The right marketplace depends on what you want to buy and how big it is. For a Main Street business under about $2 million, use BizBuySell and BizQuest. For an online business, use Flippa or Acquire.com, and for franchises and real estate, use DealStream. Above about $1 million of cash flow, most companies sell privately through M&A advisors, so you also need a deal network such as Axial and a service that searches advisor websites.
How big is a typical marketplace business?
Most of them are small. Brokers reported 2,132 sales to BizBuySell's Q3 2026 Insight Report, and the median business sold for $350,000 with $156,000 of cash flow. Larger businesses do sell there, but they are a minority. Sales above $1 million were 22% of the quarter, with a median price of $1.8 million and median cash flow of $559,000.
The buyers are mostly people who plan to run the business themselves. In the same report, 54% of buyers called themselves owner-operators, and 78% expect to use SBA financing. The SBA 7(a) loan tops out at $5 million, and that limit sets what most marketplace buyers can pay.
How do the marketplaces compare?
| Marketplace | What it lists | Size it suits | What a buyer pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| BizBuySell | Main Street businesses from brokers and owners | Median sale $350,000 (Q3 2026) | Free; Edge from $20 a month |
| BizQuest | The same broker network as BizBuySell | Main Street | Free to browse |
| Flippa | Websites, apps, ecommerce, and other online assets | Online businesses of any size | Free; Premium $49 a month |
| Acquire.com | Startups, mostly SaaS and ecommerce | Any size; Premium plan caps at $250K | $390 or $780 a year for full access |
| DealStream | Businesses, real estate, franchises, investments | No stated focus | Free; Pro $40 a month |
| Axial | Teasers from 3,500+ M&A advisors and brokers | About $1M to $25M of EBITDA | No subscription; success fee |
| PrivSource | Deals from broker and advisor websites, and deals advisors send to us | Lower middle market | Free to start; $299 a month |
We checked each row on the vendor's own site on November 12, 2026. BizBuySell's seller page says a listing placed there also appears on BizQuest and LoopNet. That means LoopNet's business listings repeat BizBuySell's, and you do not need to search LoopNet on its own.
When should you use Flippa or Acquire.com instead?
Use them when the business lives online. Flippa lists websites, apps, and ecommerce stores. Acquire.com lists startups, and it shows paid members the standard financials, customer data, and traffic for each one.
Both charge for early or full access. Flippa Premium costs $49 a month and lets members see new listings over $10,000 for 21 days before anyone else. Acquire.com charges $390 a year for its Premium plan, which covers startups up to $250,000, and $780 a year to see startups of every size.
Why do larger businesses rarely show up on listing sites?
Once a business earns about $1 million of cash flow, the owner usually hires an M&A advisor. The advisor writes a short summary of the company that leaves out its name, called a teaser, and sends it only to buyers the advisor chooses. The teaser never appears on a public site.
These sales draw real competition. In the IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse for Q2 2026, 87% of deals over $5 million drew at least three offers. Axial is a network where advisors send teasers to buyers, and it charges buyers a fee when they buy. Our BizBuySell vs Axial comparison shows what that fee costs at three deal sizes.
To see these deals, you need to be on the lists of buyers that advisors call. Where to find private businesses for sale shows where to look at each size.
Which marketplace should you use at your size?
If you want a business under $500,000 that you will run yourself, set up alerts on BizBuySell and BizQuest. Talk to an SBA lender before you make an offer. If you want a website or an app, use Flippa for content and ecommerce sites, and Acquire.com for software with recurring revenue.
Between $500,000 and $2 million in price, search BizBuySell and DealStream. Also get to know two local brokers who sell businesses in your industry.
Once you look at companies with $1 million to $5 million of cash flow, listing sites matter much less. Use Axial and a service that searches advisor websites, and ask the advisors who sell companies in your industry to add you to their buyer lists. Above $5 million of EBITDA, add the investment bankers who sell companies in your industry. Public marketplaces rarely see deals that large.
Where PrivSource fits
PrivSource is not a marketplace for Main Street businesses. If you want a $300,000 shop, BizBuySell is the better place to look.
If you buy lower-middle-market companies, PrivSource finds deals on broker and advisor websites, and advisors also send us deals that are not posted anywhere. We show you the ones that match what you want to buy, each with a note on why it may be worth your time. Telling us what you want to buy is free, full access is $299 a month, and members never pay a success fee. Apply for buy-side access.
