Updated July 2026. Flippa's tiered fees, Acquire.com's hybrid pricing, and Empire Flippers' flat rate below are all current as of this month.
Sell a $180,000 SaaS through Empire Flippers and $27,000 of it disappears in fees before you see a dollar. List the same deal on SideProjectors or DevBio's marketplace and that number is close to zero. The gap between marketplaces isn't cosmetic. It's tens of thousands of dollars, decided entirely by where you sell your SaaS and click "list for sale."
Most guides on selling a SaaS side project cover how to price it and how to negotiate. Few compare what each marketplace actually costs, how each one verifies the revenue number a buyer is trusting, and who each platform is really built for. This guide answers where to sell your SaaS in 2026 with real fee schedules, a worked $180,000 example across six marketplaces, and the one variable that predicts your final payout more than any commission rate does.
The Short Answer#
Flippa charges 5–10% depending on sale size. Acquire.com runs roughly 7% all-in through a hybrid listing-plus-closing model. Empire Flippers takes a flat 15% but runs the sale for you. SideProjectors, Microns.io, and DevBio's marketplace charge nothing to list — you handle outreach and closing yourself. The bigger factor isn't the fee. It's whether your revenue number needs a human to vouch for it or proves itself.
SaaS M&A Is Booming, and So Is the Fee You'll Pay to Access It#
More buyers are shopping for SaaS than at any point on record, which changes the calculus on which marketplace to use. SaaS M&A hit 2,698 completed transactions in 2025 — a 28% jump from 2,107 in 2024 — and Q1 2026 alone logged 659 deals, keeping pace with that record year, according to Software Equity Group's 2026 SaaS report. Private equity buyers were involved in roughly 58% of 2025's deals, and AI-referenced targets made up about 72% of transaction volume.
That volume is mostly mid-market and enterprise deals. But it pulls more buyers into the smaller marketplaces too — the same investors who can't win a $30M enterprise auction are actively hunting $50K–$500K bootstrapped SaaS businesses instead. That's good news if you're selling. It also means the marketplace you pick determines which slice of that buyer pool actually sees your listing.
The reality check: most micro-SaaS never gets anywhere near a marketplace listing. An analysis of Stripe-verified Indie Hackers products found 54% of listed products make exactly $0 in revenue, and roughly 70% of the ones that do make money sit under $1,000 MRR. The median profitable micro-SaaS sits around $4,200 MRR — about $50K a year before expenses — according to bigideasdb's 2026 indie SaaS revenue report. If your product clears that bar, you're already in a smaller, more sellable category than most side projects. The marketplace math below assumes you're in that group.
Flippa: Maximum Exposure, Tiered Fees#
Flippa is the largest general marketplace for buying and selling online businesses, and SaaS is one category among websites, apps, ecommerce stores, and content sites. Its model is auction-first: list your business, set a reserve, and let bidding — sometimes public, sometimes private — determine the price.
The fees: listing costs run $29 for entry listings under $10,000 up to $59–$99 for standard listings between $10,000 and $999,999. On top of that, Flippa charges a tiered success fee only if the business actually sells: 10% on sales under $50,000, 7.5% between $50,000 and $100,000, and 5% above $100,000. Sellers of $100,000+ businesses can also opt into a $999 brokerage package for a 9-month managed listing term, per ExitBid's 2026 Flippa fee breakdown.
Revenue verification: self-reported by default. Sellers can add verified financials as an add-on, but the baseline listing is a number you type in, which buyers weigh accordingly.
Best for: sellers who want the widest possible buyer pool and don't mind an auction format doing price discovery for them. Flippa's volume is real — SaaS listings have grown sharply — but that same openness means more tire-kickers per serious offer than a curated marketplace.
Acquire.com: The Curated SaaS Marketplace#
Acquire.com — the platform formerly known as MicroAcquire — is the closest thing the bootstrapped SaaS world has to a dedicated exchange. Founder Andrew Gazdecki built it specifically around SaaS and profitable online businesses, and it's helped facilitate more than $500 million across 2,000+ completed acquisitions with a pool of 500,000+ registered buyers.
The fees: Acquire.com moved from a pure success-fee model to a hybrid of monthly listing fees plus a closing fee. In practice that's roughly $50/month while your listing is live, plus a closing fee in the 4–7% range depending on deal size — a three-month sale with a 7% closing fee works out to about 7.02% of the deal value all-in.
