Comparison
VillageHub vs PHPNuxBill
Updated 19 October 2026 · VillageHub
Short answer
Choose PHPNuxBill if you are comfortable running your own Linux server and want free, open-source hotspot and PPPoE billing you fully control; choose VillageHub if you would rather pay a small monthly fee and have hosting, updates, payment integrations and support handled for you. PHPNuxBill is GPL-licensed, supports MikroTik hotspot and PPPoE with FreeRADIUS, and adds payment gateways such as M-Pesa and Paystack through plugins. VillageHub is a cloud service costing KES 500 a month or 3% of collections in Kenya, whichever is higher, with a 30-day free trial.
| VillageHub | PHPNuxBill | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Cloud SaaS | Self-hosted (PHP 8.2+ and MySQL on Linux or Windows; Docker image available) |
| Starting price | KES 500/mo in Kenya; USD 8/mo where no local floor applies | Free; you pay for your own server |
| Pricing model | Hotspot: monthly floor or 3% of collections, whichever is higher. PPPoE: per active client | No licence fee; optional paid technical support from USD 50 (Rp 500.000) |
| Free trial | 30 days, no setup fees | Not needed, it is free |
| MikroTik hotspot | Yes, one-click provisioning | Yes, multiple MikroTik routers, vouchers, FreeRADIUS |
| PPPoE billing | Yes, with reminders, grace period and automatic cut-off/reconnect | Yes, with balances and automatic renewal |
| M-Pesa / mobile money | M-Pesa Daraja, Kopo Kopo, Paystack, Hubtel, ClickPesa, AzamPay and more built in, paid into your own accounts | Via plugins, including M-Pesa, Paystack, Flutterwave, bKash, Xendit, PayPal and others |
| Captive portal customisation | 11 designs, 12 colour themes, English and Kiswahili, every text editable, per-router look | MikroTik login template and captive-portal plugin; themes supported |
| Mobile apps | Android agent app and white-label Android customer app | Android Bluetooth printer client; customer area is web-based |
| Support | Vendor support included with the subscription | Free community help (GitHub Discussions, Telegram); paid support from the author |
| Open source | No | Yes, GPL-2.0 or later |
Checked 19 Oct 2026 from the PHPNuxBill GitHub repository and plugin repositories, and VillageHub’s pricing page.
What PHPNuxBill is
PHPNuxBill is an open-source PHP billing system for MikroTik, maintained by its author ibnux under the hotspotbilling organisation on GitHub and licensed GPL-2.0 or later. It generates and prints vouchers, manages multiple routers, supports hotspot and PPPoE, integrates with FreeRADIUS, offers customer self-registration with balances and automatic renewal, and sends WhatsApp and Telegram notifications.
Payment gateways are installed as plugins from its Plugin Manager. Published plugins include M-Pesa, Paystack, Flutterwave, bKash, Xendit, Tripay, Duitku, PayPal and Thawani. The software is free with no warranty; the author sells technical support separately.
What VillageHub is
VillageHub is cloud ISP billing for African operators running MikroTik or TP-Link Omada. There is no server to set up: you connect your router with one-click provisioning, add your own payment keys, and start selling hotspot and PPPoE packages through a branded captive portal.
Self-hosted vs cloud: what you take on
With PHPNuxBill you own the whole stack. You choose the server, keep the data, and can change the code. You are also responsible for installing PHP and MySQL, cron jobs, backups, security updates, SSL, uptime and connecting routers to your server.
With VillageHub those jobs are handled for you in exchange for a monthly fee, and the payment, SMS and WhatsApp integrations are already built and maintained.
When PHPNuxBill is the better choice
- You want no monthly software fee and are happy to pay only for hosting.
- You want full control of your data and server, including running it on your own hardware or even a Raspberry Pi.
- You want open-source code you can audit, modify or extend with your own plugins.
- You or your team are confident with Linux, PHP, MySQL and FreeRADIUS.
- You need a gateway that has a PHPNuxBill plugin but is not in VillageHub’s list, for example bKash or Xendit.
When VillageHub is the better choice
- You do not want to run, secure and back up a server.
- You want East and West African gateways such as M-Pesa, Kopo Kopo, MegaPay, Hubtel, ClickPesa, AzamPay, Snippe and PalmPesa built in and maintained.
- You want a polished, editable captive portal in English and Kiswahili with phone-number login and remember-me.
- You want support included rather than paying per issue.
- You sell through agents and want an Android agent app with QR sales, or a white-label Android app for customers.
- You want extras like night and weekend packages, discounts, outage credits, loyalty points, referrals and multi-WAN failover monitoring.
How to decide
- 1Count the server cost and timeAdd up VPS hosting, your hours for updates and backups, and any paid support you would buy for PHPNuxBill.
- 2Compare to VillageHub’s feeIn Kenya that is KES 500 a month or 3% of collections, whichever is higher. Elsewhere it is a local floor or USD 8.
- 3Test bothPHPNuxBill has a Docker image for quick testing, and VillageHub has a 30-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Is PHPNuxBill free?+
Yes. PHPNuxBill is free and open source under GPL-2.0 or later. You pay for your own server, and paid technical support is available from the author starting at USD 50 or Rp 500.000.
Does PHPNuxBill support M-Pesa?+
Yes, through a separate M-Pesa payment gateway plugin published in the hotspotbilling GitHub organisation. You install and configure it yourself.
Does PHPNuxBill support PPPoE?+
Yes. Its README lists both hotspot and PPPoE, with FreeRADIUS integration.
Is VillageHub open source?+
No. VillageHub is a hosted commercial service. Your payments still go straight into your own merchant accounts.
Can I move from PHPNuxBill to VillageHub?+
Yes. Start the 30-day trial, connect one router, recreate your plans, add your payment keys, then move the remaining sites.
Try VillageHub free for 30 days
Connect a MikroTik, add your payment details and sell your first package. No credit card, no setup fees.