---
id: 6d6b0015
title: How Mkodisha Pricing Works
summary: Free for small landlords, a monthly fee between KES 5,000 and KES 10,000 that follows your portfolio on the Individual plan, and a fixed agreed price on Business, with worked examples.
audience: Landlords and property managers
order: 15
keywords: pricing, plans, free plan, individual plan, business plan, service fee, cost, promo code, SMS credits
updated: 2026-10-25
cover: ../media/pricing-calculator.gif
---
# How Mkodisha Pricing Works
> **In one sentence:** small landlords use Mkodisha free; on the Individual plan you pay between KES 5,000 and KES 10,000 a month depending on how many houses you have and how much rent they bring in; big portfolios agree a fixed Business price.
## The simple version
- **Tenants never pay Mkodisha.** Only landlords do.
- **Free plan:** KES 0, for landlords with a few houses who record payments themselves.
- **Individual plan:** a monthly fee that grows slowly with your portfolio. It never goes below about **KES 5,000** or above **KES 10,000**.
- **Business plan:** a fixed monthly price agreed with you, for big portfolios.
Think of it like a taxi meter that stops at a maximum: the more houses and rent you manage, the higher the fee, but it can never pass KES 10,000 on the Individual plan.
## The three plans
| | Free | Individual | Business |
|---|------|-----------|----------|
| Who it's for | Up to about 3 units | 1–200 units, rent up to KES 800,000 a month | 200+ units, or rent above KES 800,000 a month |
| Monthly fee | **KES 0** | **KES 5,000 to 10,000**, worked out from your units and rent | **Fixed**, agreed with you |
| Invoice | None | On the 1st of each month | On the 1st of each month |
| Tenants, properties, contracts, bills, maintenance, dashboards | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Record payments by hand, email invoices and reminders | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited in-app notifications, chat, community, tenant wallet | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tenants pay in the app (M-Pesa paybill monitoring, Tuma bank payouts, cards) | | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS | 10 free, then KES 2 per SMS | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data history | 3 months | Full history | Full history |
| Document storage | 1 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Property analytics, trusted maintenance professionals, WhatsApp support | | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dedicated account manager, custom reporting, advanced analytics, volume pricing | | | ✓ |
## How the Individual fee is worked out
Mkodisha looks at two things in your account:
1. **Units:** the number of houses in your buildings (empty ones count too), out of a top value of **200**.
2. **Rent:** the total monthly rent of all those houses, out of a top value of **KES 800,000**.
**Step 1: give each a score from 0 to 1, and average them (half each).**
> score = ½ × (units ÷ 200) + ½ × (monthly rent ÷ 800,000)
(Anything above 200 units or KES 800,000 counts as the top value.)
**Step 2: turn the score into a price on a smooth "S" curve.**
> price = 5,000 + 5,000 × 1 ÷ (1 + e−10 × (score − 0.5))
You don't need to do this sum yourself; Mkodisha does it. What it means:
- A **small** portfolio (score near 0) pays just over **KES 5,000**.
- A **middle** portfolio (score 0.5) pays **KES 7,500**.
- A **large** portfolio (score near 1) pays just under **KES 10,000**.
- The curve is flat at both ends and steepest in the middle, so a few more houses barely change the price for very small or very large landlords.
*The calculator on [mkodisha.com](https://mkodisha.com) and on the app's **Pricing** page asks Mkodisha's billing system for the price, so the number it shows is exactly what you would be billed for those units and that rent. Your own fee, worked out from your real buildings, is in the app under **Billing → Upgrade / Choose Plan**.*
## Worked examples
All examples use the formula above, rounded to the cent, exactly as Mkodisha bills them.
