The short answer
Mobile money integration means your customers pay you with MTN MoMo, Airtel Money or a card directly on your site or app, and the payment is confirmed automatically. No screenshots of transactions, no manual checking, no chasing. For any Ugandan business selling online, it is the difference between an order and an abandoned cart.
Most businesses go live fastest through a payment aggregator (Pesapal, Flutterwave or DPO), which accepts MTN, Airtel and cards through a single integration. Higher-volume businesses sometimes connect directly to the MTN MoMo or Airtel Money API for lower fees. We build both, and recommend the right one for your volume.
What we integrate
We connect the payment methods your customers actually use in East Africa.
- MTN Mobile Money — collections and payouts via aggregator or direct MoMo API.
- Airtel Money — collections and disbursements.
- Cards — Visa and Mastercard for local and diaspora customers.
- Aggregators — Pesapal, Flutterwave and DPO for one simple integration.
- Payouts & disbursements — send money to suppliers, agents or staff, not just collect.
We add these to online stores, mobile apps and custom platforms, whether we built them or not.
Aggregator vs direct API
This is the key decision, and it comes down to volume.
Aggregator (best for most)
One integration accepts MTN, Airtel and cards. Faster to launch, less paperwork, and the provider handles the messy parts. The trade-off is a slightly higher percentage per transaction. For most websites and stores, this is the right call.
Direct MoMo / Airtel API
Connecting straight to the MTN MoMo or Airtel Money API can reduce per-transaction fees at higher volumes and gives you more control. It takes more setup, testing and approval, so it pays off once your transaction volume is high enough to justify it. Our mobile money integration guide explains the technical side in more depth.
How the integration works
You do not need to understand the plumbing, but here is what we do so getting paid is reliable.
- Setup & accounts — we help you get the right merchant or developer accounts approved.
- Integration — we wire the payment flow into your checkout or app, in your name.
- Testing — we test real payment, failure and timeout cases so nothing surprises your customers.
- Reconciliation — payments match orders automatically, so your books stay clean.
- Go-live & support — we launch it and stay on hand if anything needs adjusting.
What it costs
There are two costs to separate: the one-off integration, and the ongoing per-transaction fee charged by the payment provider.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aggregator integration | Often bundled into the build | Pesapal / Flutterwave / DPO, one setup |
| Direct MoMo / Airtel API | Custom quote | More setup and approval; lower fees at scale |
| Provider transaction fee | A small % per payment | Charged by the payment provider, not us |
We quote the integration as a fixed price before we start, and tell you clearly what the provider’s transaction fees will be, so there are no surprises.
Choosing the right setup
Start with an aggregator and move to a direct API only when your volume makes the fee saving worth the extra work.
The wrong setup is the one that costs you sales at checkout or eats your margin in fees. We look at what you sell, your expected volume and your customers, then recommend the setup that gets you paid reliably at the lowest sensible cost. If you are building a new store, we cover payments as part of the e-commerce build.
Frequently asked questions
Can you add mobile money to my existing site?
Yes. We add mobile money and card payments to existing websites, stores and apps, not only new builds.
How long does integration take?
Through an aggregator, often a few days once accounts are approved. A direct MoMo or Airtel API integration takes longer due to approval and testing.
Which is cheaper, aggregator or direct?
Aggregators are cheaper to set up; direct APIs can be cheaper per transaction at high volume. We help you choose based on your numbers.