Flippa for volume and speed across online-business types. Acquire.com for vetted SaaS buyers. Microns for micro-deals. Brokers (Empire Flippers, FE International and peers) for larger curated processes. And the step most sellers skip: spending a quarter improving churn and concentration before listing — that's worth more than any platform choice.
- General online businesses
- Flippa — biggest buyer pool; listings $29–$499; success ~5–10%.
- SaaS specifically
- Acquire.com — software-only, buyer vetting, closed-deal comps.
- Deals under ~$100k
- Microns — right-sized marketplace, comparable listing fees.
- Six-figure earnings
- Brokers — curation, migration support, and process.
The picks at a glance
| Site | Best for | Fees | The honest catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flippa | Sites, stores, apps, small SaaS — speed and volume | Listings $29–$499; success ~5–10% | Noisy buyer pool at low prices |
| Acquire.com | SaaS and recurring-revenue software | Free valuation; seller subscriptions | Smaller, stricter market |
| Microns | Micro-SaaS and tiny assets | Listings roughly $29–$499 | Small buyer pool |
| Empire Flippers / FE International | Content sites and SaaS with real earnings | Commissions on close | Minimums exclude smaller deals |
| Direct sale | Known buyers: competitors, customers | $0 platform fees | No price tension; you run everything |
How to think about the choice
Marketplaces trade three things off against each other: buyer volume (more bidders, better price discovery, more noise), buyer quality (vetting, proof-of-funds, fewer tire-kickers), and fees (listing, subscription, success, broker commission). Flippa maximizes volume; Acquire maximizes quality for software; brokers maximize process at the cost of commissions; Microns right-sizes everything for tiny deals.
Match the venue to your asset's shape, then negotiate — success fees and listing tiers are more negotiable than founders assume, especially with clean books.
1.Flippa
- Best for
- Most online businesses; sellers who want speed and volume
- Fees
- Listings $29–$499; success ~10% under $50k, 7.5% to $100k, 5% above
- Distinctive bit
- The largest online-business marketplace; free instant valuation
The default answer for a reason: the biggest buyer pool means price discovery actually happens. Broker services exist for sellers who want help inside the marketplace, and the free valuation tool is a reasonable starting band.
The catch: volume cuts both ways — low-ball offers and diligence tourists. Budget time for filtering, and don't accept the first bid that clears your reserve.
2.Acquire.com
- Best for
- SaaS and recurring-revenue software
- Fees
- Free valuation; seller subscription plans
- Distinctive bit
- Software-only market with buyer vetting and closed-deal comps
For real SaaS, Acquire's focus is worth the trade: buyers expect MRR math, understand churn, and come pre-qualified. Fewer bidders than Flippa, but the ones who arrive are serious more often.
The catch: subscription pricing for sellers, and a market calibrated to their deal-size sweet spot — very large or unusual assets may do better elsewhere.
3.Microns
- Best for
- Micro-deals and tiny online businesses
- Fees
- Listing fees roughly $29–$499
- Distinctive bit
- A marketplace sized for sub-$100k assets
Listing a $15k side project on a big marketplace gets lost; on Microns it's native. Fees in the familiar range, buyers who expect micro-prices and micro-diligence.
The catch: the buyer pool is small in absolute terms — expect a longer wait and price accordingly.
4.Brokers: Empire Flippers, FE International, and peers
- Best for
- Content sites and SaaS with six-figure earnings
- Fees
- Commissions on close, typically negotiated
- Distinctive bit
- Curation, vetting, migration, and managed process
Empire Flippers dominates curated content-site and e-commerce sales; FE International and similar shops handle larger SaaS. Both typically offer free valuations grounded in their closed deals, and earn commissions by keeping deals alive through diligence and migration.
The catch: minimum deal sizes, commissions, and valuations that flatter the listing they want to sell for you.
5.Direct sale (no platform)
- Best for
- Known buyers: competitors, adjacent customers, community peers
- Fees
- $0 platform fees; possibly advisor/legal costs
- Distinctive bit
- Confidential, fast, relationship-driven
Sometimes the best buyer already knows your business. A direct approach saves fees and diligence theater — with NDAs, an escrow process, and a defensible valuation keeping it professional.
The catch: one buyer means no price tension, and you're running the process without a marketplace's tooling. Great outcome if it works; quietly expensive if the single buyer lowballs.
My pick, by situation
- Clean SaaS with MRR: Acquire.com first, Flippa in parallel if speed matters.
- Content site or store: Flippa, or Empire Flippers once earnings justify curation.
- Side project under $50k: Microns, or a direct sale to a user.
- Not ready but curious: that's the EvalyMe case — value it privately, fix the weakest factor, list next quarter from a stronger position.
What I'd do today
- Get two valuations (marketplace tool + your own books) and reconcile them honestly.
- Model net proceeds per venue — fees differ more than valuations.
- Fix churn, concentration, and any single points of failure before listing.
- Prepare the diligence pack (P&L, traffic/revenue evidence, processes) while the listing drafts — speed in diligence is leverage.
Questions
What's the smallest deal worth listing? +
Marketplaces list everything from $5k hobby projects up. Realistically, below roughly $50k in annual earnings you're selling time more than a business — expect heavy discounting, tire-kickers, and consider whether an audience sale (to a user base or peer) does better than a listing.
How do marketplace fees actually stack up? +
Flippa: listing fees around $29–$499 plus success fees of roughly 10% under $50k, 7.5% to $100k, 5% above. Acquire.com: seller subscriptions instead of listing fees. Brokers: commissions on close, negotiated. Microns: listing fees in Flippa's range. Model net proceeds on each before choosing — fees differ more than valuations do.
Should I get a valuation before listing? +
Yes — but from two sources and with your own books as the tiebreaker. Marketplace valuations flatter listings; your own numbers keep you honest. Also remember: the listing price is marketing; the sale price comes from buyer competition and diligence.
Can I sell without a marketplace? +
Yes: direct outreach to competitors, customers, and communities sometimes closes faster and fee-free. You give up price tension and confidentiality controls. If you try it, get an NDA template and a defensible valuation first.
Competitor details from public sources, checked October 2026. Nothing here is legal, tax, or investment advice.