ISP Billing Software in Kenya: A Practical 2026 Comparison
An honest comparison of ISP billing software options for Kenyan operators in 2026, covering Cortex AutoBill, Lipanet, ISPman, Qserve, and custom builds — with a focus on M-Pesa, MikroTik, and KES pricing.
Choosing billing software for a Kenyan ISP in 2026 means comparing several locally built platforms — not importing tools from Europe or the US. This guide gives an honest assessment of the realistic options for a Kenya-based operator: what each does well, where the gaps are, and what to look for beyond a marketing homepage.
What a Kenyan ISP billing system must do
- Accept M-Pesa payments natively (STK Push + C2B paybill) without a third-party plugin
- Automate MikroTik PPPoE subscriber management via the RouterOS API
- Send SMS notifications via a local provider (Africa's Talking preferred)
- Bill in Kenyan Shillings
- Handle grace periods, credit balance, and overpayments
- Provide EAT (East Africa Time) business-hours support
Option 1: Cortex AutoBill
Cortex AutoBill is built specifically for Kenyan PPPoE ISPs. M-Pesa STK Push, C2B paybill, MikroTik PPPoE automation, Africa's Talking SMS, grace periods, credit balance management, stuck-payment auto-correction, and multi-tenancy are native features. Pricing is in KES from KES 15/client/month, support runs on EAT.
Pricing: from KES 15/client/month
Option 2: Lipanet
Lipanet is a widely marketed Kenyan ISP platform with M-Pesa paybill/till integration, MikroTik sync, RADIUS authentication, and hotspot portal support. It targets ISPs that need both PPPoE and hotspot billing in one system. Pricing is tiered — contact for a quote.
Option 3: ISPman
ISPman (ispman.tech) is a Kenyan cloud platform with MikroTik management, M-Pesa STK Push, captive-portal hotspot billing, vouchers, and a mobile app. It offers a free tier for small operators (up to 5 PPPoE accounts) and pay-as-you-grow pricing: KES 515/month base plus KES 25 per active PPPoE account.
Option 4: Qserve
Qserve Billing offers flat monthly tiers with a free trial — KES 1,200/month for up to 100 subscribers. It covers MikroTik provisioning, M-Pesa STK Push, hotspot, and PPPoE. A practical entry point for smaller ISPs testing billing automation.
Option 5: Custom PHP Build
Many Kenyan ISPs that started early built their own PHP billing system — or hired a developer to do it. The result is usually a system that works for the current scale but becomes a liability as the ISP grows. M-Pesa integration requires Daraja API certification and maintenance, MikroTik automation requires RouterOS API expertise, and the system is only as maintainable as whoever built it.
Summary comparison
- Native M-Pesa STK Push: All local platforms support this
- MikroTik PPPoE: All local platforms support this
- Hotspot / captive portal: Lipanet ✅ | ISPman ✅ | Qserve ✅ | Cortex (roadmap)
- Stuck payment auto-correction: Cortex AutoBill ✅ | Others vary
- Credit balance management: Cortex AutoBill ✅ | Others partial
- Full audit logging: Cortex AutoBill ✅ | Others partial
Bottom line: Kenyan ISPs have several solid local options. Choose based on whether you need hotspot billing today, how deep your payment-reliability requirements are, and whether per-subscriber or flat-tier pricing fits your scale. Cortex AutoBill is strongest for PPPoE-focused operators who want the deepest M-Pesa automation and operational accountability.
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