TrustExits vs the marketplaces you already know
We read 579 public Trustpilot reviews of Flippa, Acquire.com, Empire Flippers and Dotmarket before building this platform. The comparison below is what that research taught us, and what we built differently.
| Dimension | TrustExits | Typical marketplace |
|---|---|---|
| How numbers are verified | Read-only API connections (Shopify payouts, Stripe, Search Console, GA4, ad accounts), cross-checked between sources, provenance shown on every figure | Mostly seller-declared, sometimes checked at listing time. Public reviews describe buying 'based on verified metrics' and discovering the truth at transfer |
| The $10k-50k bracket | Our home turf: curated starter deals with the same verification rigor as six-figure listings | Below most brokers' floors. Small sellers report being ghosted while subscriptions keep billing |
| Subscriptions | None. Ever. Browsing, offering and closing are free for buyers; sellers pay one success fee at closing | Buyer subscriptions up to $780/yr; seller reviews cite subscriptions that keep charging after cancellation requests |
| Transfer protection | Escrow.com milestones + Verified Transfer: the buyer reconnects the store read-only and we match it against the listing snapshot before funds release | Escrow at best. Reviews report missing ad accounts after closing and accounts frozen right after transfer |
| When it goes wrong | A published failure playbook: stage-by-stage walk-away rights, mismatch logging, dispute path | Happy-path documentation; buyers discover mid-dispute who is responsible for what |
Fees, side by side
| Platform | Seller fee | Buyer | Escrow | Listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrustExits | 5% founding, then 4% to 8% | $0 | Included, we pay it | Free at launch, Featured $99 |
| Flippa | 10% success fee | $0, Premium $49/mo | Paid by parties (from 1.2%) | $49 for $10-50k, +$199 NDA |
| Empire Flippers | 15% under $700k, min $10,000 | $0 | Included | Free, exclusivity required |
| Acquire.com | 6% to 8% | $390 to $780/yr | Included | $25 to $100/mo |
| dotmarket.eu | 6% (12% to 6% M&A) | 288-792 EUR/yr sub + 10% | External lawyers (CARPA) | Free, 91% rejected |
Competitor terms as published July 2026, check their sites for current rates.