BizBuySell's free calculator values main-street businesses the way they're actually sold: as a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings, using multiples from real marketplace transactions. EvalyMe values software-style businesses the way they're actually sold: as a multiple of recurring revenue, adjusted for churn, growth, and unit economics. Pick by business type, not by brand.
- Main-street businesses
- BizBuySell — real SDE transaction data from the largest US marketplace, free.
- Software / recurring revenue
- EvalyMe — MRR, churn, growth, and LTV/CAC as first-class inputs.
- Researching what's for sale
- BizBuySell — it's a marketplace; comparable listings are the product.
- Building an improvement plan
- EvalyMe — operating score and 30/60/90-day playbooks; calculators don't coach.
The picks at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Price | What the number is anchored to |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvalyMe | SaaS, apps, recurring-revenue businesses | $0 calculator · Pro $14.99/mo | Published factor model over MRR, churn, growth, LTV/CAC, age |
| BizBuySell | Main-street, owner-operated businesses | Free calculator; paid detailed reports | Real SDE multiples from marketplace listings and sales |
| Flippa | Online businesses (sites, stores, small SaaS) | Free valuation | Online-business marketplace comps |
What actually differs
Main-street businesses sell on SDE — seller's discretionary earnings, roughly profit plus everything the owner takes. BizBuySell's calculator applies real SDE multiples from its own marketplace, which is the best free window into what restaurants, trades, and local services actually fetch. A BizBuySell survey found only 14% of owners had completed a professional valuation — half worked from rough guesses, a third had no idea — and their free tool is a reasonable corrective.
Software businesses sell on different math: a multiple of ARR or MRR, adjusted for growth, churn, and revenue quality, with active users mattering in some models. SDE framing fits them badly because owner salary isn't the dominant variable — retention is. EvalyMe's engine is built entirely around that: base multiples per revenue model, factor adjustments, and a six-factor operating score where retention and unit economics carry a third of the weight.
We'll say it plainly: if you run a traditional owner-operated business, BizBuySell's tool is better calibrated than ours, and it's free. Our method page is equally plain that we don't ingest private transaction data.
1.EvalyMe ours
- Best for
- Recurring-revenue and software businesses
- Price
- Calculator free · Pro $14.99/mo
- Platform
- Web + native iOS and Android apps
- Core output
- Directional range, operating score, exit playbook
If your business speaks MRR, churn, and LTV/CAC, the inputs take a minute and the model scores what SaaS diligence actually scores. Pro adds playbooks that translate the weak factor into a 90-day task list.
The catch: for an SDE-priced business, our model is the wrong instrument — it doesn't model owner compensation, add-backs, or local market dynamics at all.
2.BizBuySell's valuation calculator
- Best for
- Main-street and owner-operated businesses
- Price
- Free (paid detailed reports available)
- Platform
- Web calculator inside the marketplace's learning center
- Core output
- Market-based SDE estimate and comparable-listing context
The data foundation is the product: multiples drawn from the largest US business-for-sale marketplace, where real listings and closings set the ranges. If you're selling a traditional business, this plus a conversation with two brokers is a legitimate start.
The catch: quick calculators miss what deals hinge on — customer concentration, owner dependence, records quality. BizBuySell's own ecosystem (brokers, formal reports) exists for that next layer, at broker prices.
Our pick, by situation
- Restaurant, trade, agency-of-people, local services: BizBuySell's calculator, then a broker conversation.
- SaaS, app, subscription community, productized service on recurring billing: EvalyMe.
- E-commerce or content site: honestly, Flippa's marketplace-calibrated estimate before either of us.
- Mixed revenue: run both, and treat the gap as information about which revenue stream is actually valuable.
What I'd do today
- Classify your business honestly: SDE-priced or revenue-multiple-priced.
- Run the matching calculator (BizBuySell for SDE, EvalyMe for recurring revenue) — both are free.
- Spend twenty minutes browsing BizBuySell's comparable listings either way; nothing calibrates expectations like reading real asking prices.
- Whatever the number, list the three things that would make a buyer pay the top of the range — then go do those. (If you use EvalyMe, the playbook writes that list for you.)
Questions
Is BizBuySell's calculator really free? +
Yes. The business-value calculator in their learning center is free, applies SDE multiples from marketplace listings and sales, and exists to feed the marketplace ecosystem — brokers, listings, and paid detailed reports.
Which businesses fit BizBuySell's data? +
Owner-operated main-street businesses — trades, restaurants, local services, small retail — the kind that sell on seller's discretionary earnings. If your financial story is 'revenue minus everything the owner takes,' their multiples are well-calibrated. Software businesses are priced on different math (recurring revenue, churn, growth), which is where our model lives.
Why does EvalyMe use MRR instead of SDE? +
Because recurring-revenue businesses are bought as a multiple of revenue or ARR with churn and growth adjustments, not as a multiple of discretionary earnings. The inputs buyers diligence (churn, LTV/CAC, concentration) are the inputs our model scores.
Can I use BizBuySell to actually sell? +
Yes — it's the largest US business-for-sale marketplace, and that's its real strength. It's the right place to list a main-street business and to research comparable listings.
What if I run a hybrid business? +
Plenty of businesses have both recurring software revenue and services. Run both calculators: BizBuySell's SDE view and EvalyMe's revenue-model view. If the two disagree, that disagreement is telling you which revenue stream a buyer will actually pay a premium for.
Competitor details from public sources, checked October 2026. EvalyMe outputs are estimates, not appraisals or investment advice.