---
title: "FirstPass Memo vs DealScreen (Business Buyer Check): $39 report or free listing check?"
url: https://firstpassmemo.com/guides/firstpass-vs-dealscreen
updated: 2026-10-10
publisher: FirstPass Memo (hello@firstpassmemo.com)
---

Comparison

# FirstPass Memo vs DealScreen (Business Buyer Check): which first screen fits your deal?

Short answer: DealScreen is a $39 report built for buyers of Main Street small businesses who are planning financing: it stress-tests debt coverage and adds market and public-record context. FirstPass is built for online-business listings (SaaS, content, ecommerce) on marketplaces such as Flippa, Empire Flippers and Acquire.com: a free 33-rule listing check, then a memo against your own criteria. If you are borrowing to buy a local business, DealScreen fits better. If you are comparing online listings before contacting sellers, start with FirstPass.

Updated 10 October 2026 · Prices checked on each provider's own site on 10 October 2026

Note: "DealScreen" here means the $39 report sold by Business Buyer Check (businessbuyercheck.com). It is not the separate product at dealscreen.ai, which analyses uploaded CIMs and financials.

## What does DealScreen offer, and at what price?

DealScreen is a one-time $39 report, available after you create a free QuickCheck report for the same listing. Its page lists financing sensitivity and indicative DSCR (debt service coverage), earnings stress cases and cash after debt, price and offer guardrails, and routing to market and public-record sources such as Census, BLS, SBA data and state, UCC, court and licence records. Inputs include NAICS industry, location, down payment, interest rate and loan term. The page says DealScreen "does not reconcile seller documents". Business Buyer Check also sells DealProof ($79), a check of seller documents against the listing.

## How do they compare?

FirstPass and DealScreen, as listed on 10 October 2026

| Option | Price | Works from | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FirstPass red-flag checker | Free, no sign-up | Listing text and numbers you paste | 33 published rules run in your browser; payback, asking multiple vs comparable listings, top flags with seller questions |
| FirstPass Memo | Free during the beta; then $99 (first memo $79 for waitlist members). Not on sale yet | The public listing or pasted text, plus your criteria | Every flag ranked, payback sensitivity, ranked seller questions, checked against your own limits |
| DealScreen (Business Buyer Check) | $39 one-time, after a free QuickCheck | Listing claims carried from QuickCheck, plus your financing assumptions | Financing sensitivity, DSCR, downside cases, offer guardrails, market and public-record source routing |

## Which should you use?

- Use DealScreen if you are buying an established local or Main Street business, plan to use an SBA or bank loan, and want to know whether the price survives debt service.

- Use FirstPass if you are screening online businesses priced roughly $10k–150k and paying cash: the checks are built for things like churn, MRR vs collected revenue, organic-search and platform dependence, and months of history, which matter more than DSCR on most marketplace deals.

- Neither verifies anything. Both read what the seller published. Before you sign, verify revenue at the source or pay for a document review.

## How can you try FirstPass for free?

Try the free first step. Paste a listing into the FirstPass red-flag checker (https://firstpassmemo.com/checker/): payback, the asking multiple against comparable listings and the top flags, each with a question for the seller. Nothing you paste leaves your browser. Or download the 33-rule checklist (PDF) (https://firstpassmemo.com/get/33-rule-checklist.pdf).

Already talking to a seller about a $10k–150k listing? Apply for a free beta memo (https://firstpassmemo.com/#beta)

FirstPass Memo is independent and is not affiliated with Business Buyer Check, DealScreen or DealScreen.ai. We wrote this page about a competitor, so check the sources yourself; prices and features may change. Spotted an error? Email hello@firstpassmemo.com and we will correct it. General information, not advice.

## Sources

- Business Buyer Check, DealScreen (https://businessbuyercheck.com/deal-screen), read 10 October 2026.

- Business Buyer Check, FAQ (https://businessbuyercheck.com/faq) (DealProof price), read 10 October 2026.

- DealScreen.ai, home page (https://www.dealscreen.ai/), read 10 October 2026.

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FirstPass Memo is informational screening, not investment, legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and not an audit. Seller figures are not independently verified. HTML version: https://firstpassmemo.com/guides/firstpass-vs-dealscreen