If you want to buy a small online business, you will almost certainly meet three names: Flippa, Acquire, and Empire Flippers. They all list websites, SaaS products, e-commerce stores, and content sites, but they are built for different buyers. Picking the wrong marketplace wastes time at best and money at worst, so it pays to understand how each one works before you create an account.

Flippa is the largest and most open of the three. Listings range from starter sites worth a few hundred dollars to established businesses worth six figures, and anyone can list with minimal vetting. That openness is both the appeal and the risk: you will find bargains, but you will also find inflated revenue claims and businesses that exist mostly on paper. Flippa charges sellers a listing fee plus a success fee on completed sales, and buyers can use its due diligence and escrow services. It suits experienced buyers who can spot a weak listing themselves and want the widest choice.

Acquire, formerly MicroAcquire, focuses on startups and small SaaS businesses, usually in the five- and six-figure range. Listings are vetted more tightly than on Flippa, with verified revenue and metrics shown up front, and the platform is built around direct buyer-seller messaging rather than auctions. Acquire charges buyers an annual subscription for full access, which filters out casual browsers and keeps the deal flow serious. It is the strongest choice if you specifically want a SaaS or tech product and you are comfortable evaluating code, churn, and product-market fit.

Empire Flippers sits at the premium end. Every listing goes through a vetting process before it appears, with verified financials and traffic, and the team supports both sides through diligence and migration. The trade-off is price: listings generally start higher, the buyer pays a deposit to unlock full details, and the marketplace takes a commission from the seller that is reflected in asking prices. Empire Flippers suits buyers who want a vetted, higher-quality deal and are willing to pay for the screening and hand-holding that comes with it.

Fees matter, but they are not the deciding factor. On Flippa, the success fee falls on the seller, while optional services like escrow and due diligence cost extra. Acquire's buyer subscription is a fixed yearly cost that only makes sense if you will look at several deals. Empire Flippers charges the seller a commission, commonly around 15 percent for smaller deals, which effectively raises the price a buyer pays. Work out the total cost of the deal, including migration, legal review, and any broker fees, rather than comparing headline fees alone.

The practical choice comes down to your budget and your diligence skills. If you are buying your first business under $50,000 and you are willing to verify everything yourself, Flippa gives you the most options. If you want a SaaS product and you can read metrics and code, Acquire's vetted listings save time. If your budget is six figures and you want verified financials plus support through closing, Empire Flippers is the safer route. Whichever marketplace you choose, never skip independent verification: read-only analytics access, bank statements, and a call with the seller are non-negotiable on every deal.

You do not have to pick just one marketplace. Many experienced buyers watch all three at once, setting up saved searches and alerts for their niche and budget, and they compare the same kind of business across platforms before making an offer. A content site listed on Flippa at 30x monthly profit might be a better deal than a similar site on Empire Flippers at 40x, or the Empire Flippers listing might justify the premium with verified financials and a supported migration. Watching several marketplaces also teaches you the going multiples in your niche, which makes it much harder for a seller to overcharge you.