Revenue verification: sellers can connect Stripe or Google Analytics directly for verified metrics, and roughly 45% of listings go through additional vetting before they're published — Acquire.com's pitch to buyers is explicitly that connected, verified numbers earn more trust than a typed figure. That's a deliberate design choice, not an afterthought: a marketplace built for repeat buyers has to protect its own credibility as much as any single seller's.
Best for: SaaS businesses roughly $50K–$5M in value where you want a buyer pool that's already looking specifically for SaaS, plus the option of hands-on M&A support if you don't want to run the process solo.
Empire Flippers: The Broker That Also Lists#
Empire Flippers positions itself less as a marketplace and more as a brokerage with a public listings page attached. Every business is vetted by their team — financials, traffic, and revenue sources — before it goes live, and only businesses clearing roughly $1,000/month in profit typically qualify.
The fees: a flat 15% success fee on transactions under $700,000, with no listing fee — you only pay if the business sells, per Investors Club's Empire Flippers fee breakdown. Escrow and migration support are included at no extra charge, and their team handles buyer outreach, negotiation, and due diligence coordination on your behalf.
Revenue verification: broker-vetted. A human on their team reviews your P&L, bank statements, and payment processor exports before your listing is published — the highest verification bar of any option here short of a live API feed.
Best for: sellers who want the process handled for them and are willing to pay for it. On a $180,000 sale, 15% is $27,000 — a real cost, but one that buys you a team doing sourcing, screening, and negotiation instead of you doing it after hours around a day job.
SideProjectors, Microns.io, and TrustMRR: The No-Commission Corner#
Below the brokered marketplaces sits a smaller, DIY-first tier built for exactly the kind of sub-$100K micro-SaaS that dominates the indie hacker world.
SideProjectors charges no listing fee and no commission — it's purely a directory connecting buyers and sellers, who then negotiate and close privately. There's no vetting and no built-in escrow; a $3/month premium tier adds notifications and better search, but the core listing is free, per KDnuggets' marketplace roundup.
Microns.io is purpose-built for micro-SaaS under $100K, charges zero commission, and has facilitated close to $400K in sales with deals reportedly closing in 30 days or less — fast, because there's no broker workflow in the way.
TrustMRR occupies a specific niche: it's the marketplace where revenue is verified through a live Stripe or Lemon Squeezy API connection rather than a screenshot, with an optional tiered visibility boost ($29–$999) for sellers who want more eyes on their listing. No commission on the sale itself.
Best for: sellers of small, early-stage products who want to keep 100% of the sale price and are comfortable running their own outreach and closing. The tradeoff for zero fees is zero help — you're the broker.
DevBio Marketplace: Your Live MRR Card, Already a Listing#
DevBio runs a marketplace where any project on a published bio can be listed for sale, and it works differently from the options above because the revenue proof isn't something you add for the listing — it's the same data already powering your public profile.
A DevBio project card that's connected to Stripe, Dodo Payments, Lemon Squeezy, or Polar already shows live MRR, revenue history, month-over-month growth, and — since GitHub is connected separately — a commit sparkline and star count. Flip that project to "for sale" and a listing on devbio.me/marketplace inherits all of it: the same live numbers, not a fresh set of screenshots assembled for a buyer. Sellers can set an asking price, and the marketplace auto-computes the resulting price-to-annual-revenue multiple so buyers can compare deals at a glance. Listings can also go anonymous — the founder's name, handle, and profile link get redacted while the revenue and price stay visible — with identity revealed only once a serious inquiry comes through the "Contact seller" flow.
The fees: free. Marketplace listing is included on DevBio's free plan alongside the rest of the component set — you don't need to be a paying subscriber to list a project. Per DevBio's terms of service, the platform is explicitly not a broker or escrow agent and doesn't charge a commission on acquisitions sourced through the marketplace. That also means you're handling outreach and negotiation yourself, same as SideProjectors or Microns.io — DevBio isn't running due diligence or buyer vetting on your behalf.
Revenue verification: live API-verified, by construction. There's no separate "prove your MRR" step because the number was never manually entered — it's the same read-only integration already feeding your profile's revenue card. A stale or fabricated figure isn't really possible without disconnecting the integration entirely, which would also break your public bio.
