In the past, the idea of buying and selling businesses hassle-free has always been unthinkable. The acquisition process always involved too many parties and, more often than not, took more time than it should.
Enter micro-SaaS marketplaces.
As the name suggests, they’re an online marketplace exclusively for micro-SaaS business owners.
With their proliferation, the long-winded acquisition process that usually takes a few months can now be optimized to give involved parties sufficient time without sacrificing credibility.
But which marketplaces can you trust?
Let’s take a look.
What Are Micro-SaaS Marketplaces?
A micro-SaaS marketplace provides a platform for creators, founders, and entrepreneurs to connect with software developers from whom they can buy and sell businesses.
You don’t need to know how to code because you can purchase micro-SaaS software directly from a developer.
Buying from a trusted source like the ten marketplaces listed below can help protect your investment.
10 Micro-SaaS Marketplaces at a Quick Glance
1. AcquireBase
AcquireBase is a rich marketplace of online businesses for sale, including micro-SaaS, eCommerce, dropshipping, and Amazon FBA.
The marketplace has been profitable for products such as website builders for specific niche markets, feedback form builders, photo editing tools, and video downloaders.
The company doesn’t take a commission from the sale, although the buyer pays the Escrow fees.
Sellers include transparent data about how much money the SaaS makes, while buyers can search the marketplace for free and interact with sellers privately through the site.
2. Empire Flippers
Empire Flippers is a micro-SaaS marketplace that uses brokers to facilitate great deals between developers and customers.
You can search for businesses by browsing what’s available or looking for specific niche keywords, like automotive, beauty, culinary, electronics, and personal care.
The site has completed over two thousand deals, selling websites and internet businesses with profits in the millions.
Empire Flippers implements a blended commission rate based on your business’s value.
Specifically, they take a flat commission of 15% for business value under $700,000.
For the remaining business value between $700,000 and $5 million, the commission is at 8%, while anything above $5 million gets 2.5%.
This commission basis operates like this: if your business has a $5 million listing, they will impose a 15% commission on $700,000 and an 8% commission on the remaining $4.3 million.
Here’s a video that will take you through a customer’s buying experience on Empire Flippa:
3. Flippa
Flippa is a global marketplace for websites and software. The company oversees both buyers and sellers to ensure no one gets ripped off in the process.
Advisors inspect each domain before listing it on the marketplace, ensuring it’s given a fair value that benefits buyers and sellers equally.
Flippa’s platform is easy to navigate, so you can quickly find any micro-SaaS you want.
You can get access to developers worldwide and see their history and past deals.
When you find a micro-SaaS you like, you can bid on it auction-style or make an offer outright.
Flippa also has a mobile app that makes it easy to check your bids anytime.
Developers selling their micro-SaaS through Flippa give the site a 5% to 10% success fee when the sale goes through, depending on the final price.
Buyers can search by product type or asking prices, which range from to million or more, based on the product build and marketability.
4. Indiemaker
Indiemaker lets you see what’s available on the marketplace from the homepage, but you need to create a free account to interact with the sellers.
Sellers can also list their micro-SaaS products or domains for free. New listings are up within 24 hours, so there’s always something that might catch your attention.
Sample businesses for sale include WordPress plugins, online learning platforms, established YouTube channels, and website form-building SaaS.
Once you find a product you want to buy, you can make an offer directly to the seller if you want to get it below the asking price.
However, on Indiemaker, the buyer pays a 12% platform success fee and Escrow transaction fees.
5. MicroAcquire
MicroAcquire bridges the gap between developers wanting to sell their micro-SaaS and businesses who want to expand their reach.
It’s free to browse all the listings on the marketplace, but you have to pay an annual subscription fee to interact with the developers and acquire a micro-SaaS business.
The premium plan is $390 a year and allows you to view vetted software and startups valued up to $250,000.
Meanwhile, the platinum plan is $780 annually and gives you access to all vetted startups and micro-SaaS.
These tiers allow investors to research with the free plan before purchasing.
Sellers pay a flat 5% commission on sales, so nothing slows the process.
6. Microns.io
Microns.io is one of the unique micro-SaaS marketplaces because it doesn’t take a commission from the sales.
The reasonable prices of micro-SaaS on the platform make it easy for small businesses and sole proprietors to try their hand at owning innovative programs.
Microns.io is also known for listing quality micro-SaaS products, like a marketing program that DMs users on social media to create connections and programs that create and schedule social media content.
Take note that while there’s no commission, you’re not left to fend for yourself.
The site verifies businesses to ensure it’s not a scam.
7. Motion Invest
Motion Invest lists sites and micro-Saas, but you need to be quick on the draw—their listings sell in an average of 12 days.
The professionals behind the scenes vet each product before adding it to the marketplace.
This process ensures you’re getting a profitable business with your investment.
For each sale, Motion Invest takes a commission rate that corresponds to your products’ sale price.
To be specific, they apply the following:
- 20% commission from sales under $20,000;
- 15% commission from sales between $20,000 to $50,000;
- 10% commission from sales between $50,000 to $100,000;
- 7% commission from sales between $100,000 to $500,000 and;
- 5% commission from sales over $500,000.
The good thing about the high commission is that Motion Invest only sells sites with a high chance of making a profit.
You’re guaranteed passive income when you buy from their marketplace.
8. Quiet Light
Quiet Light is a site that sells domains and software. The company started in 2006 and has sold over 600 businesses, with total transactions valuing over $300 million.
Everyone at the company has experience buying and selling online businesses, so they have all the qualifications necessary to coach developers and clients.
The marketplace boasts a quick turnaround time, with approximately 85% of its listings selling in 90 days or less.
Thus, you can be confident that you won’t get stuck in limbo considering the opportunities of a fast acquisition process.
Quiet Light researches each business to ensure it’s a fair value. Buyers can view the marketplace for free and get information like the SaaS price, revenue, and income.
The company is serious about empowering businesses and sole proprietors as they invest in software.
There are articles about buying, selling, and financing in their educational resources.
9. SideProjectors
SideProjectors is one of the fantastic marketplaces for micro-SaaS entrepreneurs because of the many options it provides.
You can buy a program outright or invest as a co-founder.
Its automated listing process simplifies the work sellers do upfront, although the SideProjectors team still verifies each listing to ensure each one is worth the asking price.
SideProjectors is unique in how the platform advertises businesses and projects for sale: its team gives sellers a “For Sale” badge to post online so that organic traffic will see that they can purchase the product.
If you’re a buyer, you have to create a SideProjectors account to interact with sellers. Rest assured, though, that there’s no subscription fee.
However, the SideProjectors team doesn’t verify each sale, so it’s vital that you still research the seller and meet with them through video to increase the credibility of your transactions.
10. Transferslot
Transferslot lists businesses and micro-SaaS for sale on a basic marketplace so you can focus on information that truly matters.
There are all types of companies listed on this platform, and you can see each of their asking price, profits, and a short overview of what they do.
The sellers even have space to give potential buyers ideas about what they need to do to maintain the site and how they can boost profits even more.
Transferslot is a hands-off micro-SaaS platform, so make sure to do plenty of research and meet the seller before any money changes hands.
Final Thoughts on Micro-SaaS Marketplaces
Micro-SaaS is a profitable business or side hustle because it empowers you to make passive income from downloads and subscriptions.
There are many business ideas without coding knowledge, but investing in a previously developed micro-SaaS gives you background information about its success.
Since micro-SaaS usually means working with small teams of developers and doesn’t require much startup costs, it pays off typically quickly without high overhead expenses.
Find out how to maximize your online profits and invest in the micro-SaaS marketplace today at Symalite Blog.