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.io Overview

Microns is an online marketplace for buying and selling small digital businesses. Nearly $1 million dollars in successful deals have been closed on the platform: a lot of these businesses are micro-SaaS startups, content businesses like newsletters and blogs, web and mobile apps, Chrome extensions, directories, etc. 

Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur, non-technical founder, or seasoned entrepreneur looking for profitable businesses, you can find low-risk online businesses that cost as little as $1000 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 as well. Also, indie hackers lacking the resources, knowledge, and time to market and grow their projects can sell them on our marketplace.

What sets Microns apart in the startup acquisition marketplace space is that we verify every digital business 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. We also don’t allow the listing of pre-revenue businesses (projects without paying customers) on Microns to encourage only serious buyers and sellers.

Flippa Overview

Flippa was founded in 2009, making it the first online website marketplace. With a network of over 600,000 buyers and sellers, it’s one of the most popular platforms for buying and selling digital assets. You can buy and sell SaaS startups and other software businesses, mobile apps, content sites, content businesses, domains, etc.

Being the first and one of the most popular online startup marketplaces, there are loads of digital businesses listed on the platform. The listings range from pre-revenue businesses to multi-million dollar businesses. However, while hosting pre-revenue businesses is a good thing, it can attract tire-kickers.

Flippa also offers assisted services to sellers; however, this doesn’t go for free.

Who’s Microns.io designed for?

The Microns.io marketplace was created for digital entrepreneurs to easily buy and sell micro startups that cost from $1,000 to $500,000. Most of the buyers are founders, micro PE funds, agency owners, marketers, serial entrepreneurs, etc.

We also have a network of indie hackers, software engineers, web developers, UI/UX designers, project managers, creators, and other small-scale entrepreneurs in our community.

The vetting process on Microns.io is also thorough. This ensures that the platform stays free from scam listings and that buyers are safe.

Who’s Flippa designed for?

Unlike Microns, which was created to cater to the needs of micro-acquisitions, any business can be listed on Flippa, from pre-revenue startups to companies with multi-million dollar valuations. This moat is both good and bad for the platform, as it puts a wide variety of businesses at the disposal of buyers, as well as attracts low-quality listings.

Flippa does vet listings on its platform; however, the sheer volume of listings makes it impossible to carry out thorough due diligence. So only businesses valued at $25,000 and above are diligently vetted.

Microns.io transaction fee

For sellers, it’s free to list your software startup or other online businesses on Microns. However, we charge a success fee which ranges from 6% to 10%, depending on the deal size. Buyers, on the other hand, can access listings for free. However, to get priority access to listings and their private details (stats/metrics) of listings and get the 30-day post-sale support, buyers will have to pay a $40/month subscription fee (or $299/year).

Also, premium buyers get access to our platform’s transfer service (Transfer by Microns), which ensures buyers and sellers are protected. You’ll be part of our community, where you can get more info on running and growing startups.

Flippa transaction fee

Like Microns.io, it’s free to buy businesses on Flippa. However, to stand out from other buyers, get priority access to listings, and access traffic data, you’ll need to pay the $49/mo subscription fee.

Sellers are charged variable success fees of 5% to 10%, depending on the cost price of the business. You’ll also be required to pay a fee ranging from $29 to $1499, depending on the deal size. Larger tiers grant you access to M&A brokers.

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.io’s marketplace.

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

On Flippa, 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, web apps, and mobile apps, ecommerce stores, Web3 startups, bots, tools, newsletters, content websites, blogs, databases, directories, extensions, etc.

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;

• The vetting process is intense to ensure there are no scam listings
• The platform and tools have been built to aid the sale of small businesses
• Transfer by Microns provides a built-in, secure fund transfer
• Short sales cycles: most acquisitions take less than 30 days to completion
• Buyers can buy low-risk, but profitable, online micro startups
• Buyers get one month of free support from the seller
• Buyers can arrange for extended support with the seller
• Responsive and quality customer support
• Sellers only pay a success fee when they close a deal
• 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;

• You can sell pre-revenue businesses on Flippa
• Supports the sale of all sizes of businesses
• Large buyer/seller network: 1.5M+ registered users
• Lots of educational content to help you buy, sell, market, and grow your business
• Easy to list and buy businesses
• Access to Flippa brokers for large acquisitions
• FlippaPay provides a built-in, secure fund transfer

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

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

• Not suitable for the sale of businesses with a valuation of more than $500,000
• Not much due diligence is offered by the marketplace, so you’ll have to do most of the research by yourself
• Sellers pay 6 - 10% commission or success fee
• Not much educational content on the blog
• Acquisition process may take longer than 30 days (but this rarely happens)
• No access to M&A professionals
• Smaller listing volume than Flippa

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

The disadvantages of buying and selling a startup on Flippa:

• Pre-revenue listings mean you can buy unprofitable businesses
• There have been reports of scam listings as they allow all sorts of listings on the platform, and only properly vet businesses worth $25,000+ 
• There have been complaints about falsified stats and analytics reports and fake sellers. 
• There are many unprofitable listings, such as low-quality sites with duplicate content
• Flippa does little due diligence for listings costing less than $25,000
• Sellers pay a listing fee of $29 to $1499
• Sellers are charged 6 - 10% commission on the sale of their businesses

Is Microns legit?

Yes, Microns is a legit online marketplace for selling and buying small digital businesses like micro-startups, ecommer stores, directories, web and mobile apps, etc.

Is Flippa legit?

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

Is Microns the best alternative to Flippa?

Yes, Microns.io is one of Flippa’s best alternative marketplaces for buying and selling online businesses. While Flippa supports all forms of businesses, the Microns.io platform is dedicated to buyers and sellers 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 fewer or no scam listings, and the focus on buying and selling small businesses.

Sign up today for Microns.io Premium and explore the profitable businesses listed on our platform.