BlueThrone vs Flippa: Where Should You Sell Your App in 2026?
Short answer: Flippa is a marketplace: you list, buyers bid, and Flippa charges a listing package plus a 5% to 10% success fee. BlueThrone is a direct buyer: one valuation in 10 business days, one offer, a deal in about 20 days, no public listing. Pick Flippa for small apps or an open auction. Pick a direct buyer when your app makes real money and you want speed, privacy and certainty.
BlueThrone or Flippa? Flippa is a marketplace: you list your app, buyers bid, and Flippa takes a success fee when it sells. BlueThrone is a direct buyer: one company looks at your app, makes one offer, and pays you. Flippa wins on reach and on small apps. A direct buyer wins on speed, privacy and certainty once your app makes real money.
Full disclosure: we're BlueThrone, so we're one of the two names in the title. That's exactly why we'll tell you when Flippa is the better call.
BlueThrone vs Flippa at a glance
| Flippa | BlueThrone | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Online marketplace for buying and selling online businesses, apps included | App acquisition company that buys and grows iOS and Android apps |
| Who buys your app | Whoever bids: individuals, funds, studios (Flippa says 1.9M+ registered buyers) | BlueThrone itself |
| Cost to sell | Listing package ($29 to $699 self-service, or $399 to $1,499 with a Flippa broker) plus a 5% to 10% success fee, depending on sale price and package | No listing, no auction, no broker in the middle |
| Payment | FlippaPay (from 1%) or Escrow.com (from 1.2%) | Direct transfer after signing |
| Time to close | Flippa's own averages: ~15 days under $50k, ~49 days for $50k to $250k, ~73 days above $250k | ~20 days from first call: valuation in 10 business days, offer by day 18, signing around day 20 |
| Privacy | Public listing; NDA-gated listing costs $199 extra or comes with Premium | Private by default, no public listing |
| Best for | Small apps and side projects, sellers who want an open auction, partial sales from 25% | Profitable apps with real MRR (think $50k+ a month) whose founders want speed and one clean deal |
| After the sale | Depends on the buyer | Direct exit (we take over growth, support and operations) or a partnership where you stay involved |
Flippa prices and timelines from flippa.com/pricing, checked 23 Oct 2026. They change, so confirm your exact success fee in writing before you list.
When Flippa is the better choice
We'd rather lose a deal than win a bad one, so here it is straight:
- Your app is small. Under a few thousand dollars a month, a marketplace is usually the fastest route to a buyer. Flippa says most deals under $50k close in about 15 days.
- You want an auction. If your app is hot and you want buyers competing on price, an open marketplace can push the number up. That's Flippa's main strength.
- Your app isn't the kind of app we buy. We look for revenue, organic rankings and a real user base. If that's not you yet, Flippa's buyer pool is wider.
- You want to sell only part of it. Flippa supports partial sales from 25%.
When a direct buyer like BlueThrone is the better choice
- Your app makes real money. On a $1M sale, a 5% to 10% success fee is $50,000 to $100,000. That's the line item that matters, not the listing fee.
- You need it done, not "live". A listing can sit for weeks, renew, and drag. Above $250k, Flippa's own average is about 73 days. Our process is built around ~20 days.
- You don't want your app in public. Competitors read marketplaces too. A direct sale never shows your numbers to the world.
- You want one counterpart, not fifty. Marketplaces bring tire-kickers. With a direct buyer you get one conversation, one valuation, one offer.
- You're not sure you want to walk away. With us you can choose a direct exit or a partnership where you keep building and we bring growth, monetization and user acquisition.
Tough love: a marketplace doesn't sell your app. It shows your app. If your MRR is real and your time is worth something, "list it and see" is not a strategy. Get a real number first, then decide where to sell.
What it really costs: a worked example
Say your subscription app nets $25,000 a month and sells for 3x yearly profit with a 40% margin. That's $120,000 profit a year and a price of about $360,000.
- On Flippa: a success fee of 5% to 10% is $18,000 to $36,000, plus the listing or broker package, plus escrow from 1% (about $3,600). Expect around 73 days on average at this size.
- With a direct buyer: no listing or success fee to a marketplace. You still need to compare the offer itself, because the price is what matters most.
The honest takeaway: don't compare fees alone. Compare net cash in your pocket, time to cash, and how sure the deal is.
Watch: "How to Sell Your App (Flippa vs BlueThrone)"
Steve P. Young of App Masters compared both routes on his channel. Watch it on YouTube →
FAQ
Is BlueThrone better than Flippa?
It depends on your app. Flippa is better for small apps and for sellers who want an open auction. BlueThrone is better for profitable apps whose founders want a private, fast deal with one buyer and no marketplace fees.
How much does Flippa charge to sell an app?
A listing package ($29 to $699 self-service, $399 to $1,499 with a broker) plus a success fee of 5% to 10% of the sale price, depending on the price band and package, plus escrow from 1%. Check flippa.com/pricing for the current numbers.
How long does it take to sell an app on Flippa?
Flippa's own averages are about 15 days for deals under $50k, about 49 days for $50k to $250k, and about 73 days above $250k, counted from when the listing goes live.
Can I get a valuation before choosing?
Yes. Use our free app valuation calculator for a range in 30 seconds, or tell us about your app and get a data-backed valuation in 10 business days. Then compare it with what the market offers.
Want to know what your app is worth before you list it anywhere? See what we'd pay in 30 seconds →
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