A customer visits your website, chooses a product or service and decides to pay. Then they discover that your website does not accept their preferred payment method. Some will send a WhatsApp message asking for a mobile money number. Others will postpone the purchase but many will simply leave.
For Ugandan businesses, accepting online payments is not only about being able to accept Visa and Mastercard. In the local context, a suitable payment system must also accommodate customers who prefer MTN MoMo or Airtel Money. The right solution for you depends on what you sell, where your customers are located, how much you process and whether you need to receive only local payments or international payments as well.
This guide compares the main payment gateway options available to businesses operating in Uganda.
What Is a Payment Gateway?
A payment gateway allows customers to pay a business electronically through a website, app, online store or booking platform. Depending on the provider, customers may be able to pay using:
- MTN MoMo
- Airtel Money
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Bank transfer
- Other regional payment methods
The gateway securely communicates between the customer, payment provider and merchant so that the transaction can be authorised and recorded. Some platforms also provide payment links, invoicing, point-of-sale systems, refunds, recurring billing and bulk payouts.
Which Payment Gateway Is Best in Uganda?
There is no single provider that is best for every business. However, the following is a practical starting point:
| Business requirement | Suitable option to investigate |
|---|---|
| Local e-commerce website accepting mobile money and cards | Pesapal or Flutterwave |
| Tourism company receiving international card payments | Pesapal or Network International/DPO |
| Startup selling across several African countries | Flutterwave |
| Organisation collecting and sending mobile money payments | Onafriq or Yo! Payments |
| Large company requiring direct mobile money control | Direct MTN MoMo and Airtel Money APIs |
| Corporate organisation prioritising direct bank settlement | A bank-provided payment gateway |
Your final decision should be based on supported payment methods, transaction charges, settlement currencies, onboarding requirements and technical compatibility.
Payment providers can also change their products and terms. Before signing a contract, confirm that the company is appropriately licensed or authorised to provide the required payment service in Uganda. Bank of Uganda maintains information on licensed payment service providers and payment system operators.
1. Pesapal
Pesapal is one of the most practical options for Ugandan businesses that want to accept both mobile money and card payments through one provider. Its offering supports online payments through mobile money and cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Businesses can accept payments in Uganda shillings and US dollars, depending on their merchant arrangement.
Why Businesses Consider Pesapal
Pesapal provides both online and in-person payment products. This can be useful for businesses such as:
- Hotels and lodges
- Tour companies
- Restaurants
- Retail shops
- Training institutions
- E-commerce stores
- Professional service firms
A business can use Pesapal on its website while also using supported point-of-sale tools for payments made at a physical location. Pesapal’s Uganda retail offering covers online card and mobile payments as well as point-of-sale processing.
Pesapal also provides official extensions and integrations for widely used e-commerce platforms. Its published resources list support for tools such as WooCommerce, Shopify and Magento, although merchants should confirm which specific payment methods are available in Uganda before implementation.
Pesapal May Be Suitable When:
- Your website is built using WordPress and WooCommerce.
- You want mobile money and cards under one integration.
- You receive payments in both UGX and USD.
- You operate both online and from a physical location.
- You need a recognised East African payment provider.
Points to Confirm
Ask Pesapal about:
- Transaction charges
- Settlement periods
- Supported currencies
- Refund procedures
- Chargeback handling
- Required business documents
- Plugin compatibility
- Recurring-payment support
Do not assume that every feature shown on a regional website is automatically available to every Ugandan merchant account.
2. Flutterwave
Flutterwave is another strong option for businesses that need to accept digital payments in Uganda.
Flutterwave received a Payment Systems Operator licence from the Bank of Uganda in 2024, allowing it to provide payment services to registered and approved Ugandan businesses. Its Uganda offering includes payment collection as well as single and bulk payouts. Its technical documentation supports Uganda mobile money transactions in UGX through MTN and Airtel networks.
Why Businesses Consider Flutterwave
Flutterwave is especially attractive to technology companies, startups and businesses operating across several African markets.
It offers:
- Mobile money collection
- Card payment processing
- Payment APIs
- Payment links
- Single and bulk payouts
- Cross-border payment capabilities
Its developer documentation is extensive, making it an option worth considering for businesses building custom websites, apps or software platforms.
Flutterwave May Be Suitable When:
- Your business operates in more than one African country.
- You are building an app or custom platform.
- You need both collections and payouts.
- Your development team prefers a developer-focused API.
- You expect the payment system to grow with the business.
