Microns, a top Flippa alternative: The Best Online Startup Acquisition Marketplace

‍

Microns and Flippa are both among the best online platforms to buy and sell online businesses. However, there have been lots of complaints about Flippa.

So in this article, we’ll delve into the Microns vs Flippa debate to know if Microns is a great alternative to Flippa. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Microns vs Flippa Comparison Guide

Microns Overview

Microns is an online marketplace dedicated to the acquisition of small startups. If you’re a first-time entrepreneur or non-technical founder who’d love to have the experience of running a tech company, you can find low-risk online businesses that cost as low as $300 on the Microns marketplace.

Marketers and service-based business owners who wish to serve their clients better with an app can find lots of amazing apps on our platform. Also, sellers lacking the resources and time to grow their projects can sell them on our marketplace.

We verify the digital businesses listed on our platform to ensure there are no scam listings and that the new owners will be able to get value out of their new online businesses. Unlike in most other platforms, sellers can list pre-revenue projects (projects without paying customers) on Microns.

Flippa Overview

Flippa is the first online website marketplace, making it one of the most popular platforms to buy and sell digital assets. The Australian-based company which was founded in 2009 has a network of over 600,000 buyers and sellers.

Being the first online startup marketplace, there are loads of digital businesses listed on the platform – around 5,000. They also offer assisted services to sellers: however, this doesn’t go for free.

Who’s Microns designed for?

Microns is a marketplace created for digital entrepreneurs to easily buy and sell micro startups that cost from $300 to $100,000. Most of the buyers are first-time founders and tech enthusiasts looking at gaining experience running a tech startup. There are also a handful of serial entrepreneurs and agency owners.

There’s a network of software engineers, web developers, UI/UX designers, serial entrepreneurs, project managers, indie makers, creators, and other small-scale entrepreneurs in the micro startup marketplace.

Who’s Flippa designed for?

Flippa is designed for both small acquisitions (that cost hundreds of dollars) and big acquisitions reaching millions of dollars.

On Flippa, there are lots of small business owners looking for quick exits. Also, there are established entrepreneurs looking to buy large, profitable businesses and grow them.

Microns transaction fee

It’s free to list your software startup or other online businesses on Microns. Also, Microns doesn’t charge commissions on the sale of businesses. Although we have three subscription tiers for buyers: $49 per month, $159 for 6 months, and $199 per year.

As a paid subscriber, you’ll get early access to micro startups and stats (like revenue and traffic metrics) not available to the public. You also get easy access to the founder who’s a software engineer and can help you tackle technical-related problems. You’ll be a part of our community where you can get more info about running and growing startups.

Flippa transaction fee

It’s free to buy businesses on Flippa. However, sellers are charged variable success fees of 5% to 10% depending on the cost price of the business. But if you’re selling an online business worth $1 million and above through a Flippa broker, you can expect to be charged a success fee of 15%.

Also, Flippa has several one-time package fees for sellers: Standard costs $29, Enhanced costs $299, Premium costs $399, while Ultimate costs $499.

How long does it take to buy an online business on Microns?

It usually takes between 1 and 30 days to sell a startup on Microns’s marketplace.

How long does it take to buy an online business on Flippa?

Both big and small businesses are sold on Flippa, so it can take up to 60 days to sell a business on the platform. This is primarily due to the extent of due diligence required, especially for the bigger deals.

Types of online businesses listed on Microns

You can buy the following small businesses on Microns: micro-SaaS startups, ecommerce stores, Web3 startups, bots, tools, newsletters, content websites, blogs, databases, directories, extensions, web apps, and mobile apps.

Types of online businesses listed on Flippa

You buy and sell the following online businesses on Flippa: ecommerce stores, agencies and digital services, blogs, content websites, domains, affiliate sites, Shopify stores, Shopify apps, Amazon FBA, SaaS startups, mobile apps, and web apps.

What are some of the perks of buying/selling on Microns?

The advantages of buying or listing your online business on Microns are;

• Sellers can list and sell pre-revenue businesses
• Short sales cycles: most acquisitions take less than 30 days to completion
• Access to tools to aid the sales process
• Buyers can buy low-risk, but profitable online micro startups
• Buyers with tiny budgets can find desirable online businesses to buy
• Buyers get one month of free support from the seller
• Buyers can arrange for extended support with the seller
• Responsive and quality customer support
• The vetting process is intense to ensure there are no scam listings
• No commission is charged on the sale of businesses listed on our platform
• Direct access to the founder and community members who can support you with insights on growing tech startups

What are some of the perks of buying/selling on Flippa?

These are the advantages of buying and selling digital businesses on Flippa;

• Exit big businesses quickly
• You can sell and buy businesses at any price
• Lots of educational content to help you buy, sell, market, and grow your business
• One of the largest libraries of online businesses
• Easy to list and buy businesses
• Access to great deals
• Access to Flippa brokers for large acquisitions

What are the cons of buying and selling a business on Microns?

The disadvantages of buying and selling a micro startup on Microns are;

• You can’t buy or sell businesses larger than $100,000 valuation
• Not much due diligence is offered by the marketplace, so you’ll have to do most of the research by yourself
• Not much educational content on the blog
• Acquisition process could take longer than 30 days (but this rarely happens)
• No access to M&A professionals

What are the cons of buying and selling a business on Flippa?

The disadvantages of buying and selling a startup on Flippa:

• You can’t sell pre-revenue businesses on Flippa unless it’s valued at $5,000+
• Lots of scammy businesses on the platform because every- and anyone can post their business on the platform. However, Flippa vets businesses worth $25,000+ 
• Customers have complained about lots of falsified stats and analytics reports and fake sellers. But Flippa now has a Google Analytics integration and a few other tools to verify stats
• There are many unprofitable listings such as low-quality sites with duplicate content
• Little due diligence is done by Flippa to verify stats and reports presented for small businesses listed on the platform, so you’ll have to do more due diligence to verify
• Sellers are charged commissions on the sale of their businesses
• Higher subscription fees than Microns’s

Is Microns legit?

Yes, Microns is a legit online marketplace for selling and buying small digital businesses like micro-startups.

Is Flippa legit?

Yes, Flippa is a legit marketplace for selling small and multimillion online businesses like ecommerce stores: however, many users have complained of many scam businesses listed on the platform.

Is Microns the best alternative to Flippa?

Microns is one of Flippa’s best alternative marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. However, Microns appeals to a fraction of Flippa’s target market. While Flippa tries to appeal to everyone (and this leads to the listing of scammy and unverified businesses) Microns appeal to only founders interested in buying or selling small businesses.

Conclusion

Microns is more than a marketplace, it’s a community that helps small entrepreneurs actualize their dreams of building online businesses. When compared to Flippa, our strongest selling points are a stricter vetting process which leads to less or no scam listing, and the creation of the opportunity to sell small and pre-revenue businesses.

Sign up today to explore the businesses listed on our platform.