Comparing Mpesa and Airtel Money Transaction Charges in 2025

In case you don’t know (though I doubt it), both Mpesa and Airtel Money are mobile payment services in Kenya that allow users to make payments, transfer money, and access other services such as loans and savings. The difference between the two is that Mpesa is operated by Safaricom, the largest telecommunications company in the country, while Airtel Money belongs to its competitor, Airtel Kenya.

According to data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), despite Airtel Money being considered the cheapest, Airtel Kenya has only 19,858,255 subscribers compared to Safaricom’s 44,666,368, of which 34 million are subscribed to and actively use Mpesa services.

Notwithstanding the figures and other factors, Airtel Money remains the cheapest. As of 2025, sending money from Airtel to Airtel is still free, regardless of the amount. In contrast, Safaricom charges transaction fees for all networks, including Safaricom-to-Safaricom transfers, except for amounts below Ksh100.

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Airtel also maintains low charges for transfers to Safaricom and Telkom. For example, sending Ksh1,000 via Airtel Money costs Ksh11, whereas Safaricom charges Ksh13. Sending Ksh1,500 costs Ksh20 on Airtel Money, compared to Ksh23 on Safaricom. Similarly, transferring Ksh5,000 costs Ksh50 on Airtel Money, while Safaricom charges Ksh57, and so on.

Now, let’s talk about withdrawal charges. For Mpesa, these charges are much higher than Airtel Money’s. While Mpesa has fewer transaction bands, both services have the following similarities:

* A maximum daily transaction value of Ksh500,000.
* A maximum account balance of Ksh500,000.
* A maximum amount per transaction of Ksh250,000.

Since sending money from Airtel Money to Airtel Money is free, we will focus on the differences in their withdrawal charges.

Mpesa vs Airtel Money withdrawal charges in Kenya (2025)

Below is the current tariff guide for both telcos in a combined table format for uniform transaction bands:

To transact at any Mpesa or Airtel Money Agent outlet, you will be required to produce your original identification document, i.e. National ID or Kenyan Passport.

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