Motion Invest vs Flippa: Which Platform is Better for Buying and Selling Websites?

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There are a growing number of marketplaces for buying and selling websites and online businesses. Flippa and Motion Invest are two of the most popular options.

While you can buy or sell websites at either marketplace, they take drastically different approaches. This Motion Invest vs. Flippa comparison uncovers the details of each platform so you can choose the one that’s right for you.

Motion Invest vs. Flippa Summary

The main differences between Motion Invest and Flippa involve the types of websites/businesses that can be bought or sold, the verification and due diligence involved with each listing, the number of active listings, and the dollar range of those listings.

Flippa is an open platform where just about any type of website or online business can be sold, while Motion Invest is exclusively for content websites.

Only listings above $250,000 are verified by Flippa, while Motion Invest verifies the traffic and revenue for each listing.

There are thousands of active listings on Flippa, while Motion Invest typically has less than 100.

Flippa is suitable for everything from starter websites to million-dollar online businesses, while most of the listings on Motion Invest are priced below $50,000.

Flippa Marketplace Overview

Flippa is the oldest and largest marketplace for buying or selling an online business. As a general marketplace, it’s suitable for almost all types of websites and online businesses.

Listings don’t go through a rigorous approval process, so you can simply create a listing for whatever website you want to sell. (You can also sell domain names on Flippa, but this article focuses on websites and online businesses.)

As a general marketplace, Flippa includes listings in all price ranges. You can list and sell starter websites that haven’t made any money yet, all the way up to multi-million dollar online businesses.

There are two different types of listings at Flippa: auctions and classifieds. Sellers choose the type they want.

• Auctions: When a seller creates an auction listing, they’ll set a reserve price, which is the lowest price they’re willing to sell for. Buyers can place a bid, with the highest bidder winning the auction. If no bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, the site is not sold.
• Classifieds: A classified listing includes an asking price. Buyers can purchase the site for the asking price or make an offer. Sellers can accept or reject offers.

The biggest advantage that Flippa has over other marketplaces is the size of its audience. As the most popular marketplace, Flippa offers sellers access to more potential buyers, and buyers have more listings available.

Related reading: Investors Club vs. Flippa.

Motion Invest Overview

Motion Invest is a marketplace specializing in content-based websites, like blogs and niche sites. It has a much smaller audience than Flippa but is still very popular among buyers and sellers who work with content sites.

Unlike Flippa, Motion Invest has to approve each listing before it goes live on the site. They have a 10-step due diligence process that attempts to weed out fraud and scams by verifying traffic (using Google Analytics) and income. Sites that don’t make it through the approval process are not listed for sale on the marketplace.

As a result of the smaller audience, the exclusive focus on content sites, and the thorough approval process, Motion Invest has fewer listings than Flippa. However, Motion Invest is a very active marketplace with plenty to offer.

The listings at Motion Invest use a Dutch Auction. The asking price drops slightly every few days until it reaches the reserve price, and it stays at this price as long as the listing is live.

The Dutch Auction allows sellers to earn the most money if the site sells quickly while encouraging buyers to act before other buyers become involved.

Sellers can ensure that the price never drops below what they’re willing to accept.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Now, let’s look at the details of each platform and see how they compare in key areas.

1. Types of Listings

Just about any type of website or online business can be listed for sale at Flippa. Of course, they have a few restrictions (you can’t sell sites involved in anything illegal, containing adult content, or promoting the sale of weapons), but in general, Flippa is open to almost any website.

Motion Invest takes a more specialized approach, as only content-based websites (like blogs and niche websites) can be listed. This excludes business models like e-commerce, SaaS, services, and others. However, this approach makes Motion Invest an ideal option for those interested in content sites.

2. Number of Listings

As the largest and most popular marketplace in the industry, Flippa has more than 1,000 active listings at any given time. New listings are constantly added, and there’s always plenty of selection.

However, the quantity of listings can also be a drawback for buyers and sellers. Buyers must browse or filter through many listings to find what they’re looking for. In fact, buyers might completely miss an opportunity because it’s impossible to see everything at Flippa.

Sellers can also have a harder time standing out and getting exposure on Flippa because there’s so much competition. You can choose a listing package that provides additional exposure, but the listing fees may be too high for smaller websites.

There are usually about 70-100 active listings at Motion Invest. The smaller selection makes it easy for buyers to browse all the listings and ensures sellers that their listings won’t get buried too quickly.

