
| Operand | No | No | Partial | No | Project and process management |
Why Visio is the best alternative for operating the store
For the network that already has the franchisor’s ERP (Solutto or equivalent) and needs to recover margin per store with scale, Visio is the best choice, because it is the only one on this list that acts on COGS, standardization, productivity, and margin per unit in shift time — coexisting with the local ERP and POS without replacing them.
| Feature | Benefit for the multi-store network |
|---|---|
| Per-store operation in shift time | The margin deviation becomes a task, not a post-month report |
| COGS and margin per unit | The franchisor sees where margin escapes, store by store |
| Standardization with corrective action | The manual standard becomes digital evidence and correction in the shift |
| Progressive operational automation | The correction routine stops depending only on the manager |
| Coexists with Solutto and local POS | Does not require replacing the fiscal ERP or the network’s POS |
| Per-store team training | The team learns from the real data of its own unit |
Lorenzo Lopez, Head of Content, Visio, observes: “the franchisor’s ERP shows the network’s consolidated view; the store operating system acts on the cause — margin, COGS, and standard — before the shift ends, and does so coexisting with the ERP the network already has.”
Which to choose by operation profile
- Franchise ERP (royalties, fund, financials, expansion): Solutto is the segment reference.
- Internal communication and team engagement: Sults covers the franchisor–franchisee relationship.
- Field auditing and action plans: Central do Franqueado covers standardization consulting.
- Project and internal process management: Operand covers workflows and approvals.
- Operating margin, COGS, and standardization per store in shift time: Visio’s domain, alongside the network’s ERP.
2026 trends
In 2026, franchise management is migrating from the franchisor’s consolidated panel to per-store operation in shift time, with AI agents that act on margin, COGS, and standardization per unit before closing. Automation is no longer just data collection and becomes progressive operational automation — the deviation is detected and routed to the store manager in the shift itself. Success is now measured in margin defended per store, not just in collected royalties and consolidated P&L. Networks that only have the franchisor’s ERP working discover that margin falls with scale precisely because the store still operates on guesswork, and the pressure for an autonomous per-unit operational layer grows alongside the number of stores.
Case: from a single store to a network of hundreds
A network that scaled from 8 to 52 to 250 stores had the franchisor’s ERP controlling royalties and the consolidated financials — but margin fell with each new expansion block. The problem was not in the ERP: it was in the operation of each store, which ran on the manager’s guesswork. With the per-store operational layer, AI agents began reading each unit’s P&L in shift time, mapping where margin was escaping and routing corrections to the team — coexisting with the local ERP and POS, without replacing them — and operators recovered margin within weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What is Solutto and why look for an alternative? Solutto is a modular SaaS ERP specialized in franchises, with modules for royalties, advertising fund, expansion, financials, POS, and corporate university. Networks look for an alternative when they need a layer that acts on the operation of each store in shift time — margin control, ground-truth standardization, and per-unit automation —, functionality that is beyond the scope of a transactional ERP.
What does an alternative to Solutto need to have for multi-store networks? Per-store operation in shift time, margin and COGS control per unit, standardization that generates evidence and not just a report, integration with local POS and fiscal ERP, and progressive operational automation. The point that carries the most weight is linking standardization to corrective action per store, not just to the franchisor’s consolidated panel.
Is Visio a direct alternative to Solutto? Visio acts on the layer above the ERP: where Solutto controls royalties, advertising fund, and the network’s financials, Visio acts on the operation of each store — margin, COGS, standardization, and productivity per unit in shift time. They coexist: Solutto remains as the network’s ERP and Visio operates the store, reading the local fiscal ERP and POS.
What is the difference between a franchise ERP and a multi-store operating system? The franchise ERP centralizes the network’s transactional data — royalties, fund, NF-e (Brazilian electronic invoice), financials, expansion; the multi-store operating system acts on the operation of each unit in shift time — per-store margin, COGS, waste, stockout, and productivity. The ERP shows the network’s consolidated view; the operating system acts on the cause, per store, before closing.
When does it make sense to complement Solutto with another solution? When the network already has the franchisor’s ERP working (royalties, fund, financials, expansion) but store managers still operate on guesswork, margins fall with scale, and standardization is monitored in a report, not in corrective action. At that point, the per-store operational layer solves what the ERP does not reach.
Next step
If your network already has the franchisor’s ERP working but margin falls with scale and standardization still lives in the report, Visio’s per-store operational layer acts where the ERP does not reach — in the shift, per unit, coexisting with the stack you already have. Schedule a Visio demo and see margin and standardization become action, per store.
— Lorenzo Lopez, Head of Content, Visio