Flippa vs iSaleGuru: Fees, Trust and Features Compared

If you are selling or buying a website, blog, SaaS or YouTube channel, Flippa is usually the first name you hear. iSaleGuru is a newer marketplace with a different approach. This comparison is meant to be fair: both have strengths, and the right choice depends on your deal.

Fees and features on any platform can change. Check Flippa's and iSaleGuru's current pricing pages before you decide.

The short version

Choose Flippa if you want the biggest audience of buyers, built-in payment options and a long-established brand, and you are comfortable with its fees.
Choose iSaleGuru if you want to list for free, pay no commission on the sale at the moment, and stand out with proof-first listings, and you are comfortable arranging payment and escrow with the buyer yourself.

Fees

Flippa generally charges sellers a listing fee and a success fee based on the sale price, plus optional paid upgrades. The exact amounts depend on the listing type and price, so check its pricing page for your case.

On iSaleGuru, listing, offers, bidding and chat are free. At the time of writing there is no commission on a sale. Optional extras are a one-time fee to lock a listing (hide the name and website until a buyer accepts a confidentiality agreement) and an optional Pro badge. If iSaleGuru introduces fees in future, it has committed to announcing them in advance.

Proof and vetting

Flippa lets sellers attach financial information and connect some data sources, and it has its own vetting processes. Because the marketplace is open to everyone, listing quality varies, and buyers are expected to check the details.

iSaleGuru requires proof on every new listing except a bare domain: a link to a short screen recording of the seller's real dashboards (analytics, Search Console, earnings) plus screenshots. Each listing type has its own required details, for example watch hours and strikes for a YouTube channel or monthly recurring revenue for a SaaS. Listings are reviewed before they go live, sellers can prove they own the website with a code, and figures can be marked as checked when the team has compared them with the proof. Logged-out visitors only see a preview; full figures and proof are for members.

Payment and escrow

Flippa offers payment and escrow options as part of its process, which many buyers value.

iSaleGuru does not hold money and does not provide escrow at the moment. It connects buyer and seller, who agree payment between themselves. For anything beyond a small amount, both should use a licensed, independent escrow service, and the buyer should never pay before checking the proof and the assets. iSaleGuru shows this warning clearly on listings and deals.

Ways to sell

Both platforms support fixed-price listings with offers and auctions. iSaleGuru also offers a Dutch auction, where the price starts high and drops by a set amount every few hours until a buyer presses Buy now, which can create urgency for well-priced assets.

Buyer tools

iSaleGuru includes search alerts for new matching listings, a watchlist, public questions and answers on each listing, filters for monetization platforms and for Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) separately, and phone notifications through its installable app. Flippa has its own mature set of search and alert tools and a much larger catalogue of listings.

Audience and reach

Flippa's biggest advantage is reach: it has been running for many years and has a large community of active buyers. A newer marketplace has fewer buyers, which can mean less competition for buyers and fewer bids for sellers. Many sellers list on both to get the best of each.

Listing quality and what buyers see

On any marketplace, the listings that sell are the ones that answer buyers' questions before they ask. Compare how each platform helps you present the business:

Headline numbers. Both show revenue, profit and traffic. iSaleGuru shows them as key metric tiles and calculates the price multiple automatically, so buyers see at a glance how the price compares with yearly profit.
History. On iSaleGuru a seller can add twelve months of revenue, profit and visitors, which appear as charts with 3, 6 and 12 month averages. A month-by-month record builds far more trust than a single average.
Traffic detail. iSaleGuru listings can show traffic channels, top countries and top pages in one tabbed section.
SEO metrics. Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) are shown as separate figures, because they come from different tools and measure different things.
Monetization. Sellers tick each monetization platform (AdSense, Mediavine, Raptive, Amazon Associates and others) and can show the monthly income from each.
Public questions. Buyers can ask questions on the listing and the seller's answers are visible to everyone, which saves the seller repeating themselves.

Confidential sales

Some sellers do not want competitors, staff or customers to know the business is for sale. Both platforms offer ways to keep details private. On iSaleGuru a locked listing hides the name, web address and picture until a buyer accepts a confidentiality agreement and, if the seller chooses, is approved. Strangers see only the category, a one-line summary, the headline numbers and a blurred picture.

Support and disputes

On a platform that handles payment, disputes about money go through that platform's process. On iSaleGuru, support helps with technical problems on the site, and members can report scams, fake proof or abuse, which the team reviews and can act on by removing listings or accounts. Because iSaleGuru does not hold the money, it cannot recover payments, which is another reason to use a licensed escrow service for the payment itself.

A checklist for whichever platform you choose

Prepare twelve months of figures and a short screen recording of your dashboards.
Decide your lowest acceptable price before buyers start asking.
Write down exactly what transfers in the sale.
Agree the escrow service and the handover steps in writing before any money moves.
After the sale, update or close every listing you created.

Which should you use?

You want maximum exposure and built-in payment handling: Flippa.
You want zero commission and a proof-first listing: iSaleGuru, plus an independent escrow service for the payment.
You want both: list on both with the same price and facts, and update both when you sell.

List your business free on iSaleGuru or browse current listings.

Frequently asked questions

Is iSaleGuru free to use?

Listing, offers, bidding and chat are free, and at the time of writing there is no commission on sales. Optional extras such as locking a listing have a small one-time fee.

Does iSaleGuru offer escrow like Flippa?

Not at the moment. iSaleGuru connects buyers and sellers and does not hold payments. Use a licensed escrow service to protect larger payments.

Can I move my Flippa listing to iSaleGuru?

You can list the same business on iSaleGuru as long as you are allowed to under any agreement you signed. You will need to add proof: a screen recording of your dashboards and screenshots.

Is a Dutch auction better than a normal auction?

It depends. A Dutch auction suits sellers who want a quick sale and a buyer who acts first, because the price falls on a schedule. A normal auction suits assets that several buyers may compete for.

Which marketplace has more buyers?

Flippa has a much larger and longer-established buyer audience. iSaleGuru is newer and growing.

Can I use Flippa and iSaleGuru at the same time?

Yes, unless you have signed an exclusive agreement with one platform. Many sellers list on more than one marketplace to reach more buyers. Keep the details and price the same everywhere, answer questions quickly, and remove every listing as soon as the business is sold so buyers are not misled.

What does iSaleGuru charge sellers?

iSaleGuru currently connects buyers and sellers without a commission on the sale. If that ever changes, the site will announce it in advance so sellers can decide what to do. Always check the pricing page for the current terms before you list.