Cortex AutoBill vs ISPman — payment depth with hotspot included
ISPman is a capable Kenyan ISP platform with MikroTik management, M-Pesa STK Push, captive-portal hotspot billing, vouchers, and a mobile app. Cortex AutoBill covers PPPoE and hotspot with deeper payment reliability — stuck-payment recovery, credit balances, grace periods, and a full audit trail — backed by Africa's Talking SMS.
Why Kenyan ISPs Choose Cortex
Stuck Payment Auto-correction
When a Daraja callback is lost but the subscriber paid, Cortex queries the M-Pesa transaction status API and reconciles automatically — revenue is never left in limbo for manual follow-up.
Credit Balance & Grace Periods
Overpayments carry forward as credit and apply automatically on renewal, while a configurable grace-period engine reduces involuntary churn before suspension fires.
Full Audit Logging
Every admin action is recorded immutably for accountability and dispute resolution — important as your team and subscriber base grow.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Every row that matters to a Kenyan ISP.
| Feature | You are hereCortex | ISPman |
|---|---|---|
| Native M-Pesa STK Push & C2B | ||
| MikroTik PPPoE Automation | ||
| RADIUS Authentication | ||
| Hotspot / Captive Portal Billing | ||
| Vouchers & Promo Codes | ||
| Africa's Talking SMS | ||
| Grace Period Engine | ||
| Credit Balance & Overpayment Handling | ||
| Stuck Payment Auto-correction | ||
| Bulk SMS Campaigns | ||
| Full Audit Logging | ||
| Multi-tenancy / Multi-site | ||
| Free tier | Demo | Free tier |
| Pricing currency | KES | KES |
Pricing comparison
Cortex AutoBill
From KES 15 / client · Hotspot 5%
PPPoE per subscriber · hotspot 5% of collections
- KES pricing — PPPoE + 5% hotspot · no USD risk
- Native M-Pesa & MikroTik included
- EAT business-hours support
ISPman
KES 25 / PPPoE + KES 515 base + 3% hotspot
Per their published pricing
- See feature table for capability gaps
- Pricing model differs — check their site
- Payment reliability features vary
Our honest verdict
ISPman is a strong fit for retail WISPs that need vouchers, promo codes, and a free tier to get started. Choose Cortex AutoBill if you want PPPoE and hotspot with the deepest payment reliability — stuck-payment recovery, credit balance handling, grace periods, and a full audit trail — with native Africa's Talking SMS and a clear 5% hotspot fee.