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I'm looking to build a service marketplace platform and need recommendations for the best services marketplace software.
Answers
The best service marketplace software depends on your goals, budget, and technical experience. Below is a list of top-rated platforms—both no-code and customizable dev options—for launching a service-based marketplace (like Airbnb, Thumbtack, TaskRabbit, etc.).
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No-Code / Low-Code Options
Great for non-technical founders or quick MVPs:
1. Sharetribe
• Best for: Service marketplaces
• Pros: Fully hosted, supports bookings, payments, reviews, and messaging
• Cons: Limited customization unless you upgrade to Sharetribe Flex (which requires some dev work)
• Pricing: Starts free (dev mode); paid plans from $99/month
2. Arcadier
• Best for: Multi-vendor marketplaces (products & services)
• Pros: Flexible, multilingual, appointment & booking support
• Cons: UI is less modern compared to others
• Pricing: Starts at $59/month
3. Marketplacer
• Best for: Scalable service & product marketplaces
• Pros: Enterprise-ready, highly customizable
• Cons: Expensive and better suited for larger teams
• Pricing: Custom/enterprise-level pricing
4. Kreezalid
• Best for: Beautiful, simple marketplaces
• Pros: Booking calendar, payment integration, review system
• Cons: Less flexibility for deep custom logic
• Pricing: Starts at $399/month
5. Bubble + Template
• Best for: Fully customizable no-code builds
• Pros: Drag-and-drop, can support complex workflows, payment, booking, chat, etc.
• Cons: Requires learning curve and more effort than plug-and-play tools
• Pricing: Free to start; hosting from $29/month
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Code-Based / Customizable Platforms
For teams with developers or long-term scale goals:
6. Sharetribe Flex
• Best for: Full customization with dev team
• Pros: API-first, scalable, full control of UX
• Cons: Requires coding
• Tech: Node.js, React, etc.
7. Near Me
• Best for: Niche marketplaces
• Pros: White-label, modern design, support for service & rental marketplaces
• Cons: Pricey and tailored for scaling
• Pricing: Custom pricing
8. Cocorico (Open Source)
• Best for: Advanced service marketplaces (like rentals, bookings)
• Pros: Free, fully featured (time-based bookings, messaging, payments)
• Cons: Requires PHP/Symfony knowledge
• Pricing: Free (self-hosted), or enterprise support available
9. CS-Cart Multi-Vendor
• Best for: Product & service marketplaces
• Pros: Mature platform, has vendor dashboards, bookings via add-ons
• Cons: More product-focused by default
• Pricing: Starts at $1,450 (one-time license)
If you need help in short listing the software based on your custom requirements, feel free to book a call.
Related Questions
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Freemium v.s. free trial for a marketplace?
It depends on a number of factors but I'd boil it down to two key things to start: 1) What is your real cost to provide a free plan or trial? 2) Who exactly is your customer and what are they used to paying and who and how do they pay today? When you say "online workforce marketplace" it sounds as though you're placing virtual workers. If that's the case, or if you're paying for the supply side of the marketplace, the question is how much can you subsidize demand? Depending on where you're at in the process, I'd also question how much you can learn about the viability of your marketplace by offering a free version, assuming again, that free is actually a real cost to you. I was part of a SaaS project that started charging people for early access based mostly on just a good landing page (we clearly stated they were pre-paying) and were amazed at the response. I've also run a SaaS product that offered free trials and realized that the support costs and hand-holding and selling required to convert from free trial to paid wasn't worth it, this despite the product's significant average ARR. You might be better off providing a "more information" sign-up form (to capture more leads) and let them ask for a free trial while only showing your paid options. I've been amazed at the lead capture potential from a simple "have questions? Click here and we'll contact you" This is all the generalized advice I can offer based on the limited information I have, but happy to dive-in further if you'd like on a call.TW
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When recording income for a marketplace startup, is it typical to use the gross transaction or just the fees collected per payment?
You usually only recognize the commissions as revenues and use the term "Gross Merchandise Value" (GMV) to describe the size of the marketplace (value of all transactions going through the site)BW
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When creating a marketplace, does it make more sense to focus on stimulating demand first or supply?
Focus on the more difficult side of the marketplace. For instance, if you think it'll be easier to get suppliers, then focus first on getting buyers - always be working on your toughest problem (aka your biggest risk). You'll find some great blogging on Marketplace and Platform topics here http://platformed.info (read the ebook too!)CM
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What is the best pricing (business model) to apply to a marketplace?
I like to separate your question into 2 sub-questions: #1 How do we determine which side to charge? #2 How much is the right amount to charge? On #1, my answer is that you can charge the side(s) for whom you add the most value. In your examples, Uber really solves a big problem for drivers, it's that they sit idle for a good part of the day, so are willing to pay a lot for new leads. (their alternative is no work) Consumers are charged more for the convenience of a private car but they are probably not so much willing to pay more for a taxi, even if they can hail one from their phones. For AirBnB, it's a mix, it's a way for landlords to monetize idle capacity which they are willing to pay for, but it's also a way for a renter to pay less than they would normally pay for a hotel. On #2 (how much), I like to triangulate a number of factors: - What's the maximum amount I can charge one side, while still being a good deal for them. - How much do I need to charge so that I can become profitable? (the economics are quite different if you charge 3% vs. 12%) - What are comparable services charging for substitutes/competitive offerings? I will just add that there is no formulaic way to determine pricing strategies (curated vs. open), and it's a lot more about what's the comparable and what the value delivered is. That's how I approached the question while deciding the business model at ProBueno.com (my startup)MR
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Broad niche or Targeted niche which way to go?
I always suggest going "uncomfortably narrow" initially so that you can really dial in the user experience and build liquidity first. Going broad will be tougher as there's too much noise to signal. Also, it's best to fake the supply side initially of you can to improve the buyers side first, then figure out supply & quality afterwards if customers are buying and you've proven out a demand strategy that will work.DM
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