Sonar Software sells a unified OSS/BSS platform for broadband ISPs and publishes its per-subscriber pricing. This comparison reports Sonar's own published pricing from sonar.software/pricing as read on 6 November 2026. It is reported, not endorsed, and the arithmetic is shown.
Short answer: Sonar publishes $1.25 per active subscriber a month for up to 5,000 subscribers, $1.00 from 5,001 to 10,000 and $0.75 from 10,001 to 50,000, starting at $500 a month with an annual contract. Iterative Billing charges $0.135 per active customer outside Kenya, capped at $45 a month up to 500 customers, $90 up to 1,000 and $360 above that, with no long-term contract. On these published rates Iterative Billing costs less at every size; Sonar includes more in its base price, and its $500 starting price suits larger broadband operators. We build Iterative Billing, so check both.
The two platforms at a glance
Sonar Software describes itself as unified OSS/BSS software for broadband ISPs. Its pricing page says the price is based on active subscribers, that everything is included, and that premium features, contract management among them, are available à la carte from partners. The estimator on the page prices 5,000 active subscribers at $6,250 a month, or $75,000 a year, and notes that a final quote includes premium features and integrations. Above 50,000 subscribers the price is custom.
Iterative Billing is a cloud ISP billing and OSS/BSS platform with built-in FreeRADIUS and CoA, MikroTik RouterOS v6 and v7, Huawei GPON OLT automation, TR-069, NOC monitoring and AI agents. It collects M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Paystack, Flutterwave, Pesapal and WaafiPay payments into the operator's own merchant accounts. Outside Kenya it charges $0.135 per active PPPoE or Static IP customer a month, capped at $45 up to 500 customers, $90 up to 1,000 and $360 above that, plus 2 percent of collected hotspot revenue capped at $27 a month up to $5,400 collected and $45 above it, with a $9 monthly minimum and a one-time $9 account fee. Optional add-ons are billed on top: every add-on together is $71 a month in the Legacy Partner bundle, with OLTs at $10 each.
Price by network size
| Active subscribers | Sonar Software (published) | Iterative Billing |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $500 (starting price) | $13.50 |
| 500 | $625 | $45 (capped) |
| 1,000 | $1,250 | $90 (capped) |
| 2,500 | $3,125 | $252 |
| 5,000 | $6,250 | $360 (capped) |
Monthly platform charge from each vendor's published US dollar rates, before taxes, integrations or add-ons. Sonar's rates assume its annual contract, and its page says the final quote adds premium features and integrations. Iterative Billing's column excludes its optional add-ons, which add at most $71 a month plus $10 per OLT. Even with every add-on, 500 subscribers cost $116 a month against Sonar's $625.
Contracts, trials and moving over
Sonar's published rates come with an annual contract. Iterative Billing has no long-term contract: networks apply for access, approved networks get a 3-day trial, and a one-time $9 account fee activates the account. Migration assistance is complimentary, and PPPoE customers import from a CSV with a preview before anything is created.
Payments and network fit
Iterative Billing is built for markets where subscribers pay by mobile money: M-Pesa through Daraja in Kenya, MTN MoMo and Airtel Money in Uganda through ioTec Pay, and Paystack, Flutterwave, Pesapal and WaafiPay elsewhere, with prepaid hotspot bundles from one hour and PPPoE accounts that suspend on expiry and restore on payment. It manages MikroTik routers and Huawei GPON OLTs; see the fibre ISP billing page for the OLT detail. Ask Sonar which payment gateways and network vendors it supports in your country.
Which should you choose?
If you run a large broadband network, want everything in one negotiated contract and value Sonar's partner ecosystem for premium features, Sonar is built for that buyer. If you collect by mobile money, run MikroTik and want a bill that stops at a published cap, Iterative Billing costs a fraction of Sonar's published rate: $45 against $625 a month at 500 subscribers. Apply for Iterative Billing at billing.iterativebilling.com/register (approved networks get a 3-day trial), and the caps are on the pricing page. Sonar figures are from its published pricing as of 6 November 2026 and may change. We keep the same date-stamped comparisons for Splynx, Centipid and the other platforms on the alternatives page.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Sonar Software cost?
- Sonar's pricing page, read on 6 November 2026, lists $1.25 per active subscriber a month up to 5,000 subscribers, $1.00 from 5,001 to 10,000 and $0.75 from 10,001 to 50,000, starting at $500 a month with an annual contract. Premium features are priced à la carte and above 50,000 subscribers the price is custom.
- Is Iterative Billing cheaper than Sonar?
- On published rates, yes. At 500 active subscribers Sonar's rate gives $625 a month against Iterative Billing's $45 cap; at 5,000 subscribers it is $6,250 against $360. Iterative Billing's optional add-ons cost at most $71 a month plus $10 per OLT.
- Does Iterative Billing need an annual contract?
- No. There is no long-term contract. Approved networks start with a 3-day trial and pay a one-time $9 account fee to activate.