Overall, I find the quantity of listings at Motion Invest to be just right for buyers and sellers. There’s enough activity that you can find plenty of opportunities, but not too much that it’s difficult to manage.

3. Quality of Listings

The quality of listings at Flippa varies drastically. You’ll find some very high-quality, highly profitable, and successful businesses. But you’ll also find many starter sites and projects that haven’t made any money yet.

Unfortunately, Flippa has developed a reputation for hosting a lot of low-quality listings. The volume of low-quality listings often makes it more challenging to find good opportunities.

Motion Invest also allows sellers to list starter sites and those that have made little-to-no money yet. However, every listing must pass through their verification process first (more on that in a minute), which allows them to manage the overall quality of listings.

While you’ll find some established and higher-priced websites on Motion Invest, the selection of these listings is limited.

Overall, I’d rate these two platforms as being about even in terms of quality listings. The lower-priced listings at Motion Invest tend to be of higher quality than the lower-priced listings at Flippa due to Motion Invest’s verification and vetting process. But Flippa offers much more on the high-end, so it just depends on what you’re looking for.

4. Price Range

As a general marketplace open to all kinds of listings, you’ll find sites in all price ranges listed for sale at Flippa. There are starter sites priced below $1,000 and established businesses listed for seven figures and more.

The listings at Motion Invest are mostly below $50,000. You’ll find some six-figure listings, but not very many of them.

In general, Motion Invest is ideal for transactions below $50,000, while Flippa could be suitable for large or small deals and everything in between.

5. Vetting of Sellers and Listings

Flippa does not verify the traffic and revenue details of sites listed below $250,000. They do verify the details for higher-priced listings.

Motion Invest verifies the traffic and income for every listing, regardless of size. Even sites priced at $10,000 on Motion Invest have been verified.

This is an important issue for both buyers and sellers. Obviously, Motion Invest’s verification process helps to protect buyers, but it’s also beneficial for sellers. Increased buyer confidence improves the chance of a listing selling and may decrease the effort needed later for due diligence. As a result, this is a significant advantage for Motion Invest.

6. Seller Privacy

By default, Flippa listings display the URL of the website that’s for sale. That means anyone can see your site, plus whatever traffic and income details are in the listing.

Flippa does give the option for a private listing, but it costs an extra $199. If the seller chooses to have a private listing, buyers must sign and submit a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before seeing the URL and other sensitive details.

The website URL is not in the public listings at Motion Invest. However, any buyer who creates a free account and logins in can see the URL. So, while the URL isn’t publicly displayed, there’s little protection.

In summary, Motion Invest provides more privacy for sellers by default (and at no cost), but Flippa provides stronger privacy options for sellers willing to pay an additional $199.

7. Fee Structure

Fees are a major factor in the decision for many sellers. Flippa‘s fee structure is complex and confusing because there are several different fees and many options.

Sellers must pay a listing fee that varies from $49 to $599, depending on the chosen package. This fee must be paid to list on Flippa, and it’s non-refundable, even if the site doesn’t sell.

Flippa also charges a success fee, which is a percentage of the sale price. Sellers only pay the success fee if the site is successfully sold. The success fee varies depending on the selling price:

• Selling price under $50,000 – 10% success fee
• $50,000 to $100,000 – 8% success fee
• $100,000 to $250,000 – 6% success fee

Flippa also offers a brokered service for listings above $250,000. This service involves a success fee plus a monthly fee, and both fees vary based on the listing/selling price.

There are also some optional upgrades for sellers:

• A private listing with signed NDAs from potential buyers – $199
• Legal document templates – $199

Flippa also has some optional buyer fees, which are covered in the next section.

Thankfully, Motion Invest‘s fee structure is more straightforward than Flippa’s. They do not charge listing fees, buyer fees, or offer optional add-ons. The only fees from Motion Invest are the success fees, which the seller pays if the site sells.

• Selling price under $20,000 – 20% success fee
• $20,000 to $50,000 – 15% success fee
• $50,000 to $100,000 – 10% success fee
• $100,000 to $500,000 – 7% success fee
• Over $500,000 – 5% success fee

As you can see, Motion Invest’s success fees are higher than Flippa’s, but they do not charge a listing fee, so sellers pay nothing if the site doesn’t sell. Also, Motion Invest does not charge extra for a private listing or legal document templates. In the “Features and Services” section below, you’ll find more advantages of Motion Invest over Flippa.

8. First Access

In 2023, Flippa announced a new optional subscription for buyers called “First Access.” For $99 per month, subscribers get access to new listings 21 days before non-paying users.

