In short: Flutterwave vs Paystack is the comparison most store owners make, but if your customers pay with Mobile Money, PawaPay belongs in it too. Paystack and Flutterwave are all-round payment companies that add Mobile Money in some markets; PawaPay works only with Mobile Money operators, and you connect it to WooCommerce with a plugin such as Fosia Pay. Pick by your customers’ networks, your country and whether you also need cards.
Yesterday we listed the WooCommerce payment gateways that take Mobile Money in Africa. Today we go one step further: three names keep coming up, so which one should you actually sign up with? Instead of declaring a winner, we look at four typical stores and what each provider’s own pages say today.
Three different kinds of company
Flutterwave is a broad payments company. Its own WooCommerce plugin on WordPress.org lists card, account, Mobile Money, bank transfers, USSD and other methods, plus recurring and split payments. Mobile Money depends on the currency: its developer docs list M-Pesa for Kenyan shillings and Mobile Money for Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi and the CFA franc zones.
Paystack is also a broad payments company. Its WooCommerce plugin is for businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, with cards, bank transfers, USSD in Nigeria and Mobile Money in Ghana. Its help centre describes Mobile Money in Ghana and Kenya, and says recurring Mobile Money payments are not possible for now.
PawaPay is a Mobile Money specialist. Its markets page lists operators in more than twenty African countries, and its plans page offers a Standard plan for small businesses (no setup or monthly fees, at the time of writing in November 2026) and a custom Enterprise plan. PawaPay has no WooCommerce plugin of its own: Fosia Pay, built by FOSIA in Kigali, is an independent plugin that connects your store to your own PawaPay account.
Profile 1: a fashion store in Lagos
Say this store’s customers mostly pay by card, bank transfer or USSD. Paystack’s plugin and Flutterwave’s plugin both offer these. PawaPay lists MTN and Airtel in Nigeria, but its plans page places both on the Enterprise plan only, because of extra launch requirements.
Fair verdict: start with Paystack or Flutterwave. Add Mobile Money later if PawaPay approves you for Nigeria.
Profile 2: an electronics shop in Accra
Ghana is the market where all three overlap. PawaPay lists MTN, Telecel and AT. Paystack’s help centre names MTN, AT and Telecel. Flutterwave’s docs list Mobile Money for Ghanaian cedis. Here the choice comes down to everything else:
- Need cards from foreign visitors on the same account? Paystack or Flutterwave.
- Plan to sell in Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon or Uganda next, mostly by Mobile Money? PawaPay with Fosia Pay keeps one setup for all of them.
Profile 3: a cosmetics brand in Kigali selling to its neighbours
The customers are in Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo. PawaPay lists MTN and Airtel in Rwanda and Uganda, and Airtel, Orange and Vodacom M-Pesa in DR Congo. Flutterwave’s docs list Mobile Money for Rwandan francs and Ugandan shillings. Paystack’s plugin is not aimed at these markets. A store like this gets the widest Mobile Money reach from PawaPay, and with Fosia Pay the store price is converted to the customer’s currency, so a Kampala buyer sees an amount in Ugandan shillings (Fosia Pay Pro also reads the network from the phone number).
Profile 4: a bookshop in Dakar
Say this store’s customers keep asking to pay with Wave or Orange Money. PawaPay lists Orange, Wave and Yas (formerly Free) there. In PawaPay’s technical docs, Wave uses a redirect: the customer confirms in the Wave app, while Orange uses a prompt from the operator. Flutterwave’s docs list Mobile Money for the West African CFA franc but warn that not every method is available in every country, so ask them about Wave specifically. For the details of this market, see our guide to Orange Money and Wave on WooCommerce.
The comparison table
| Question | PawaPay with Fosia Pay | Flutterwave | Paystack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Mobile Money only | Cards, accounts, Mobile Money and more | Cards, transfers, Mobile Money in some markets |
| WooCommerce plugin made by | FOSIA (independent) | Flutterwave | Paystack |
| Best fit | Mobile Money in several countries | Mixed checkout across several currencies | Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa |
| Cards | No: pair with a card gateway | Yes | Yes |
| Recurring payments | Pro + AI plan (monthly email invoices) | Listed by its plugin | Not for Mobile Money, per its help centre |
Fees differ by country, network and plan, and they change. Compare each provider’s own pricing page for your exact market on the day you sign up.
What Fosia Pay adds on top of PawaPay
With PawaPay you get the Mobile Money connections; Fosia Pay turns them into a WooCommerce checkout. FOSIA takes 0% commission: only PawaPay’s own processing fees apply. Fosia Pay Lite is free on WordPress.org: unlimited payments, a hosted PawaPay payment page, classic and block checkout, HPOS ready, one site. The order is marked as paid only after Fosia Pay checks PawaPay’s signed confirmation.
Pro ($19.99 a year or $59 for life) adds a native checkout where the prompt reaches the phone without leaving your store, a number check as the customer types, operator outage alerts, refunds from the order and payouts. Pro + AI ($39.99 a year or $119 for life) adds recurring payments by monthly email invoice, which matters if you sell subscriptions. Details are on the pricing page and the Fosia Pay guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Paystack for cards and PawaPay for Mobile Money on the same store?
Yes. WooCommerce lists every enabled payment method at checkout, so a card gateway and Fosia Pay can sit side by side. Our guide to mixing Mobile Money and cards shows the setup.
Is Fosia Pay made by PawaPay?
No. Fosia Pay is built by FOSIA Ltd and works with your own PawaPay merchant account. PawaPay’s terms and fees apply to that account.
Which of the three is cheapest?
There is no single answer: each one prices by country, network and plan. Ask for the rates in your market and compare the total on a typical order.
Which one should a brand-new store start with?
The one that covers the networks your first customers use and accepts a business registered in your country. You can add a second gateway later without rebuilding the store.
Your customers pay mostly by Mobile Money? Download Fosia Pay Lite and try a sandbox order with PawaPay today. Not sure which mix fits your store? Book a free call with our team in Kigali.
