Alternatives
Acquire.com alternatives
Alternatives to Acquire.com are other marketplaces, an M&A advisor, and a license of the records. Empire Flippers and Flippa look for a buyer. FE International charges a closing fee when a sale closes. Vetrix pays you to license a de-identified copy while you keep the company. Choose a marketplace if you still want a buyer, and a license if you want cash for the records without selling.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| When to look | People look for another option when the listing did not sell, or when the closing fee does not fit. |
| What a listing requires | A listing looks for a buyer of the whole startup, and the company has to be operating. |
| Keeping the company | If you keep the company, a license is a different contract from a sale of the startup. |
Why people look for Acquire.com alternatives
You looked this up because a listing did not sell, or because a closing fee is the part you do not want to pay. Acquire.com lists a startup for a buyer of the whole company. When that buyer does not appear, the listing has done its job and stopped. The company is still yours. The records are still yours if you have the right to license them.
A marketplace and a license answer different questions. The marketplace looks for someone to take the business. A license pays for a de-identified copy and leaves the shares where they are. Mixing those two into one pitch is how founders waste a month.
Start with the counterparty you still have. A buyer for the whole startup is a marketplace or an advisor. Cash for the records, without a sale, is a license. Those are not substitutes, and picking the cheaper line item does not make them the same deal. If you still want a buyer, compare what you would pay if the sale never closes, because a monthly listing fee and a fee due only at closing do not hit your account the same way. If you are keeping the company, stop shopping for a transfer document and read the license.
From April 17, 2024, sellers pay a monthly listing fee plus a closing fee if the startup sells. Up to a $250,000 asking price: $25 a month and an 8% closing fee. From $250,000 to $1 million: $50 a month and 7%. Above $1 million: $100 a month and 6%.
MicroAcquire was the former name of Acquire.com. Read what happened to MicroAcquire for the announcement.
The options
These are the other ways out besides Acquire.com, grouped by what each one does. Vetrix is last.
BizBuySell
BizBuySell says the majority of its listings are established businesses that are open and operating, across industries. You can also advertise assets of a closed business, or business real estate.
BizBuySell is a marketing platform where you list a business for sale. It charges advertising fees and says it is not a brokerage firm. You can also advertise business assets of a non-operating or closed business, or business real estate for sale or lease.
For a 6-month term, Basic listings are $74.95 a month, Showcase listings are $99.95 a month, and Diamond listings are $199.95 a month. A 3-month term costs more per month, and a 12-month term is discounted. BizBuySell says it only charges advertising fees and is not a brokerage firm.
Read BizBuySell on its own site. BizBuySell vs Vetrix is the one-to-one fee comparison.
Empire Flippers
Empire Flippers lists websites and online businesses for sale, including Amazon FBA, YouTube, affiliate, newsletter, ecommerce, and Amazon KDP.
Empire Flippers is a marketplace for buying and selling online businesses and websites. It walks a seller through the sale and transfers the business to the buyer.
There is no fee to submit a business for sale. You pay a commission if Empire Flippers sells the business. The commission is blended. Under $700,000, the commission is a flat 15% of the sale price. On the value from $700,000 to $5,000,000, the commission is 8%. On the value above $5,000,000, the commission is 2.5%.
Read Empire Flippers on its own site. Empire Flippers vs Vetrix is the one-to-one fee comparison.
Flippa
For a brokered sale, Flippa looks for a business, digital asset, or YouTube channel with 12 months of consistent monthly net profit, or 6 months for YouTube. It also looks for at least 12 months of trading history, or six months of monetization history for YouTube, and 12 months of financials. A business that is not yet profitable can still be reviewed if the growth profile or customer base would interest a strategic acquirer.
Flippa takes a listing package fee to list a website, online business, Amazon FBA, KDP, or Audible account, an Android or iOS app, or a domain name. A success fee is due when a sale is completed.
Self-service packages include a $29 flat fee for a 60-day term, a $49 flat fee for a three-month term, and six-month packages at $199, $399, $599, and $699, with no monthly billing on the six-month packages. NDA and confidentiality is $199 on some of those packages and free on others. Brokered offers are a 10% success fee with $499 upfront, 9% with $899, 8% with $1,299, 6% with $1,499, and 5% with $1,499. Flippa also lists a 7% success fee. Brokered terms are a single upfront payment, a 6-month term, and a success fee paid when the business sells.
Read Flippa on its own site. Flippa vs Vetrix is the one-to-one fee comparison.
Quiet Light
Quiet Light lists businesses valued from $250,000 to $25,000,000, which it describes as usually at least $75,000 in profit a year. It names content, SaaS, ecommerce, FBA, and other online businesses. A business that gets a significant share of revenue from walk-in customers is directed to a local broker.
Quiet Light Brokerage helps entrepreneurs exit profitable online businesses, with an advisor from start to finish.
Quiet Light's January 2020 seller guide states a success-based Modern Lehman fee: 10% of the first $1 million, 9% of the second, 8% of the third, 7% of the fourth, 6% of the fifth, 5% of the sixth, 4% of the seventh, and 3% of everything above $8 million. The minimum is $25,000 or that scale, whichever is greater. The guide says some transactions outside normal parameters might use a different fee.
