Kairos vs SMERGERS
SMERGERS covers every kind of business, everywhere. Kairos covers one kind, with proof. The right venue depends on what you are selling, and to whom.
SMERGERS is a global marketplace and network for buying and selling small and mid-size businesses across every industry, with a 1 percent finder fee at a 400 dollar minimum. Kairos Exchange does one thing instead: Shopify stores whose revenue is verified from read-only order data before the listing goes live. Broad reach on one side, order-level proof on the other.
Who SMERGERS is
SMERGERS runs a global business-for-sale and investor network covering companies, franchises, and advisors across many countries and industries. A basic profile is free, their finder fee is 1 percent of the deal amount with a 400 dollar minimum, and they require a verification step before a profile goes live.
The facts, in their words and ours
| Kairos | SMERGERS | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Verified-only marketplace for Shopify stores | Global marketplace and network for SMBs of every kind |
| Listing fee | Free to list | Free basic profile; paid plans exist, prices not published on their FAQ |
| Success fee | Only when the deal closes (rates on the pricing page) | 1 percent finder fee, 400 dollar minimum, per their FAQ |
| When the fee is due | At close, settled through escrow | On first payment received or signing of definitive agreements, whichever is earlier |
| Who verifies the numbers | Kairos, before listing: read-only order data, 8 checks, human review | Profile verification is mandatory, but the method is not published |
| Deal focus | Shopify stores with provable order data | Factories, hotels, retail, services, digital - every SMB category |
SMERGERS facts from their own published pages plus attributed public records, last reviewed 2026-07-19. Kairos rates live on the pricing page.
Which one fits your deal?
Choose Kairos if
- You are selling or buying a Shopify store with real revenue
- You want revenue checked against order data before anyone negotiates
- You want escrow and a deal room built into the process
- You would rather meet fewer, serious buyers than get broad exposure
Choose SMERGERS if
- You are selling a non-ecommerce business: services, manufacturing, hospitality
- You want reach across many countries, including India and the Gulf
- You value a large investor network over niche depth
- A 1 percent finder fee matters more to you than built-in verification
Where SMERGERS is the right call
Breadth and geography. If you are selling a restaurant chain, a factory, or a franchise, or you want investor reach across markets like India and the Gulf, a cross-industry network is the point. SMERGERS covers deal types Kairos will never touch, at a finder fee that stays low by design.
Where Kairos is the right call
A Shopify store whose numbers should be proven before anyone spends time on the deal. SMERGERS requires profile verification but does not publish what that verification checks. Kairos publishes exactly what its eight checks read - the store's own order ledger and ad accounts - and a listing that fails never becomes inventory.
The bottom line
For a factory, a franchise, or investor reach across many markets, SMERGERS' breadth is the point and the 1 percent finder fee is friendly. For a Shopify store where the numbers decide the price, breadth does not help you: order-level proof does. List where the verification matches the asset.
The people checking your store
Eight years, 200+ ecom brands, EUR 200M+ in tracked sales - and we read the source data every morning. When we say a number is real, it is because we read the source it came from - not the listing form.
ZenoX ad-management figures, not Kairos deal volume - Kairos hasn't closed a deal yet.
The short version
Numbers are cheap. Proof is rare.
One question decides every venue: who proved the numbers, and can you read what they found.
Buying a store somewhere else?
Kairos Due Diligence works on any deal - SMERGERS, Flippa, a private sale. A person reads the store's raw numbers and writes you a report. If the deal is bad, the report says walk away. From EUR 1.5k, no account needed.
Common questions
What does SMERGERS charge?
Their FAQ states a finder fee of 1 percent of the deal amount, or 400 dollars, whichever is higher, plus taxes - charged to the business owner when the first payment lands or definitive agreements are signed. Buyers and investors are not charged the finder fee. Check their current FAQ before listing; fees change.
Does SMERGERS verify a store's revenue?
They require a verification step before a profile activates, but their public pages do not say what it checks. That is not the same as no verification - it means you cannot know from the outside. For an ecommerce store, ask for order-level proof regardless of the platform's badge.
Is SMERGERS good for selling a Shopify store?
It reaches buyers a niche marketplace does not, especially outside the US and Europe. The trade-off is that an ecommerce store sits in a catalog next to every other business type, and the revenue proof is whatever you and the buyer arrange yourselves.
More comparisons
Last reviewed 2026-07-19.
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