| Landlord | Units | Monthly rent | Score | Plan | Monthly fee |
|----------|------:|-------------:|------:|------|------------:|
| **Mama Njeri**, 3 bedsitters in Kayole | 3 | KES 21,000 | 0.021 | Free | **KES 0** |
| *(if Mama Njeri chose Individual)* | 3 | KES 21,000 | 0.021 | Individual | KES 5,041.07 |
| **Otieno**, a block of 6 in Kisumu | 6 | KES 90,000 | 0.071 | Individual | **KES 5,067.77** |
| **Chebet**, 12 apartments in Eldoret | 12 | KES 216,000 | 0.165 | Individual | **KES 5,169.48** |
| **Mwangi**, 60 bedsitters in Ruaka | 60 | KES 420,000 | 0.413 | Individual | **KES 6,471.07** |
| **Wanjiru Kamau**, 3 Nairobi buildings | 24 | KES 664,500 | 0.475 | Individual | **KES 7,192.96** |
| *Wanjiru after adding 3 tenants* | 27 | KES 749,500 | 0.536 | Individual | **KES 7,944.45** |
| **Hassan**, 120 units in Mombasa | 120 | KES 650,000 | 0.706 | Individual | **KES 9,436.02** |
| **Akinyi Holdings**, 250 units | 250 | KES 1,200,000 | n/a | Business | **Fixed, agreed** (default KES 20,000) |
### Wanjiru's fee, step by step
Wanjiru has **24 units** bringing in **KES 664,500** a month.
1. Units part: 24 ÷ 200 = 0.12, and half of that is **0.06**.
2. Rent part: 664,500 ÷ 800,000 = 0.8306, and half of that is **0.4153**.
3. Score: 0.06 + 0.4153 = **0.4753**.
4. Price: 5,000 + 5,000 × 1 ÷ (1 + e−10 × (0.4753 − 0.5)) = 5,000 + 5,000 × 0.4386 ≈ **KES 7,192.96**.
That's the amount on her August, September and October invoices. When she added three more tenants (27 units, KES 749,500), her fee became **KES 7,944.45**.
## Moving between plans
- **Free → Individual:** in **Billing → Upgrade / Choose Plan**, click **Set up payment** and save a card. Prefer M-Pesa? Ask the Mkodisha team (**Help & Support → Contact Us**) to switch your plan, then pay each monthly invoice with an M-Pesa prompt.
- **Individual → Business:** contact Mkodisha to agree a fixed price. If your portfolio grows past **200 units and KES 800,000 a month in rent**, Mkodisha moves you to Business automatically, with a default fixed fee of KES 20,000 a month unless another price is agreed.
- **Back to Free:** remove your card in **Billing**; your plan returns to Free.
## Other costs to know about
| Item | Cost |
|------|------|
| Extra SMS on the Free plan | KES 2 per SMS, after 10 free. Buy with **Notifications → Top up Credits** |
| Promo codes | A percentage off your service-fee invoice, entered when you click **Pay Invoice** |
| Payment provider fees | M-Pesa, Tuma, card and bank providers may charge their own small transaction fees |
| Tenants | Always free |
## How you are billed
1. On the **1st of each month**, Mkodisha creates your service-fee invoice and emails you. Free-plan landlords don't get one.
2. Pay it from **Billing → Service Bill Overview → Pay Invoice** with an M-Pesa prompt, or let a saved card pay it automatically.
3. Your plan shows **Active** once paid. See [Landlord and Tenant Billing](landlord-and-tenant-billing.md#how-a-landlord-pays-the-mkodisha-service-fee).
## Quick answers
**Is Mkodisha free?**
Yes, for small landlords on the Free plan. Tenants never pay.
**What's the most I can pay on Individual?**
Just under KES 10,000 a month, however many houses (up to 200) and however much rent.
**What's the least?**
Just over KES 5,000 a month on Individual. Very small landlords can stay on Free and pay nothing.
**Do empty houses count?**
Yes. Units are all the houses in your buildings, and rent is their total monthly rent.
**When am I charged?**
An invoice is created on the 1st of each month.
**Is the website calculator the same as my bill?**
Yes. The calculator gets its price from the same billing system that makes your invoice, so the same units and rent give the same fee. If your bill looks different, check that the units and rent you typed match your buildings in **Billing → Upgrade / Choose Plan**.
**Do mini landlords cost extra?**
No. See [Mini Landlords](mini-landlords.md).
## Words to know
| Word | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Plan | Free, Individual or Business |
| Service fee | What a landlord pays Mkodisha each month |
| Unit | One house in a building |
| Score | A number from 0 to 1 that combines your units and rent |
| S-curve | A curve that rises slowly, then quickly, then slowly again |
## Related guides
- [Landlord and Tenant Billing](landlord-and-tenant-billing.md)
- [Collecting Payments, Invoices and Active Bills](collecting-payments.md)
- [Notifications](notifications.md)
- [Mini Landlords](mini-landlords.md)