Read Quiet Light on its own site. Quiet Light vs Vetrix is the one-to-one fee comparison.
FE International
FE International is for people listing a startup, with a self-serve listing and a network of pre-qualified buyers.
FE International sells a business for a single success fee at closing, scaled to the asking price. A seller can run a self-serve listing, and the firm takes the deal from the first valuation through due diligence to close.
A single success fee at closing, scaled to the asking price, with no hidden costs at any tier. Below $250,000: a 5% closing fee when you sell. From $250,000 to $1 million: 4%. Above $1 million: 3%.
Read FE International on its own site. FE International vs Vetrix is the one-to-one fee comparison.
Vetrix
License the records if a buyer for the whole company does not appear and the company still has the right to license.
The cost to the company is $0.
Payouts go up to $150,000 (US pricing, 250+ staff at peak).
Up to $150K · $0 cost · 3 days
Read how company data licensing works for the steps, including what you keep.
Side by side
| Option | What they do | Fee or price | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| BizBuySell | Sells advertising for a business-for-sale listing. It is not the broker. | A monthly advertising fee for the listing term you buy. | Marketplace |
| Empire Flippers | Sells online businesses and websites, and transfers them to the buyer. Fits when you want that guided sale. | No fee to submit. A commission if the business sells. | Marketplace |
| Flippa | Lists websites, online businesses, apps, and domains. Fits a digital asset you want to sell. | A listing package fee, plus a success fee when a sale closes. | Marketplace |
| Quiet Light | Brokers a sale of a profitable online business. Fits when you want an exclusive advisor. | A success fee if the sale closes, on the scale Quiet Light publishes. | Broker |
| FE International | Sells a business, with a self-serve listing or a managed deal. Fits a startup you want to sell. | A single closing fee, scaled to the asking price, only if you sell. | M&A advisor |
| Vetrix | Pays you to license a de-identified copy of operational records. You keep the company. | $0 to the company | Data license |
How to choose
Do you still want a marketplace?
Stay with a marketplace only if you still want a buyer for the startup and you can live with that site's fee. A second listing site is the same kind of tool. It is not a new kind of deal. Read the fee before you open another account.
Do you need a broker?
A broker is a person who runs the sale, not a form where you post an ad. Use a broker when you want that engagement and you accept the broker's price. Do not pick a broker because the marketplace felt quiet.
Are you keeping the company?
If you are keeping the company, a sale process is the wrong job. A license can sit beside an operating company when you still control the records. It does not transfer customers, shares, or the brand.
For other brands in the same situation, read alternatives to selling your business on a marketplace. If the company cannot be sold, read how to sell a failed startup. When you want two fees side by side, compare exit options for a company.
You can also read Flippa alternatives or BizBuySell alternatives.
Related
- Alternatives
Alternatives when selling on a marketplace is the wrong tool, or the listing did not sell.
- Selling a company
How to sell a failed startup, and the options when a company cannot be sold as a whole.
- Compare
Exit options compared: sell, broker, shut down, or license records.
- Flippa alternatives
Marketplaces, brokers, and a data license compared with listing on Flippa.
- BizBuySell alternatives
Options when a BizBuySell ad is not the same as a brokered sale.
Questions about Acquire.com alternatives
What is the best Acquire.com alternative if the company is closing?
There is no single best alternative. If the company has already closed, read each option for a closed-company fit, then read the fee that provider states. Acquire.com lists a startup for sale. A company that has already stopped operating is outside a listing that requires a live business. Match the fee to the job before you open another account. A closing fee and a license payout are not the same kind of money.
What are alternatives to Acquire.com if the listing did not sell?
If the listing did not sell, you still have the company. Other marketplaces and brokers are the same kind of sale with a different fee. A license of records is a different contract: you keep the company and license a de-identified copy. Read the fee each provider states on its own site. Do not restart a listing until you know which counterparty you still want.
Is MicroAcquire the same company as Acquire.com?
Yes. MicroAcquire is the former name of Acquire.com. The marketplace rebranded, and listing a startup for sale stayed the same job. Read what happened to MicroAcquire for the announcement. The other companies are ways to sell, or a license if a sale is not the point. Searching the old name brings you to the same options.
Do these alternatives charge a fee if the company never sells?
Some marketplaces charge a closing fee only if a sale completes, and a listing fee while the ad is live. A broker charges the price on that broker's own site. A license enquiry has no cost to the company. If a fee is still due when a sale fails, it is the fee that provider charges for a listing that does not close. Read that charge before you start.
Sources
- BizBuySell. Business-For-Sale Listing FAQs. Checked 2026-11-04
- Empire Flippers. What are the fees to list my site with you?. Checked 2026-11-04
- Flippa. Flippa pricing. Checked 2026-11-04
- Quiet Light. 10 Steps to Sell Your Amazon Business. Checked 2026-11-04
- FE International. Seller Pricing. Checked 2026-11-04