How franchise and partner programmes work
National coaching brands and test-prep companies offer franchise or content-partner programmes to local institutes. Terms vary, but the usual offer is discounted study material and test series, the credibility of a name students already know, and sometimes training and marketing support.
In return, the partner’s brand stays visible: on books, test papers, the app and often the board outside. Students usually register on the partner’s platform to take tests, so the partner holds their contact details and results, and your institute may be listed on the partner’s website and apps. Agreements commonly include an upfront fee, a royalty or revenue share, and rules on territory and pricing. Read the exit clause before you sign.
How white-label works
With white-label, you run the platform under your own name. Students see your logo and colours on the login page, every test and every result. The vendor stays in the background and is paid a yearly fee or a share of test-series sales. Content comes from the vendor’s question bank, your faculty or both, and the student data belongs to your institute.
The trade-off is that you carry the brand yourself. No national name sits beside yours to reassure a new parent.
White-label also gives you less than a partner programme in some ways. The vendor supplies software and, on some plans, questions. It doesn’t supply teachers, printed books, marketing or a name to put on the board outside. Those stay your job.
Side by side
| Area | Franchise or partner | White-label |
|---|---|---|
| Name students see | The partner’s, often beside yours | Yours only |
| Study material | Supplied by the partner | Vendor’s bank, your own, or both |
| Student data | Often held on the partner’s platform | Held on your platform, exportable |
| Cost | Usually an upfront fee plus a royalty or share | A yearly fee or a share of test-series sales |
| Credibility | Borrowed from the partner | Built on your own results |
| Leaving | Set by the exit clause | Export your data and move |
How to decide
A franchise or partner programme tends to suit a new institute: one in its first year or two, without faculty-written material, in a town where a known name brings in the first batches.
White-label tends to suit an established institute: one with a local reputation, teachers who write their own papers, and students who come for those teachers rather than a borrowed name. For these institutes, the partner’s brand can end up competing with their own, especially when the partner’s app markets its courses to the same students. We explain how that happens in why students drift to national exam apps.
Some institutes combine the two, using a partner’s printed material while running tests on their own platform. Check that your agreement allows it.
If white-label fits, compare options in our roundup of six platforms, and see Akhaara’s features and published prices.
Signs you have outgrown a partner programme
Many institutes start with a partner and later want their own name in front. These are the usual signs that the time has come:
- Your faculty write papers students rate more highly than the supplied material.
- Parents ask for your institute by name, not the partner’s.
- Your students receive calls or offers from the partner’s own courses.
- The royalty you pay each year is more than a platform of your own would cost.
- You want rank lists and reports that carry only your name.
Questions to ask before you sign either
For a franchise or partner programme:
- What will we pay over three years, including the upfront fee, royalty and material costs?
- Whose platform do students register on, and who can contact them afterwards?
- Will our institute be listed on the partner’s website or app, and can students be offered the partner’s own courses?
- What are the territory rules, and what does the exit clause say?
For a white-label platform:
- Does the contract say the student data belongs to us, and how do we export it?
- Does the vendor’s name appear anywhere students can see it?
- How much can the price rise at renewal?
- What happens to our data if the vendor closes?
Questions institutes ask
What is the difference between white-label and franchise?
In a franchise or partner programme, you teach under or alongside another brand and use its material and platform. With white-label, you use a vendor’s technology under your own name, and the vendor stays invisible to students.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on the terms. Franchise costs usually combine an upfront fee with a royalty or revenue share, which grows as you grow. White-label is usually a yearly fee or a share of test-series sales. Compare the three-year total for your expected student count, including any share of fees.
Can we switch later?
Yes, but plan for it. Leaving a franchise is governed by your agreement, which may include notice periods or limits on using similar material. Moving between white-label platforms is simpler if your contract says the student data is yours and you can export it.
Do students find out?
With a franchise, students see the partner’s name by design. With white-label they shouldn’t, as long as the login page, results and the app’s store listing carry only your name. Check the developer name on the Play Store listing before you sign.