Best for: developers and indie hackers who already run a DevBio profile with a connected payment integration. If you're building in public and your MRR is already live on your bio, listing it for sale is closer to flipping a toggle than assembling a new listing from scratch. It's a weaker fit if you want a broker sourcing buyers for you, or if your revenue isn't already flowing through one of the four supported processors.
The Revenue Verification Ladder#
Once you line up six marketplaces side by side, the fee percentage stops being the most interesting number. What actually determines how much trust a buyer extends — and how fast they'll move to close — is how the listing proves its revenue is real. Call it the Revenue Verification Ladder, three rungs that every marketplace above sits on:
Rung 1, self-reported, is the default on most general marketplaces. It's not dishonest by default — most sellers report real numbers — but it puts the verification burden entirely on the buyer, which slows every serious deal down while they ask for screen-shares and bank statements.
Rung 2, broker-vetted, trades speed for trust. A human reviews your financials before the listing goes live, which is real, valuable work — and exactly why Empire Flippers can charge 15% and still fill its buyer pipeline. The vetting is the product.
Rung 3, live API-verified, removes the manual step entirely. The number can't be stale because there's no snapshot involved — it's a live read from the processor. This is a small, newer category (TrustMRR, DevBio) built on the same underlying pattern as a live MRR display on a developer profile: connect once, and every consumer of that data — your bio, your resume, a marketplace listing — reads from the same source.
The contrarian takeaway: the marketplace with the lowest fee isn't automatically the cheapest option. An unverified number gets discounted in negotiation, sometimes by more than a broker's commission would have cost. Rung matters as much as rate.
What $180,000 Actually Looks Like on Each Marketplace#
Numbers make this concrete for anyone deciding where to sell their SaaS. Take a SaaS doing $5,000 MRR — $60,000 ARR — selling at a 3x revenue multiple, right in the middle of the 2.5–4x ARR range typical for bootstrapped SaaS in this size band. That's a $180,000 sale. Here's what each marketplace charges to make it happen, using each platform's own published fee schedule:
Marketplace | Listing fee | Success/closing fee | Total marketplace cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Flippa | $99 | 5% ($9,000) | $9,099 |
Acquire.com | ~$150 (3 months) | ~7% ($12,600) | ~$12,750 |
Empire Flippers | $0 | 15% ($27,000) | $27,000 |
SideProjectors | $0 (or $9 optional) | 0% | $0–$9 |
Microns.io | $0 | 0% | $0 |
DevBio Marketplace | $0 | 0% | $0 |
Two caveats keep this honest. First, the zero-fee marketplaces aren't zero-cost — most sellers who close a deal off-platform still voluntarily use a third-party escrow service for buyer and seller protection, which typically runs a small percentage split between both parties on top of whatever marketplace fee already applies. Second, Empire Flippers' 15% buys real work: sourced buyers, screened offers, and a team running point on negotiation. The fee isn't just a toll — for some sellers it's the entire value proposition.
Where to Sell Your SaaS: Which Marketplace Fits Your Situation#
You want the widest possible buyer pool and don't mind an auction deciding price. Flippa. The 5–10% tiered fee is mid-pack, and the exposure is the largest of any option here.
You're selling something in the $50K–$5M range and want a buyer pool that's specifically shopping for SaaS. Acquire.com. The ~7% all-in cost buys a curated, SaaS-specific audience and the option of managed support.
You want someone else to run the entire process. Empire Flippers. On a $180,000 sale, 15% is $27,000 — but if your time is worth more than that spent sourcing and screening buyers yourself, the trade makes sense.
You're selling a true early-stage side project and want to keep every dollar. SideProjectors or Microns.io. Zero commission, but you're the broker — expect to run your own outreach, screening, and negotiation.
Your SaaS already shows live MRR on your DevBio profile. List it on DevBio's marketplace directly. The revenue verification is already done — it's the same Stripe, Dodo Payments, Lemon Squeezy, or Polar connection powering your bio's revenue card — and there's no commission to model into your asking price. This is the natural next step after building your project's live MRR display and pairs with the fuller playbook in our guide to selling your SaaS side project.
Before you list anywhere, run through this quick checklist:
Do I know my real multiple? Pull comparable recent sales, not just asking prices — see our SaaS valuation guide for the full method, and use the SaaS MRR calculator to make sure the revenue number itself is right before anyone else scrutinizes it.
