Buyer guide
Flippa vs Empire Flippers vs Acquire.com for buyers
Short answer: all three charge sellers when a sale closes, and none of them does your due diligence for you. Flippa is open to listings of every size and lets sellers type their own figures unless a badge says otherwise. Empire Flippers vets every listing and handles migration. Acquire.com curates software businesses and charges buyers an annual membership to contact sellers.
What do Flippa, Empire Flippers and Acquire.com charge, and who pays?
All three marketplaces charge sellers when a sale closes, according to their own pages read 7 October 2026: Flippa a success fee from 5%, Empire Flippers a commission of at least $10,000, and Acquire.com an 8% closing fee. Buyers pay Flippa's escrow fees and, to contact sellers on Acquire.com, a membership.
| Item | Flippa | Empire Flippers | Acquire.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller pays | Listing package from $29, plus a mandatory success fee from 5%1 | No listing fee. Commission of $10,000 on sales up to $66,666, 15% up to $700,000, lower above4 | $25 a month to list (asking price up to $250,000), plus an 8% closing fee if it sells7 |
| Buyer pays | Free account; optional Premium at $49 a month or $490 a year. Escrow fees are paid by the buyer12 | We found no buyer fee on the pages we read. Buyers verify ID and proof of funds before unlocking listings5 | Basic is free and shows public details only. Premium is $390 a year (startups up to $250k TTM revenue); Platinum is $780 a year (all sizes)7 |
| Holding a deal | $5 card hold to bid; a $500 authorisation for bids or offers at $5,000 or more2 | Non-refundable deposit of 10% or $9,900, whichever is higher6 | An accepted LOI removes other buyers' access; the LOI builder includes a no-shop clause by default9 |
A success fee or commission paid by the seller is normal for marketplaces, and it does not make a platform's listings wrong. It does mean the platform is paid when a deal closes, which is worth keeping in mind when you read its descriptions of a business.
What does each marketplace check before a listing goes live?
- Flippa shows two badges. Data Verified means the seller connected platforms such as Stripe, Google Analytics or Shopify, with read-only data. Vetted by Flippa applies to listings priced at $50,000 or more and involves a manual review of revenue, primary expenses and traffic. Listings without a badge show figures the seller entered.3
- Empire Flippers says it vets every listing with automated tools and manual checks by two or more people, covering the seller's identity and permission to sell, whether earnings can be verified and belong to the business, traffic sources, earnings per pageview and the backlink profile.5
- Acquire.com says it approves about 13% of businesses submitted.8 Its Verified badge confirms the seller's identity, plus business verification for US entities. Sellers can connect payment data through ChartMogul; those who do not type their figures in.9
What do you still have to verify yourself?
On Flippa, Empire Flippers and Acquire.com alike, the buyer still has to verify the figures: each platform's own pages say due diligence is the buyer's job.
All three say so in plain terms. Empire Flippers says it does not provide due diligence reports and that each buyer is responsible for their own due diligence.5 Acquire.com's seller FAQ says it does not conduct in-depth seller due diligence and leaves due diligence to buyers.9 Flippa's Help Center describes a separate paid review starting at $1,500; confirm it is still offered before you plan around it.3
Whatever the platform, check these yourself: that the figures trace to a payment processor or bank, that recent months match the average the price is based on, how much work the business takes, which accounts transfer, and what happens if the largest traffic source or customer goes. The revenue verification guide covers the first two in detail.
Which price bands does each platform use?
- Flippa lists everything from under $10,000 upwards, and its Vetted badge starts at $50,000.13
- Empire Flippers' minimum commission of $10,000 applies to sales up to about $66,666, so for a seller it costs 15% or more of any sale in that range. Its buying-process page lets buyers message sellers directly below $300,000 and arranges advisor-led calls above it.46
- Acquire.com splits buyer access at $250,000 of TTM revenue (Premium against Platinum) and seller fees at $250,000 and $1 million of asking price.7
Which marketplace should a buyer use?
For listings priced $10k–150k, Flippa has the widest choice and the widest range of quality, so screening matters most there. Empire Flippers adds vetting and a managed migration, and its prices reflect that the seller pays a larger commission. Acquire.com suits buyers looking for small software businesses who are willing to pay for membership to contact sellers. On each, run the listing through a first pass before you spend time or money on diligence.
Get the seller question checklists
Join the FirstPass Memo waitlist and the next page gives you the general seller question checklist (web page and PDF) straight away, along with the other free files: seller question checklists for eleven business types, the 72-hour vetting plan and a deal-tracker spreadsheet. Nothing is emailed; you download them on the page.
We will write when paid memos open, and occasionally before. Unsubscribe any time by replying "stop" to hello@firstpassmemo.com. Looking at a live listing priced $10k–150k? Apply for a free beta memo instead; its confirmation page has the same downloads.
Frequently asked questions
What does Acquire.com charge to list a business?
Acquire.com's help pages list a monthly listing fee of $25 for asking prices up to $250,000, $50 up to $1 million and $100 above, plus a closing fee of 8%, 7% or 6% paid only if the business sells.
Do buyers pay fees on Flippa?
A Flippa account is free, and Premium is optional at $49 a month or $490 a year. Flippa's Help Center says escrow fees are paid by the buyer, and bidding needs a $5 card hold, plus a $500 authorisation for bids or offers at $5,000 or more.
Does any marketplace guarantee a listing's figures?
No. Empire Flippers says all sales are final and that it makes no guarantees, and Acquire.com says it does not conduct in-depth due diligence on sellers. Flippa's badges describe what was connected or reviewed, not a guarantee.
Check a listing now. The red-flag checker works on listings from any marketplace and sends nothing you paste. For a full memo on a live listing priced $10k–150k, apply for the free beta.
FirstPass Memo is independent, buyer-paid and not affiliated with Flippa, Empire Flippers or Acquire.com, and takes no referral fees. Fees and policies are as published on the dates shown and may change. This guide is not investment, legal or tax advice.
Sources
- Flippa, Pricing, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Flippa Help Center, Pricing, Escrow Fees, FlippaPay Fees, and Buyer Verification, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Flippa Help Center, Understanding verified listings on Flippa, and Flippa Verification & Assessment, read 6 October 2026. Back
- Empire Flippers, Frequently Asked Questions from Sellers, fees section, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Empire Flippers, Frequently Asked Questions from Buyers, and Why Do I Have to Get Verified to See Listings?, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Empire Flippers, What is the Buying Process Like at Empire Flippers?, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Acquire.com Help Center, Refunds, cancellations, and subscriptions, last updated 4 March 2026, and How much does it cost to sell?, last updated 13 November 2024, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Acquire.com blog, How Acquire.com Works: Sell Your Startup or Buy One, last updated 14 July 2026, read 7 October 2026. Back
- Acquire.com Help Center, Seller FAQs, How do I verify my business? and How to buy a startup on Acquire.com, read 7 October 2026. Back