For a business with more than about $1 million of EBITDA, Axial fits better than BizBuySell. BizBuySell lists Main Street businesses: its Q2 2026 median sale price was $349,250. Axial connects buyers with M&A advisors on deals of up to $25 million in EBITDA, and charges buyers a success fee only on deals it sourced. Use BizBuySell below about $2 million in price.
What does BizBuySell sell?
Small businesses, listed publicly by brokers and owners. BizBuySell says it lists about 65,000 businesses a year, and it states that 95% of business brokers are members.
Brokers reported 2,117 sales to its Q2 2026 Insight Report. The median sale price was $349,250, the median cash flow was $155,921, and the average price was 2.7 times cash flow.
At that size, most are businesses the owner runs day to day. Larger listings do appear, but they are a small share of the site.
What does Axial sell?
Access to deals from M&A advisors. Axial calls itself a private deal network for the lower middle market.
Its network stats page claims 12,000+ deals a year, 3,500+ sell-side members, and 5,000+ buy-side members. It says 97% of deals come from an advisor.
Axial's buyer page covers deals with up to $250 million in revenue and up to $25 million in EBITDA. Advisors choose which buyers see each deal, based on the criteria you set. A deal on Axial is not public, so you see it only if an advisor sends it to you.
What does each one cost a buyer?
BizBuySell is free to browse and search. BizBuySell Edge starts at $20 a month and adds valuation reports and a serious-buyer badge.
Axial has no subscription for buyers. It charges a success fee on deals it first sourced, on the Lehman scale: 5% of the first $1 million, 4% of the second, 3% of the third, 2% of the fourth, and 1% above $4 million. We did the math:
| Purchase price | Axial fee | Share of price |
|---|---|---|
| $3 million | $120,000 | 4.0% |
| $5 million | $150,000 | 3.0% |
| $10 million | $200,000 | 2.0% |
Put the fee in your model before the LOI, not after.
Which one should you use?
Decision rule
- Price under $2 million, and you will run the business: BizBuySell. Set an alert for your industry and region, and answer brokers the same day.
- EBITDA between $1 million and $25 million, and you have capital or committed investors: Axial. Write criteria an advisor can match in ten seconds.
- In between, $500,000 to $1 million of cash flow: both, plus regional brokers.
- Any size: do not rely on one source. Each one sees only what is posted to it.
Advisors on Axial judge you on your profile. Our guide to how buyers decide which deals to engage covers the screen advisors expect you to run fast.
What neither one shows you
BizBuySell shows what brokers post. Axial shows what its advisor members send you. Many lower-middle-market deals go to buyers an advisor already knows, by email, and never reach either site.
To see more of the market, keep a direct line to the advisors in your industry. Where to find private businesses for sale lists the other sources by deal size.
Where PrivSource fits
PrivSource is a sourcing agent for lower middle market M&A. Our AI sourcing agent tracks down deals from brokers, M&A advisors, and bankers across the market, and brings you only the ones that fit your mandate.
Advisors on PrivSource also hand-pick buyers whose mandate fits their deal. You pay a flat subscription and never a success fee. Apply for buy-side access at no cost.
