Marketplace Fees Compared: What It Really Costs to Sell an Online Business
The same $200,000 sale costs nothing in commission on one marketplace and $30,000 on another. Here are the published fees for Flippa, Acquire.com, Empire Flippers, Microns and Investors Club, worked through at four sale…
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Selling the same business can cost you nothing in commission or more than $30,000, depending on where you list it. The marketplaces do not make this easy to compare. Each uses a different structure, and several now charge differently from what older reviews describe.
This page puts the published numbers side by side. Every figure comes from the marketplace’s own pricing page.
Checked on: 13 November 2026. Fees change. Before you list, confirm the number on the marketplace’s own pricing page and screenshot what you are quoted.
The short answer
- Cheapest commission: Investors Club’s self-serve listing, at 0%. You also get the least help.
- Cheapest of the big three: Acquire.com, at 6% to 8%.
- Middle: Flippa, at 10% on a self-service sale.
- Most expensive under $700,000: Empire Flippers, at 15% with a $10,000 minimum. It also does the most work.
The cheapest option is not automatically the best one. A marketplace that sells your business for 15% more, or sells it at all, is worth a higher fee. Start with cost, then weigh what you get for it.
What sellers pay
| Marketplace | Upfront or monthly | Commission on sale |
|---|---|---|
| Flippa (self-service) | $29 to $699 per listing | 10% |
| Flippa (brokered) | $399 to $1,299 for six months | 8% to 10% on the bands shown on its pricing page |
| Acquire.com | $25, $50 or $100 a month | 8% under $250k, 7% to $1M, 6% above |
| Empire Flippers | None | $10,000 flat to $66,666, then 15% to $700k, 8% to $5M, 2.5% above |
| Microns | None | 10% from $1k, 8% from $10k, 6% from $100k |
| Investors Club (self-serve) | None | 0% |
| Investors Club (full service) | None stated | 5% to 20% |
The same sale on five marketplaces
Commission only, before listing fees, escrow, legal costs and tax.
| Sale price | Flippa | Acquire.com | Empire Flippers | Microns | Investors Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $5,000 | $4,000 | $10,000 | $4,000 | $0 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 | $16,000 | $30,000 | $12,000 | $0 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 | $35,000 | $75,000 | Not typical | $0 |
| $1.5 million | $120,000 to $150,000 | $90,000 | $169,000 | Not typical | Not typical |
Notes on the table:
- Flippa figures use the 10% self-service fee up to $500,000. At $1.5 million a brokered sale is more likely, and the range reflects the 8% to 10% shown on its pricing page. Flippa advertises lower rates on its largest deals, so get a quote.
- Empire Flippers at $1.5 million is 15% of the first $700,000 plus 8% of the remaining $800,000.
- Microns lists micro-startups. The asking prices we saw ran from $1,000 to $200,000.
- Investors Club listings we saw ran from $3,000 to $600,000. Its 0% applies to the self-serve option only.
What you keep
| Sale price | Flippa | Acquire.com | Empire Flippers |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $45,000 | $46,000 | $40,000 |
| $200,000 | $180,000 | $184,000 | $170,000 |
| $500,000 | $450,000 | $465,000 | $425,000 |
| $1.5 million | $1.35M to $1.38M | $1.41M | $1.33M |
On a $500,000 sale the gap between the cheapest and most expensive of the big three is $40,000. That is the price of Empire Flippers’ vetting, negotiation and managed handover. Whether it is worth it depends on how much of that work you could do yourself.
What buyers pay
Sellers carry the commission almost everywhere. Buyers pay for access.
| Marketplace | To browse | To contact sellers or see private data |
|---|---|---|
| Flippa | Free | Free for most listings. Optional Premium at $49 a month or $490 a year, plus a payment fee from 1% |
| Acquire.com | Free | $390 a year for startups up to $250k in revenue, $780 a year for all sizes |
| Empire Flippers | Free | Free, after an identity check and proof of funds |
| Microns | Free, with new listings delayed five days | $40 a month or $299 a year |
| Investors Club | Free | Free |
If you are a buyer who is only exploring, start with the marketplaces that do not charge you to look: Flippa, Empire Flippers and Investors Club.
