Question 1

What is the best alternative to Safaricom in Kenya for bill payments?

Accepted Answer

For bill payments in Kenya, Kyanda Africa is a strong Safaricom alternative because it supports bill payments and utility settlements and also offers USSD. If you want a Kenya-focused wallet angle, Tusenti also supports bill payments and mobile money.

Question 2

What can I use instead of Safaricom for bulk payments and business payouts?

Accepted Answer

If you are replacing Safaricom mainly for payouts, Paystro is purpose-built for sending single or bulk payments to mobile money, tills, paybills, banks, utilities, and airtime, with reporting. For broader multi-country disbursements, Onafriq also supports collections and disbursements across mobile money and bank networks.

Question 3

Is Safaricom available outside Kenya, and what are the closest substitutes?

Accepted Answer

Safaricom primarily operates in Kenya, so outside the country you usually need a different provider. For mobile money-style payments across several markets, M-PESA operates in countries including Mozambique, Ghana, Egypt, Tanzania, DR Congo, and Lesotho, while Flutterwave targets pan-African payments in 30+ currencies.

Question 4

Which apps are like Safaricom for accepting payments online and in-store?

Accepted Answer

For online and in-store acceptance, Pesapal is a close match because it supports M-Pesa, card, and NFC payments across channels. Ipay Africa is another option, with payment processing for online and in-store payments across markets including Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, Tanzania, DR Congo, and Nigeria.

Question 5

Do any Safaricom alternatives support POS for merchants?

Accepted Answer

Yes, POS support is a key differentiator among Safaricom competitors. Pesapal supports POS and NFC payments, and Ipay Africa also lists POS among its capabilities for merchants in multiple African countries.

Question 6

What is a good Safaricom alternative for pan-African collections and disbursements?

Accepted Answer

For pan-African reach, Onafriq is designed for interoperable payments via one integration across mobile money and bank networks. HUB2 is another option, focused on routing mobile money payments across Francophone Africa via APIs.

Question 7

How does Safaricom pricing compare with alternatives?

Accepted Answer

Safaricom uses pay-as-you-go and subscription pricing, so costs depend on airtime, bundles, and the specific M-PESA or postpay tariffs you choose. Many alternatives price by payment rails and usage instead, for example Flutterwave charges businesses for gateway usage across cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and USSD, while Paystro centres pricing around business disbursements and reporting.

Top 49 Best Safaricom Alternatives & Competitors (2026)

Alternatives to Safaricom

Moov Africa

Equitel

Telecel

Tusenti

Paystro

Kyanda Africa

iPay Africa

M-PESA Africa

MaxiCash

Onafriq

Flutterwave

Pesapal

Momo

M-PESA

Pesha

Kopo Kopo

PawaPay

CodeLnPay

IntaSend

Flux

Popote Pay

Boya

Fingo Africa

Moov Africa Burki...

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