When buying an online business, you will be utilizing a portion of your net worth and time on the deal. It’s mission-critical to ensure you are buying the right asset that will remain stable in the worst-case and has room for growth.
That’s where due diligence firms come into play, and two of the major M&A agencies in this space are Centurica and WebAcquisition.
In this comparison, we break down WebAcquisition vs Centurica due diligence services to find out which is better in what situation.
Let’s get into it!
Overview of Centurica and WebAcquisition
As opposed to Flippa’s due diligence service, both Centurica, and WebAcquisition are unbiased due diligence service providers.
Both agencies offer online business review services where their team of experts reviews the technical aspects of the business a buyer wants to buy. Both parties represent the buy-side, i.e., the buyer in the transaction. They act in the best interests of the buyer.
Centurica Due Diligence Service
Since 2013, Centurica has been providing due diligence, buyer-side consulting, deal reviews, and more. They were one of the first firms in this space catering to the online business sector (e.g., eCommerce, SaaS, content).
Turnaround times for reports range from 21-30 days depending on various factors. They work closely with the buyer and broker representative to get all the information they need.
They have a team of experts that put together the reports, albeit it’s not clear on their site who does the work or their background.
WebAcquisition’s Due Diligence Service
WebAcquisition is a dedicated due diligence M&A service. We have a team of analysts that have deep expertise in running the businesses we are reviewing. Each of our analysts actively runs a portfolio of business one excess of 7 figures.
You are receiving world-class practitioners reviewing your deal as opposed to outsourced help just following standard procedures for putting together a report.
Buyers hire us to perform due diligence on an acquisition they want to make. We are paid for analysis and are not compensated by the closing of a deal (i.e., finder’s fee or commissions).
We are unbiased. We catch red flags that others miss.
For more details on our service, choose the specific business type:
Centurica Due Diligence vs WebAcquisition: Comparison
We performed a side-by-side comparison of these two platforms. We compared major factors like biases, team structure, pricing, and report structure.
| WebAcquisition | Centurica | |
|---|---|---|
| Biases | None. WebAcquisition does not broker or represent sellers | None. Centurica does not broker or represent sellers |
| Experience | 14 years | 10 years |
| Turnaround | 7-10 business days | 3-4 weeks |
| Analysts | Mushfiq Sarker David Holmes Luka Juretic Elliot Davidson More details here. | From the About page, it’s unclear who is doing the due diligence. Only the owner’s info is present. |
| Pricing | Transparent base pricing. $1,900+ depending on the complexity | No pricing on the website. The buyer has to fill out a form and then get on a discovery call. Pricing will be above $7,000. |
| Reports | Customized | Customized |
| Report Length | No limit | No limit |
| Follow-up Questions | Yes | Yes |
| Example Report | Content (view) Amazon FBA (view) | No samples |
| Quick Deal Review? | Yes | Yes |
| Financial Due Diligence | P&L and screenshot verification | P&L, screenshot, tax record verification, Quality of Earnings (QoE) report |
To summarize, here are the critical findings from the comparison:
- Pricing is not transparent on Centurica’s platform. The buyer has to fill out a form and go on a call to receive pricing.
- Centurica provides QOE reports, which is needed in some transactions (not all)
- WebAcquisition provides access to sample reports to check quality; Centurica does not
- Both agencies offer Quick Deal Review services
WebAcquisition Provides Upfront Pricing, Quick Turnaround, and Expert Team
WebAcquisition prides itself on high-quality, deep-dive reports that analyze every aspect of the online business.
Our team is made up of practitioners so we understand the buyer’s mindset and what they are looking for.
Our pricing is upfront (we provide a range) and we have quick turnarounds.
We catch red flags that others miss.
