Flippa is a marketplace for buying and selling online businesses outright: websites, content sites, SaaS products, e-commerce stores, mobile apps, and domains. For a social entrepreneur looking to grow by acquiring an existing digital asset instead of building one from zero, or an impact investor scouting deal flow beyond the usual grant and equity pipeline, it functions as a self-serve deal-sourcing layer that most NGO-focused tools do not cover.
Key features
- Listings across websites and content sites, SaaS platforms, e-commerce businesses (Shopify, dropshipping, Amazon FBA), mobile apps, domains, and social accounts (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok)
- A free valuation tool and AI-generated Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) to help a seller prepare a listing without hiring outside help
- BrokerAI buyer-matching technology and off-market deal sourcing for buyers who want more than the public listing feed
- Secure deal rooms for sharing financials and closing a transaction, plus payment processing through FlippaPay or Escrow.com
- Optional dedicated broker representation and an NDA/confidentiality add-on for sellers who want to keep a listing discreet
Pricing
Per Flippa.com/pricing, self-serve seller listing fees are split by asset size. For assets under $10,000: Entry $29 (60-day listing), Boosted $49 (3-month listing), Premium $199 (6-month listing). For assets at $10,000 and up: Standard $49, Premium $399, and Ultimate $599, each a 6-month listing. Buyer access is free at the basic tier; Flippa Premium runs $49 a month or $490 a year (about a 16% saving), adding 21-day early access to new listings, AI matching, and valuation benchmarks. Payment processing runs from about 1% through FlippaPay or 1.2% through Escrow.com, and NDA/confidentiality protection costs $199 extra unless it is already included in a higher seller tier.
Prices change over time. Figures above are based on Flippa’s own pricing page.
Flippa vs Empire Flippers
For a larger, already-profitable acquisition, Flippa is not the only option worth knowing about. Empire Flippers only accepts businesses valued at roughly $100,000 and up with at least 12 months of consistent revenue, and charges no listing fee but a 15% commission on the first $700,000 of a sale, dropping to 8% between $700,001 and $5 million. On a $300,000 sale, that works out to roughly $45,000 in commission, against roughly $15,000 to $15,500 all-in on Flippa’s tiered listing-fee model for the same sale price. Empire Flippers’ commission buys a full-service broker who vets buyers and manages negotiation. Flippa’s lower cost comes with a self-serve model, and it also accepts far smaller, earlier-stage assets that would not clear Empire Flippers’ vetting threshold at all.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free tier for buyers and a low-cost self-serve path for sellers, with no revenue minimum unlike broker-only marketplaces | Self-serve model means the seller, not a broker, handles buyer vetting and negotiation |
| Covers small, early-stage assets as well as larger established businesses, unlike marketplaces with a high vetting threshold | Confidentiality is not automatic. NDA protection costs $199 extra unless already included in a higher seller tier |
| Built-in valuation, AI-generated CIM, and deal-room tools reduce the need to hire outside advisors for a straightforward sale | A flat listing fee is due upfront regardless of whether the asset actually sells |
| Escrow-based payment options add a layer of protection during handover | Open-listing marketplace, not curated the way an invitation-only broker is |
Who it’s best for
A social entrepreneur or NGO team looking to grow through acquisition, buying an established website, content property, or small e-commerce operation instead of building the audience or product from zero, fits Flippa’s self-serve model well. So does an impact investor or fund evaluating deal flow beyond the usual grant and equity pipeline, since Flippa surfaces smaller digital assets that a traditional broker would not bother listing.
Skip it if the goal is an acquisition above roughly $700,000 to $1 million with the budget for full due-diligence support. A curated broker like Empire Flippers is the better fit there, since vetting and negotiation come included in the higher commission rather than left to the buyer or seller directly.
How to get started
Create a free Flippa account to browse active listings and get a feel for pricing in the category being watched, whether that is content sites, SaaS, or e-commerce. A seller can run the free valuation tool first, then choose a listing tier once the goal is set: buying or selling an existing digital asset.
FAQ
Is Flippa free to use? Browsing and creating a buyer account are free. Selling requires an upfront listing fee ranging from $29 for smaller assets to $599 for the top tier on larger ones, per Flippa’s pricing page at the time of writing.
Does Flippa vet buyers and sellers? Flippa is a self-serve marketplace, not a full-service broker, so there is no mandatory vetting stage before listing. Premium sellers can add NDA protection, and both sides can use escrow-based payment to reduce transaction risk.
Can a small NGO-run content site or store be listed, or does Flippa require a minimum size? Flippa has no stated revenue minimum. Its listing tiers are explicitly split for assets under and over $10,000, unlike broker marketplaces that only accept six-figure-and-up businesses.
How does Flippa compare to a broker like Empire Flippers for a larger sale? Empire Flippers requires roughly $100,000 or more in value and at least 12 months of consistent revenue, and charges a 15% commission on the first $700,000. Flippa’s flat listing fees are cheaper for a self-managed sale, but Empire Flippers includes hands-on broker support that Flippa’s self-serve model does not.
Disclosure: Impact DOTS may earn a commission if you sign up for Flippa through the links in this article. This does not change what you pay, and it does not influence which tools we choose to cover.