Can a buyer verify my revenue without asking me for anything? If not, you're on Rung 1 of the ladder, and that's fine — just expect more back-and-forth before an offer firms up.
Am I willing to run outreach and negotiation myself, or do I want a broker? This decides more about which marketplace fits than the fee schedule does.
Is my revenue already flowing through Stripe, Dodo Payments, Lemon Squeezy, or Polar? If yes, a live-verified listing costs you nothing extra to set up.
Would I rather sell fast and DIY, or slower with more hand-holding? Microns.io and DevBio both lean toward fast, direct deals. Empire Flippers leans toward slower, higher-touch ones.
If you're earlier in the process and evaluating whether to sell at all versus keep growing, our micro SaaS acquisition playbook covers the buyer's side of this same market — useful context for calibrating what a realistic offer actually looks like from the other chair.
Frequently Asked Questions#
What's the cheapest way to sell a SaaS business in 2026?
DevBio's marketplace, SideProjectors, and Microns.io all charge zero commission on a completed sale. DevBio's listing is also free to create on its free plan. The tradeoff for paying nothing is that you handle buyer outreach, negotiation, and closing yourself — none of these platforms source or vet buyers on your behalf the way a broker does.
Does Flippa charge a commission on SaaS sales?
Yes. Flippa charges a tiered success fee only when a business sells: 10% on sales under $50,000, 7.5% between $50,000 and $100,000, and 5% above $100,000. There's also a small non-refundable listing fee ($29–$99) charged upfront regardless of whether the business sells.
How much does Acquire.com charge sellers?
Acquire.com uses a hybrid model: roughly $50/month while your listing is active, plus a closing fee typically in the 4–7% range depending on deal size. A typical three-month sale with a 7% closing fee works out to about 7% of the total deal value.
Is Empire Flippers worth the 15% fee?
It depends on how much your time is worth. Empire Flippers' team vets your listing, sources buyers, and runs negotiation and due diligence for you — real work that a self-service marketplace doesn't provide. On a $180,000 sale, 15% is $27,000; if that buys you a faster, less stressful process than doing it yourself, it can be worth it.
Can I sell my SaaS without paying any commission?
Yes. SideProjectors, Microns.io, and DevBio's marketplace all charge no commission on a sale. You'll typically still want to use a third-party escrow service to protect both parties during the money-and-access handoff, which usually costs a small percentage split between buyer and seller — separate from any marketplace fee.
What's a good revenue multiple for a micro SaaS in 2026?
Bootstrapped micro-SaaS under $1M ARR typically trades at 2.5–4x ARR or 4–6x Seller Discretionary Earnings, with a reported median profit multiple around 3.9x SDE on curated marketplaces. Products showing sustained double-digit monthly growth for six or more consecutive months tend to list at 5x ARR or higher.
Do I need escrow to sell a SaaS business?
It's not required by most marketplaces, but it's strongly recommended for any deal involving a transfer of code, accounts, and payment. Escrow protects the buyer from paying before receiving assets and protects the seller from handing over access before payment clears. Empire Flippers and Flippa build escrow into their process; SideProjectors, Microns.io, and DevBio leave it to the buyer and seller to arrange independently.
Does DevBio charge a fee to list a SaaS for sale?
No. Marketplace listing is included on DevBio's free plan, and DevBio doesn't charge a commission on acquisitions sourced through the marketplace — per its terms of service, it's explicitly not a broker or escrow agent. The listing pulls live revenue data from the same Stripe, Dodo Payments, Lemon Squeezy, or Polar connection already powering the project's public revenue card.
The Takeaway#
Three numbers to carry out of this comparison. Fees on a $180,000 SaaS sale range from $0 on DevBio, Microns.io, and SideProjectors up to $27,000 flat on Empire Flippers — a 15-point swing depending purely on which marketplace you pick. SaaS M&A hit a record 2,698 completed deals in 2025, up 28% year over year, so the buyer pool shopping across every one of these platforms is larger than it's ever been. And the real predictor of how fast your deal closes isn't the commission rate — it's where your listing sits on the Revenue Verification Ladder, from a typed-in number up to a live, API-verified figure that never needs a screenshot to be believed.
If your SaaS already shows live MRR on your DevBio profile, turning that project into a marketplace listing is closer to flipping a toggle than building a new listing from scratch — the revenue proof was already there. List it on devbio.me.