While it’s optional, most of the best deals will be scooped up within the first 21 days. So, if you want to find quality opportunities on Flippa, paying $99 monthly is almost necessary. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time browsing listings already passed over by the First Access subscribers.

I don’t like the First Access program because I believe it hurts sellers. Buyers at least get value for the extra money they pay, but sellers don’t see any benefit from the program. Instead, the First Access program significantly reduces listings’ exposure for a full three weeks, while sellers still pay the same listing and success fees.

Motion Invest does not have anything equivalent to the First Access program. All buyers and sellers are on the same footing when a listing goes live on the site.

9. Features and Services

The standard listing fee at Flippa allows it to be published on the marketplace, but other features and services require additional fees. For example, you can pay more to get additional reach with your listing (so more people will see it). You can also add on privacy or legal document templates.

Motion Invest includes some features and services at no additional cost:

• Valuation: Motion Invest’s team helps to determine how much your site is worth and an appropriate list price.
• Due diligence: Each site goes through a 10-step verification or due diligence process.
• Listing creation: Motion Invest’s team creates the listing for sellers. This saves time and ensures that the listing attracts attention from potential buyers.
• Legal documents: Motion Invest allows buyers and sellers to use their standard legal documents at no additional cost.
• Escrow: Motion Invest provides an escrow service for each transaction at no additional cost.
• Site transfer: Motion Invest’s team helps with the site transfer or migration to complete the sale.

Flippa does not offer assistance with site transfers and migrations. Buyers and sellers must work out these details on their own. Flippa doesn’t provide escrow services. They offer discounted rates for Escrow.com, which comes as an additional charge for buyers.

Although Motion Invest’s success fees are higher than Flippa’s, the extra services included (plus the lack of a listing fee) help offset the difference.

10. Exclusivity

Most online business brokers and marketplaces require exclusivity, which restricts sellers from trying to sell their sites on multiple platforms at the same time.

Flippa requires exclusivity as long as the listing is live. Whenever the listing is removed, the seller can list it or try selling it elsewhere.

Motion Invest requires a one-month exclusivity agreement for all listings, which is shorter than most other marketplaces.

Motion Invest Advantages

• Better for First-Time Buyers and Sellers: Motion Invest is an excellent option for those who haven’t bought or sold a site before due to the vetting process and the focus on lower-priced sites.
• Better for Sites Priced Under $100,000: Although Motion Invest includes some listings for larger deals, it thrives on smaller sites/deals.
• Focus on Content Websites: This is an advantage for buyers and sellers who work with content sites but a disadvantage for others.
• Manageable Number of Listings: Listings don’t get buried under thousands of other listings, which offers advantages to buyers and sellers.
• Vetting and Verification: Motion Invest verifies the traffic and revenue of every listing, while Flippa only verifies listings over $250,000.
• Simple Fee Structure: Motion Invest only charges a success fee. The fees are simple and easy to understand.
• No Listing Fee: Motion Invest doesn’t collect any fee unless the site sells.
• Equal Playing Field for Buyers: All buyers can access all listings immediately, which is good for buyers and sellers, while Flippa’s First Access program restricts a listing’s exposure for 21 days.
• Services: Motion Invest provides free escrow and site transfer services for every transaction.
• Legal Documents: Motion Invest provides free legal documents, while Flippa charges extra for them.

Flippa Advantages

• Larger Audience: Flippa is the largest and most popular website marketplace.
• Open Platform: You can buy or sell just about any type of website or online business on Flippa. Additionally, listings don’t have to go through an in-depth approval process.
• Price Range: Motion Invest is mainly for smaller deals. Flippa offers listings in all price ranges.
• Lower Success Fees: Flippa’s success fees are lower than Motion Invest.
• Website Broker Service for Larger Deals: Managed by Flippa is a brokered service that provides many benefits to sellers.

Flippa vs. Motion Invest: Final Verdict

Motion Invest is the better option for buying or selling content-based websites below $100,000. Although the audience is smaller than Flippa’s, Motion Invest has a very active community with plenty of buyers and sellers in this range. Additionally, the added services (due diligence, escrow, and site transfer) benefit buyers and sellers alike.

Flippa is more suitable than Motion Invest for deals above $100,000 and for buying or selling e-commerce, SaaS, and other online businesses aside from just content sites.

However, there are also plenty of other options worth exploring, like Quiet Light Brokerage, Empire Flippers, and Investors Club.