FE International vs Quiet Light
Which advisor-led shop for online-business deal flow?
FE International
A technology M&A advisory founded in 2010 that built its name brokering SaaS, e-commerce, and content businesses; it runs advisor-led sale processes with browsable buyer listings, cites over 1,500 completed transactions, and has moved progressively upmarket toward middle-market deals while publishing some of the category's most-referenced valuation methodology.
Success fee · Seller-paid success fees; fee schedules are not published (feinternational.com, July 2026). Free for buyers to browse and inquire, with vetting in the process.
- A 15-year track record in online-business M&A with advisor-run, vetted processes
- Listing quality and preparation generally run above open-marketplace standards
- Its published valuation methodology (especially for SaaS) is canonical reading even for non-clients
- Progressively upmarket: much of its current flow sits above first-time searcher budgets
- Seller-side advisor, so processes and packaging favor the seller
- Track-record and success-rate figures are the firm's own
Verified Jul 12, 2026 · Full review →
Quiet Light
An advisor-led brokerage for online businesses (ecommerce, SaaS, content, Amazon) whose advisors are former founders and acquirers; listings come with detailed interview-based packages, and the firm handles mid six to eight figure exits.
Success fee · No listing fee, and buyers pay no direct fee. The firm does not publish a rate card; broker-review roundups (2025 to 2026) consistently report seller commissions starting near 10% under $1M and sliding to roughly 3% at $7M and above. Treat those figures as directional and confirm in the engagement letter.
- Advisors are former founders and acquirers, so listing packages tend to be substantive rather than templated
- No listing fee and a commission structure that review roundups place at or below industry norms
- Long operating history in online-business brokerage with consistent third-party regard
- No published rate card; commission figures circulate only through third-party roundups
- Advisor-led model means less self-serve browsing than marketplace-style platforms
- Online-business inventory rarely fits SBA-financed, Main Street theses
Verified Jul 11, 2026 · Full review →
Our take
Choose FE International for process polish and its canonical valuation methodology, accepting that much of its flow now prices above first-acquisition budgets.
Choose Quiet Light for founder-experienced advisors and listings that stay closer to searcher size; watch both, since the overlap is smaller than the category suggests.