Flippa vs Empire Flippers: The Real Differences That Matter
Looking to buy or sell an online business? Flippa and Empire Flippers are the two biggest names in this space, but they serve very different audiences. One is an open marketplace where anyone can list, the other is a curated broker that rejects 91% of submissions.
Let me break down exactly what you're dealing with so you can pick the right platform.
The Quick Answer
Choose Flippa if: You're selling a business under $50,000, you want lower fees, or your business doesn't meet Empire Flippers' strict requirements.
Choose Empire Flippers if: Your business makes at least $2,000/month in net profit, you want hands-off selling with full migration support, and you're okay paying 15% commission for a premium experience.
Flippa: The Open Marketplace
Flippa has been around since 2009 and is essentially the eBay of online businesses. They list everything from $500 starter sites to seven-figure SaaS companies. The platform publishes around 100 new listings per day, which means massive selection but also a lot of noise to filter through.
Flippa Fees
Flippa charges both listing fees and success fees. Here's the breakdown:
- Entry Listings (under $10,000): $29 listing fee, 60-day term
- Standard Listings ($10K-$999K): $59-$99 listing fee, 6-month term
- Premium Listings: $399-$699 for added exposure and NDA options
On top of listing fees, Flippa charges a success fee when your business sells. For sites selling under $50,000, they take 10%. The percentage decreases for higher-priced sales, with success fees starting as low as 3% for larger transactions.
Important: The listing fee is non-refundable even if your business doesn't sell.
What's Good About Flippa
- No minimum requirements: Any business can list, regardless of profit or age
- Largest buyer pool: Over 600,000 registered buyers
- Lower fees than brokers: The 10% success fee beats Empire Flippers' 15%
- Fast listing process: Your listing can go live immediately without weeks of vetting
- Auction format available: Can create bidding wars for competitive pricing
What Sucks About Flippa
- Quality control issues: No vetting means scams and inflated numbers are common
- Premium buyer program criticism: Paying members get 21-day early access, reducing exposure for everyone else
- You're on your own: No migration support, you handle the transfer yourself
- Lower sale multiples: Buyers expect deals, so prices tend to be lower than brokered sales
- Due diligence burden: Buyers need to verify everything themselves since Flippa doesn't thoroughly vet listings
Flippa's Average Sale Times
According to Flippa's own data, median closing times vary significantly by deal size:
- Under $50K: 15 days
- $50K-$250K: 49 days
- $250K+: 73 days
Check out Flippa's marketplace →
Empire Flippers: The Premium Broker
Empire Flippers takes a completely different approach. They're a full-service broker that vets every single business before listing. They reject 91% of submissions, which means fewer listings but much higher quality.
Empire Flippers Requirements
Your business must meet these criteria to even be considered:
- Minimum $2,000 monthly net profit averaged over the past 12 months
- At least 3 months of traffic data from Google Analytics or Clicky
- No URL changes in the past 12 months for affiliate/AdSense sites
- No evidence of manipulated rankings or Google penalties
- Service businesses can't have more than 50% revenue from one client
- No fake social media followers
Meeting these requirements doesn't guarantee acceptance. Empire Flippers regularly rejects businesses that technically qualify but don't fit their marketplace.
Empire Flippers Fees
Empire Flippers doesn't charge listing fees—sellers only pay when the business sells. However, their commission structure is more complex:
- Under $700,000: Flat 15% commission
- $700K-$5M: 15% on first $700K, then 8% on the remainder
- Over $5M: Continues at 2.5% above $5M
Example: Selling a $600,000 business means $90,000 in fees ($600K x 15%). A $1 million sale works out to $129,000 total ($105K + $24K).
For buyers, there are no fees whatsoever. Empire Flippers includes free escrow and migration services.
What's Good About Empire Flippers
- Quality vetting: Every business is verified with financial records and traffic data
- Free migration support: They handle the technical transfer of the business
- No upfront costs: You don't pay unless it sells
- Higher sale multiples: Typically 20-60x monthly profit depending on business type
- 94.1% success rate: Most listed businesses actually sell
- Professional listings: Empire Flippers creates comprehensive listing pages highlighting your business's strengths
What Sucks About Empire Flippers
- High commission: 15% is steep compared to Flippa's fees
- Strict requirements: If your business makes under $2K/month, you can't list
- Slow vetting process: Expect 3-4 weeks before your listing goes live
- 60-day exclusivity: You can't list elsewhere during this period
- Limited for small sellers: Most listings are $100K+ with few options below that
Empire Flippers Average Sale Time
The average sale duration is 109 days, though this varies significantly. Businesses under $100K tend to sell faster, while unique or high-priced businesses can take much longer. Some $200K+ businesses have sold in under a month.
Fee Comparison: Real Numbers
Let's look at what you'd actually pay on each platform:
| Sale Price | Flippa Fees (approx) | Empire Flippers Fees |
|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $29-99 listing + $2,500 (10%) | $3,750 (15%) |
| $50,000 | $59-99 listing + $5,000 (10%) | $7,500 (15%) |
| $100,000 | $59-99 listing + ~$8,000 | $15,000 (15%) |
| $250,000 | $99 listing + ~$17,500 | $37,500 (15%) |
| $500,000 | Brokered service recommended | $75,000 (15%) |
At every price point, Flippa is cheaper. But here's the catch: Empire Flippers often gets higher sale prices because buyers trust the vetting process. A business that sells for $80K on Flippa might fetch $100K+ through Empire Flippers, potentially netting you more even after the higher commission.
Buyer Experience Comparison
Flippa Buyer Experience
Browsing is free, but there's a catch. Flippa rolled out a Premium buyer program ($49/month) that gives paying members 21-day early access to new listings. Without it, the best deals may be gone before you even see them.
Due diligence is entirely on you. The seller writes their own listing description and could omit important details. There's no migration service, so you're responsible for transferring everything after the sale.
Empire Flippers Buyer Experience
Creating an account is free, but you'll need to verify your identity and prove you have funds to unlock listing details like URLs and business names. Buyers can unlock listings worth up to 1.5x their verified funds.
Once you've found a business, Empire Flippers facilitates conference calls with sellers for listings above $100K. They handle escrow and the entire migration process at no additional cost.
Who Should Use Which Platform?
Use Flippa When:
- Your business makes less than $2,000/month profit
- You want to sell quickly without weeks of vetting
- You're comfortable handling due diligence and transfers yourself
- You're looking for deals under $30K as a buyer
- You want to sell domains or starter sites
- You're selling a side project or site that doesn't meet broker requirements
Use Empire Flippers When:
- Your business makes $2,000+/month in net profit
- You want professional listing creation and migration support
- You're willing to pay higher fees for higher sale prices
- You're buying and want verified, vetted businesses
- You value a streamlined process over speed
- Your target price range is $100K-$3M
The Bottom Line
Flippa and Empire Flippers aren't really competitors—they serve different markets.
Flippa is the Wild West. Lower fees, more options, but you need to know what you're doing. Scams exist, inflated numbers are common, and you're responsible for due diligence. But for smaller deals or businesses that don't qualify elsewhere, it's often the only option.
Empire Flippers is the premium route. You pay 15% commission, but you get vetting, migration support, and access to serious buyers who trust the process. If your business qualifies and you can stomach the fees, you'll likely get a higher sale price and a much smoother experience.
For businesses in the $5K-$30K range, Flippa makes sense despite its flaws. Above $100K with solid profit history? Empire Flippers' higher fees might actually net you more money in the end.