What the fee actually buys
| Flippa | Acquire.com | Empire Flippers | Investors Club (self-serve) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checks who the seller is | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fraud check on each listing |
| Verifies earnings before listing | No | Synced revenue metrics | Yes, through account access | Publishes an independent report |
| Negotiates for you | Only if brokered | No | Yes | No |
| Legal templates | Yes | Yes | Handled for you | No |
| Escrow | Yes, buyer pays a fee | Yes, included | Handled for you | No |
| Moves the business to the buyer | Support only | Not included | Yes | No |
A 0% marketplace gives you a reviewed listing and an audience. Everything after the first email from a buyer is your job: contracts, escrow and the transfer.
Brokers that do not publish their fees
FE International, Quiet Light and Latona’s handle larger deals and do not list a commission on the public pages we could reach. Third-party sites quote figures for them, and those sites disagree with each other, so we are not repeating them.
If you approach a broker, get four things in writing before you sign:
- The commission percentage, and whether it changes with the sale price.
- Any minimum fee. A minimum can push the real rate well above the headline rate on a smaller sale.
- The length of the exclusivity period.
- What you owe if you find the buyer yourself, or sell after the agreement ends to someone the broker introduced.
The costs nobody lists
Commission is the visible cost. These are the others.
- Escrow. Free on Acquire.com. A percentage of the deal on Flippa. Ask who pays before you agree a price.
- Legal review. Templates are a starting point. On anything above five figures, pay a lawyer to read the purchase agreement.
- Tax. How the deal is structured changes what you owe. Speak to an accountant before you accept an offer, not after.
- Deal terms. An earn-out or holdback means part of the price arrives later, or not at all. A higher price with 30% deferred can be worth less than a lower all-cash offer.
- Your time. A self-service sale means weeks of answering buyers. That is the real cost of a low commission.
- Not selling. Flippa’s listing fee and Acquire.com’s monthly fee are paid whether or not you find a buyer.
How to choose
Under $20,000. Flippa or Microns. Empire Flippers’ $10,000 minimum rules it out and Acquire.com’s buyers are mostly looking for more.
$20,000 to $100,000. Flippa for content sites and stores. Acquire.com or Microns for software. Investors Club if you are happy to handle the whole deal yourself and want to keep everything.
$100,000 to $700,000. This is where the decision is hardest. Acquire.com is cheapest for SaaS. Empire Flippers costs about twice as much and takes the work off you, which matters more if it is your first sale.
Above $700,000. Empire Flippers’ rate drops to 8% on everything over $700,000, and Acquire.com’s falls to 6% above $1 million. Get quotes from a specialist broker as well. At this size a better-run process is worth more than a point of commission.
For the detail on each, read our reviews of Flippa, Acquire.com, Empire Flippers, Microns and Investors Club, or the full list of marketplaces.
FAQ
Which marketplace has the lowest fees for selling an online business?
Investors Club charges 0% on its self-serve listings. Among the larger marketplaces, Acquire.com is cheapest at 6% to 8%, followed by Flippa at 10% and Empire Flippers at 15% for sales under $700,000.
Who pays the fee, the buyer or the seller?
The seller pays the commission on every marketplace covered here. Buyers pay for access on Acquire.com and Microns, and pay a payment-processing fee on Flippa.
Is a higher commission ever worth paying?
Yes, when the marketplace does work you would otherwise do or pay for. Empire Flippers verifies earnings, negotiates and transfers the business. If that gets a first-time seller a completed deal at a better price, 15% can be good value.
Are these fees negotiable?
The published rates on self-service marketplaces are fixed. Brokers handling larger deals often negotiate, which is why you should ask for the terms in writing.
