The reviews
Self-serve marketplaces
Open listing platforms, such as Flippa
- Best for
- Small sites, apps and side businesses
- Strengths
- Low cost, fast to list, a large pool of individual buyers.
- Watch for
- You run the sale yourself, and listings are public.
Curated marketplaces
Vetted listing platforms, such as Empire Flippers
- Best for
- Established content, e-commerce and SaaS businesses with clean records
- Strengths
- Vetting builds buyer trust, and there is a ready buyer base.
- Watch for
- A listing model: buyers come to you, rather than being chosen and approached.
Online business brokers
Brokers specializing in digital businesses, such as Quiet Light
- Best for
- Owner-operated online businesses
- Strengths
- Experience valuing online businesses and guiding first-time sellers.
- Watch for
- Broker models suit simpler deals; larger strategic processes may need more.
Digital M&A advisors
Advisors focused on SaaS, e-commerce and content, such as FE International
- Best for
- Larger online businesses wanting a managed process
- Strengths
- Structured process and a network of financial buyers.
- Watch for
- Check how the buyer list is built for your specific niche.
Boutique M&A advisors
Our pickSenior-led advisors for media, internet and tech, such as Windridge
- Best for
- Media, internet and tech companies, often from a few million dollars in revenue, where the right strategic buyer changes the price
- Strengths
- Positioning and materials built in-house, targeted outreach to strategic and financial buyers, and senior negotiation. Our team led M&A at System1 and Forbes Marketplace.
- Watch for
- More preparation than a listing. It pays off when buyer selection matters.
From listing it yourself to a managed process
Sell it yourselfManaged, strategic process
Self-serve marketplacesSmall sitesCurated marketplacesClean recordsOnline business brokersOwner-operatedDigital M&A advisorsManaged processBoutique M&A advisorsStrategic buyersInvestment banksThe largest deals
How to choose
- If you can sell it without help and speed matters most, list it.
- If your business runs on you, has simple financials and suits an individual buyer, a curated marketplace or broker is efficient.
- If a strategic buyer could pay more for your audience, data, team or technology than a financial buyer would, run a process that finds and approaches them.
Preparation matters in every case. Read what a sell-side process asks of the owner and our considering a sale resource.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a business broker and an M&A advisor?
Brokers generally list businesses and respond to interested buyers. M&A advisors usually run a managed process: preparing materials, selecting and approaching buyers, and negotiating terms. The line blurs in the middle market.