Head to head · Retail / Hardware✓ VERIFIED · 2026-07-12
Ace Hardware vs Subway: units, growth & AI adoption
Subway leads on AI adoption (58/100 vs 57/100), while Subway is the larger system by unit count (36,000+ vs 5,900+). Ace Hardware is growing faster year-over-year (+2.6%). Data verified Q3 2026.
| Metric | Ace Hardware | Subway |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Retail / Hardware | QSR / Fast Food |
| Headquarters | USA | USA |
| Units (approx.) | 5,900+ | 36,000+ ◂ |
| Unit growth YoY | +2.6% ◂ | +1.1% |
| AI Adoption Score | 57/100 | 58/100 ◂ |
| Operations AI | 60 ◂ | 55 |
| Marketing AI | 54 | 66 ◂ |
| Training AI | 50 | 52 ◂ |
| Data infrastructure | 62 ◂ | 59 |
| Region | North America | North America |
| Index rank | #33 | #31 ◂ |
Ace Hardware
Cooperative retail model with strong APAC licensing; AI in assortment planning and inventory optimization at the wholesale level.
FULL ACE HARDWARE PROFILE →Subway
One of the most-franchised brands globally, mid-pack on AI adoption: digital ordering and loyalty personalization are live, unit-level AI operations tooling is still limited.
FULL SUBWAY PROFILE →Franchise Intelligence Index
Compare every tracked system — full benchmarks, updated quarterly.
SOURCE: FRANCHISEPULSE FRANCHISE INTELLIGENCE INDEX, Q3 2026 · FREE TO CITE WITH ATTRIBUTION + LINK