Cortex AutoBill vs Radius Manager — automation vs a legacy license
Radius Manager is a one-time-license billing tool built in the early broadband era. It has no M-Pesa support, no local SMS provider, and relies on community forums for help. Cortex AutoBill is a modern SaaS platform built specifically for Kenyan ISPs — automated billing, real-time MikroTik sync, and native M-Pesa from day one.
Why Kenyan ISPs Choose Cortex
Fully automated billing
Cortex auto-renews subscriptions, triggers M-Pesa STK push, handles grace periods, and suspends/reactivates via MikroTik — zero manual work. Radius Manager requires someone to hit buttons.
M-Pesa & SMS built in
Radius Manager has zero native payment processing for Kenya. Cortex has M-Pesa STK Push, C2B paybill reconciliation, and Africa's Talking SMS — no extra plugins or monthly fees.
SaaS — always up to date
Radius Manager is a one-time purchase with paid upgrades and community forum support. Cortex is SaaS — new features ship continuously and support answers in hours, not forum threads.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Every row that matters to a Kenyan ISP.
| Feature | You are hereCortex | Radius Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Native M-Pesa STK Push & C2B | ||
| Africa's Talking SMS | ||
| MikroTik PPPoE Automation | ||
| Grace Period Engine | ||
| Credit Balance & Overpayment Handling | ||
| Stuck Payment Auto-correction | ||
| Bulk SMS Campaigns | ||
| Full Audit Logging | ||
| Multi-tenancy | ||
| Auto-renewal & Billing Engine | ||
| Modern UI / UX | ||
| Ongoing updates | ||
| Support channel | Direct (EAT) | Community forum |
| Setup time | Days | Weeks |
Pricing comparison
Cortex AutoBill
From KES 15 / client / month
No upfront cost — pay only for active subscribers
- KES pricing — no USD exchange risk
- Native M-Pesa & MikroTik included
- EAT business-hours support
Radius Manager
$200–400 one-time license
Converted to KES at current rates
- USD billing — exchange rate risk
- M-Pesa requires extra integration
- Support in EU / US time zones
Our honest verdict
Radius Manager made sense in 2008 when billing software was desktop and broadband was new. In 2026, your subscribers pay via M-Pesa, your routers are MikroTik, and your team expects a web dashboard that works on mobile. Cortex AutoBill was built for exactly that reality. If you're still on Radius Manager, you're spending hours on manual work that Cortex handles automatically — for less money per client per month.