Points to Confirm
Before choosing Flutterwave, ask about:
- Uganda-specific transaction charges
- Settlement timelines
- International card processing
- Available settlement currencies
- Required merchant documents
- Reserve or risk requirements
- Supported plugins for your website platform
A technically impressive API does not automatically make a provider the best commercial option. Your finance and operations teams must also be comfortable with settlement, reporting and customer support.
3. Network International and DPO
DPO became widely known across Africa as a payment provider for tourism companies, airlines, hotels and businesses receiving international card payments. Network International acquired DPO Group, and businesses may encounter both names while researching or communicating about the service. This option is generally more relevant to established businesses that require strong international card-processing capabilities and multi-market payment infrastructure.
It May Be Suitable For:
- Tour operators
- Safari companies
- Hotels and lodges
- Airlines and travel businesses
- Companies selling expensive services
- Businesses receiving international customers
- Organisations that require sophisticated card-payment controls
Network International describes itself as a major digital-payments and merchant-services provider across the Middle East and Africa.
Points to Confirm
Because branding, contracts and regional product availability can change, ask the local team to clarify:
- The legal entity providing the service
- Whether onboarding is completed under DPO or Network International
- Supported card types
- Supported currencies
- Settlement options in Uganda
- Chargeback procedures
- Fraud-screening tools
- Integration requirements
Avoid describing it simply as “DPO rebranded to Network International.” The business relationship is more accurately understood in the context of Network International’s acquisition and integration of DPO.
4. Onafriq, Formerly MFS Africa
Onafriq is a pan-African payments network previously known as MFS Africa. It supports services including collections, disbursements, card issuing and connections to mobile wallets across African markets. The company has a presence in Uganda and positions its platform mainly around connecting enterprises, financial institutions, mobile operators and other large organisations. Its developer resources continue to reference Beyonic libraries and collection capabilities, reflecting the integration of Beyonic into the wider Onafriq network.
Onafriq May Be Suitable When:
- You need to collect from several African markets.
- You make frequent mobile money payouts.
- You pay staff, agents, suppliers or beneficiaries.
- You are an NGO or development organisation.
- You need an enterprise-level payments partner.
- Cross-border African payments are important.
Onafriq should not necessarily be presented as a direct alternative to a simple WooCommerce gateway. It is better positioned for organisations with more complex collection, disbursement and cross-border requirements.
5. Yo! Payments
Yo! Payments is a locally established Ugandan payments provider that is commonly associated with mobile money collections, disbursements and integrations. It may be worth investigating for:
- Schools
- Subscription platforms
- Utilities
- NGOs
- Membership organisations
- Institutions collecting regular payments
- Businesses making bulk mobile money payouts
Its strength is more closely connected to local mobile money use cases than to international card-heavy e-commerce.
Before recommending it, verify its current card support, platform integrations, onboarding requirements and commercial terms directly with the provider.
6. Direct MTN MoMo and Airtel Money API Integration
A business can also integrate directly with MTN MoMo and Airtel Money instead of using an aggregator.
MTN provides public API access for mobile money use cases such as collections, disbursements and remittances. MTN Uganda also states that service providers may connect either directly through its APIs or indirectly through approved aggregators and payment service providers.
Airtel Africa also operates a developer portal through which developers can select Uganda and investigate Airtel Money API access.
When Direct Integration May Make Sense
Direct integration may be appropriate when:
- You process a very high number of transactions.
- Mobile money is central to your business model.
- You have an experienced development team.
- You can maintain separate MTN and Airtel integrations.
- You have the operational capacity to handle reconciliation.
- You require more control over the payment flow.
Advantages
- More direct control over the payment process
- Separate management of each mobile money network
- Potential commercial benefits at high transaction volumes
- Greater flexibility for specialised systems
Disadvantages
- Separate integration and maintenance for each provider
- More technical work
- More complex reconciliation
- Additional operational and compliance requirements
- No automatic international card processing
- Greater dependence on your internal development team
It is risky to promise that direct integration will always provide the lowest fees. Charges and commercial arrangements depend on transaction volume, merchant category, negotiations and the provider’s current terms.
For most ordinary business websites, an aggregator is usually easier to implement and manage.
