KERNL
KERNL is a web-based franchise knowledge and compliance platform for networks that manage manuals, policies and staff training.
What KERNL is
KERNL is a web-based franchise knowledge and compliance platform for networks that manage manuals, policies and staff training. Franchisees can ask plain-English questions and receive answers from the current uploaded documents, with source citations. The FAQ says it uses OpenAI GPT-4o mini and limits answers to uploaded materials. Uploads include PDF and Microsoft Word files up to 20MB, plus Google Docs; image-only scanned PDFs are not supported. KERNL tracks document acknowledgments, training completion and policy-question engagement across locations. Training modules can combine video links, documents or written content, then be assigned to locations or individuals with due dates and completion requirements. Owners, managers and staff can receive role-, location- and document-level access. Security includes TLS, AES-256 encryption, private Cloudflare R2 storage and row-level isolation between franchise networks.
Good
- Answers cite current uploaded source documents
- Tracks acknowledgments and training completion
- Training assignments include due dates
- Role, location and document access controls
- Supports PDF, DOCX and Google Docs
Watch out
- Image-only scanned PDFs are unsupported
- Web platform has no mobile app coverage
- Plans charge per location
- Enterprise pricing requires a quote
Who it suits
KERNL suits franchise networks in food service, retail, fitness and service sectors. It is designed for organizations needing centralized knowledge, compliance tracking and assigned training across locations.
Verdict
KERNL combines document-based answers with franchise compliance and training oversight. Check file formats, location counts and the per-location pricing structure against your network.
Plans and prices
From KERNL's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials (annual billing) | $59 a month | 5–20 locations · per location · unlimited users per location · $59/mo billed annually — save 15% |
| Essentials | $69 a month | 5–20 locations · unlimited users per location · no setup fee · $69/location/mo |
| Growth (annual billing) | $75 a month | 21–75 locations · per location · unlimited users per location · $75/mo billed annually — save 16% |
| Growth | $89 a month | 21–75 locations · unlimited users per location · no setup fee · $89/location/mo |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | 76+ locations · volume pricing · custom contracts · Quote based on network setup |
The facts
Each one read from KERNL's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access controls
- The homepage describes role-based, location-based, and document-level access controls for owners, managers, and staff.checked 7 Oct 2026
- AI answers
- Ask KERNL answers plain-English questions from the current version of uploaded manuals and policy documents, citing the source.checked 7 Oct 2026
- AI model
- The FAQ says KERNL uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini model and answers only from uploaded documents.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Compliance and data rights
- KERNL describes its practices as GDPR and CCPA aligned, offers a Data Processing Agreement, and says users can export data or request deletion.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Compliance tracking
- KERNL tracks document acknowledgments, training completion, and policy Q&A engagement across locations in a dashboard.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Data isolation
- KERNL says every multi-tenant table has row-level security to isolate franchise networks’ data.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Document formats
- The FAQ lists PDF and Microsoft Word (.docx) uploads up to 20MB each and says image-only scanned PDFs are not yet supported.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The product pages list Google Docs as a supported document source alongside PDF and DOCX uploads.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Intended customers
- KERNL describes its audience as franchise networks and lists food service, retail, fitness, and service-based networks among the franchise types it serves.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- KERNL says it does not use customer data to train AI or machine-learning models without separate written consent.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Product
- KERNL is a franchise knowledge and compliance platform where franchisees can get AI answers sourced from franchisors’ uploaded documents.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- KERNL says traffic uses TLS, stored data uses AES-256 encryption, and documents are stored in private Cloudflare R2 storage behind short-lived signed URLs.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- KERNL says the team typically responds to email within one business day.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Training
- Training modules can contain video links, documents, or written content and can be assigned to locations or individuals with due dates and completion requirements.checked 7 Oct 2026
The company
- Headquarters
- Sacramento, California, United Stateschecked 28 Sep 2026
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