The verdict in three sentences
For a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar company, whether run from a Dubai holding or from Lomé, software decides profitability: remote kit activation, mobile money instalment tracking and field agent management. PAYG SaaS platforms at 1 to 3 USD per customer per year are unbeatable at launch, but their cost grows with the fleet and integration with your own hardware stays limited. Beyond 15,000 to 20,000 customers, a custom platform at 10,670 to 22,870 EUR (7 to 15 M FCFA), delivered in 4 to 6 months, becomes an asset that holds up in front of investors.
The building blocks of a PAYG solar platform
The model rests on a simple promise: the customer pays small amounts through mobile money, and the kit stays active as long as payments follow. Behind it, you need a reliable system linking payment, device and agent.
| Block | Role | Field requirement | 2026 benchmark (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote kit activation | Tokens or GSM commands | Works without internet at the customer's home | Token generated within 30 seconds of payment |
| Instalment plans | Daily, weekly, monthly plans | 200 to 1,500 FCFA (about 0.35 to 2.50 USD) a day | 12 to 36 months to ownership |
| Mobile money payments | Automatic reconciliation | Unique customer reference per payment | 95 % of payments reconciled without manual work |
| Field agents | Sales, installation, collection | Offline Android app, commissions | 1 agent per 300 to 600 customers |
| Collections | SMS reminders, targeted visits | Prioritised by days overdue | Target default rate below 10 % |
| Investor reporting | PAR 30, cohorts, revenue per kit | Exports for donors and impact funds | Monthly dashboard in one click |
PAR 30 (portfolio at risk over 30 days) is the metric impact investors watch. Making it reliable and automatic eases every fundraise.
PAYG SaaS or your own platform: 5-year cost
The calculation assumes about 600 FCFA to 1 USD, a 2026 order of magnitude. Mobile money fees, identical in both cases, are excluded.
| Fleet size | SaaS at 2 USD per customer per year | 5-year SaaS cost | Kolonell custom platform + 5-year Premium maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 customers | 10,000 USD a year | 50,000 USD | about 21,650 EUR (14.2 M FCFA) |
| 10,000 customers | 20,000 USD a year | 100,000 USD | about 24,700 EUR (16.2 M FCFA) |
| 20,000 customers | 40,000 USD a year | 200,000 USD | about 29,270 EUR (19.2 M FCFA) |
| 30,000 customers | 60,000 USD a year | 300,000 USD | about 33,840 EUR (22.2 M FCFA) |
| Time to go live | 4 to 8 weeks | 4 to 6 months |
Hosting comes on top (about 150 to 460 EUR a month depending on transaction volume). SaaS remains the right choice during a pilot, below 5,000 customers, and while the business model is still settling. Your own platform makes sense when the fleet grows fast or when you build or adapt your own controllers.
What to scope before the quote
- Kit protocol: OpenPAYGO tokens, GSM commands, or the manufacturer's proprietary firmware.
- Payment operators: local mobile money operators, and possibly an aggregator for regional expansion.
- Commercial rules: grace days, penalties, early payment discounts, kit repossession.
- Agent network: commissions per sale and per collection, territories, targets.
- Investor requirements: metrics, frequency, export format, data audit.
Mini case study
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Mr Agbeko runs a solar kit company with 20,000 customers and expects 30,000 within 18 months. His SaaS charges 2 USD per customer per year, about 40,000 USD a year today and 60,000 USD at 30,000 customers. A custom platform at about 18,290 EUR (12 M FCFA), plus about 2,200 EUR of Premium maintenance and 3,660 EUR of hosting a year, comes to around 24,150 EUR in year one, then about 5,860 EUR a year. Break-even falls around the first year. If better-targeted reminders cut defaults from 14 % to 10 % on monthly collections of about 122,000 EUR (80 M FCFA), the estimated gain reaches about 4,880 EUR a month, to be confirmed on the first cohorts.
FAQ
How much does custom PAYG solar software cost in 2026?
With Kolonell, a complex platform with remote activation, mobile money payments, an agent app and reporting costs 10,670 to 22,870 EUR (7 to 15 M FCFA), or more for a multi-country rollout.
Why a 4 to 6 month timeline?
Integration with kit controllers and payment operators requires real-world testing on 50 to 200 pilot customers before switching the whole fleet.
Can we migrate data from our current SaaS?
Yes, provided you get a full export: customers, instalment plans, payment history and kit serial numbers. Migration usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Does the platform handle several countries?
Yes, with currency, mobile money operators and rate cards per country. Adding a new country after the first one is a 3 to 6 week work package.
What maintenance budget should we plan?
For a critical platform collecting payments every day, we recommend Premium maintenance at about 180 EUR (120,000 FCFA) a month, including monitoring and priority response.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your kit fleet, payment operators and growth targets: we price a PAYG platform at 10,670 to 22,870 EUR with a 4 to 6 month schedule through our free quote request. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