7. Direct Bank Payment Gateways
Some commercial banks provide merchant-acquiring and online card-payment services. A bank gateway may appeal to an established company that wants payments settled directly through its banking relationship. This may be suitable for:
- Large corporate organisations
- Universities
- Insurance companies
- Financial institutions
- Established retailers
- Businesses with strong treasury and compliance teams
Possible Advantages
- Direct relationship with the bank
- Familiar corporate onboarding process
- Strong card-processing controls
- Integration with existing banking arrangements
- Potentially easier internal financial reconciliation
Possible Limitations
- Longer onboarding procedures
- More documentation
- Less flexible integration
- Mobile money may require another provider
- Fewer ready-made e-commerce plugins
- Technical support may be less developer-focused
Do not assume that every major bank in Uganda offers the same online gateway product. Contact your bank’s merchant-services or digital-payments team and request current documentation.
How to Choose a Payment Gateway in Uganda
Use the following questions when comparing options.
Which Payment Methods Are Supported?
Confirm whether the gateway supports:
- MTN MoMo
- Airtel Money
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Local cards
- International cards
- Bank transfers
Prioritise the methods your actual customers use.
Which Currencies Can You Receive?
A local retailer may only need UGX. A safari company may need to charge customers in USD, GBP or EUR. It must also understand whether the provider settles those funds in the original currency or converts them before settlement. Ask about currency-conversion charges, settlement accounts and withdrawal procedures.
What Are the Full Costs?
Request a clear breakdown of:
- Setup fees
- Transaction charges
- Withdrawal fees
- Currency-conversion charges
- Refund charges
- Chargeback fees
- Monthly fees
- Annual fees
- Plugin or licence fees
- Point-of-sale charges
A provider with no setup fee may have a higher transaction charge. Another may provide better rates but require a monthly commitment.
Compare the total cost based on your expected transaction volume.
How Quickly Are Funds Settled?
Ask whether settlement is:
- Immediate
- Next day
- After several business days
- Weekly
- On request
Cash flow matters, especially for businesses that must pay suppliers shortly after receiving an order.
Is It Compatible With Your Website?
Confirm whether the gateway works with:
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Shopify
- Magento
- A custom website
- Your booking engine
- Your accounting system
- Your customer-management platform
A ready-made plugin can reduce development work, but it must be actively maintained and compatible with the current version of your website platform.
How Strong Is the Support?
Payment problems can directly affect revenue. Find out whether the provider offers:
- A local support team
- Telephone support
- Email support
- Developer support
- Merchant dashboards
- Transaction reports
- Dispute assistance
- Technical documentation
A low transaction fee may not compensate for poor support when customer payments begin failing.
How Difficult Is Onboarding?
Most providers will require some combination of:
- Certificate of incorporation or registration
- Tax Identification Number
- Business licence
- Company bank account
- Director identification
- Physical business address
- Website terms and conditions
- Privacy policy
- Refund policy
- Product or service information
Requirements may be stricter for travel, finance, subscriptions, high-value transactions or other higher-risk industries.
Our Practical Recommendation
For many small and medium-sized Ugandan businesses, the first providers worth comparing are Pesapal and Flutterwave. Both can support mobile money and card-payment use cases, although the final choice should depend on current charges, settlement arrangements, support and website compatibility. A tourism or hospitality company receiving high-value international card payments should also investigate Network International/DPO.
An organisation handling significant collections and bulk payouts across African markets may find Onafriq more suitable.
Direct telecom integration should generally be considered when the business has the transaction volume, technical team and operational capacity to justify managing separate payment connections.
Do You Need a Payment Gateway Before Building the Website?
Not necessarily, but you should identify your preferred options early. Your website developer needs to know:
- What you are selling
- How customers will pay
- Which currencies you will accept
- Whether payments are one-time or recurring
- Whether customers need accounts
- Whether payment confirms an order or booking
- Whether refunds will be allowed
- Which staff members require access to reports
These decisions affect the website structure, checkout process and development scope.
Do not wait until the website is complete before beginning payment-provider onboarding. Business verification can take time, and the provider may require website policies or changes before activating live payments.
The best payment gateway in Uganda is the one that makes it easy for your customers to pay while keeping settlement, reporting and support manageable for your business. For most local e-commerce websites, the starting requirement is simple:
- MTN MoMo
- Airtel Money
- Visa and Mastercard
- Reliable transaction reporting
- Reasonable settlement periods
- Responsive customer support
Do not choose a gateway based only on popularity or transaction fees. Consider your customers, sales volume, currencies, website platform, accounting process and future growth. A well-integrated payment system should not only process money. It should reduce friction between a customer’s decision to buy and your business receiving the payment.