Billing software forms the commercial backbone of any ISP. The right choice streamlines operations, reduces support burden, and improves customer experience. The wrong choice creates friction at every customer touchpoint.
Key Evaluation Criteria
Before comparing options, clarify your requirements. How many subscribers will the system manage? What payment methods must you support? Do you need radius integration for authentication? Will you offer prepaid services, postpaid, or both? Honest answers prevent evaluation scope from expanding indefinitely.
WHMCS: The Established Choice
WHMCS dominates the hosting and ISP billing market. Its strengths include extensive module ecosystems, broad radius integration options, and widespread developer familiarity. Most integration scenarios have existing solutions.
The downsides? WHMCS wasn't designed specifically for ISPs, so some workflows feel awkward. Heavy customization often becomes necessary. Licensing costs scale with customer count, becoming expensive at volume.
Splynx: Purpose-Built for ISPs
Splynx targets ISP operations specifically. It handles radius authentication, bandwidth management, and network provisioning natively. The interface reflects ISP workflows rather than web hosting assumptions.
Splynx particularly suits providers running Mikrotik equipment, offering deep integration. Its per-subscriber licensing makes costs predictable but can exceed WHMCS for smaller deployments.
Alternative Considerations
Emerging platforms like Sonar and VISP offer fresh approaches, often cloud-native. Open-source options exist but typically require significant development investment to achieve production readiness.
Consider also your technical team's capabilities. A theoretically superior platform that nobody understands creates more problems than a familiar tool with known limitations.
Migration Realities
Switching billing platforms mid-operation is massively disruptive. Customer data migration, payment method re-authorization, and staff retraining consume months. Choose carefully the first time—your initial selection may remain for years longer than anticipated.