Best ISP billing systems in Kenya (2026): an honest comparison

If you run a WISP or fibre network in Kenya, the billing system you choose shapes your margins, your support load, and how fast you can grow. The market is crowded — Jasiyo, Centipid, Lipanet, ISP Kenya, KiviPay and others all compete, several claiming to be number one. This is an honest look at how to choose, and where the main options fit.

What actually matters in an ISP billing system

Feature lists blur together. In practice, five things decide whether a platform earns its place:

• How you pay for it. A percentage of every transaction versus a flat monthly floor is the single biggest cost difference over a year.
• Who holds your money. Does settlement flow directly to your own till and bank, or through the vendor's account first?
• MikroTik and RADIUS depth. Multi-site management, live health, quotas and device limits — not just a login page.
• Payment coverage. M-Pesa STK Push is table stakes; support for AzamPay, Paystack and others matters the moment you cross a border.
• Support and reliability. When billing stops, your revenue stops. Response time is a feature, not an afterthought.

The pricing models, plainly

Most Kenyan platforms charge a commission on what you collect — commonly around 3% on hotspot revenue — or a per-subscriber fee. A few charge a flat monthly floor instead. The right choice depends on your volume: percentage models are cheap when you are small and expensive once you scale; flat floors are the opposite. Always model it against your real monthly collections before committing.

The main options

Jasiyo is the most visible brand in the category and ranks strongly for ISP-billing searches. Centipid is well established, with a public demo, a hardware shop and an active changelog. Lipanet, ISP Kenya and KiviPay each have their own following among hotspot and PPPoE operators. Pricing, gateway coverage and feature depth change often, so verify the current specifics with each vendor before you decide — treat any comparison, including this one, as a starting point rather than gospel.

Where VillageHub fits

VillageHub takes the bring-your-own-keys approach: you plug in your own gateway credentials, funds settle directly to you with no commission on the transactions, and you pay a flat monthly floor. It is multi-country by design — KES, TZS, UGX and GHS, with M-Pesa, AzamPay, Paystack and more — and adds AI tooling (churn signals, a bill explainer, a dispute assistant) that the rest of the category does not yet offer. Whether that trade — a flat fee plus AI, versus a small percentage — is cheaper for you comes down to your collections. Do the math on your own numbers.

A quick way to decide

• Small and just starting out? A percentage model may cost you less this year.
• Scaling, or crossing borders? A flat floor and direct settlement usually win.
• Care about retention and disputes? Weigh the platforms that actually automate them.

The honest answer is that there is no single best ISP billing system in Kenya — there is the one that is cheapest and least painful for your volume, your payment mix and the markets you serve. Model the cost against your real collections, trial two shortlisted options, and choose on evidence rather than a homepage badge.