You've built an app, a tool or a website people use. Now you want a paid plan. The usual next step is to apply to a payment gateway: business documents, a registered company, a website review, a settlement account, and weeks of waiting. For a side project or a micro-SaaS, that can stop you before you start.
There's a simpler route: let Paylead take the payments for you, and connect your app with one button and one API call.
How it works
Your Paylead store becomes your payment processor:
- You create a subscription product in Paylead, for example "Pro plan, GH₵ 50 a month".
- Your app shows a Subscribe button that opens Paylead's subscribe page, with the user's id attached.
- The user pays with mobile money or card.
- Your app asks Paylead "does this user have access?" and unlocks Pro.
The money lands in your Paylead wallet and you withdraw it to MoMo or your bank. You don't need a gateway account, a merchant account or your own checkout.
The Subscribe button
The simplest version is a link:
<a href="https://paylead.app/subscribe/[email protected]&ref=USER_123">
Upgrade to Pro
</a>
ref is your own id for the user. Paylead keeps it on the subscription and sends it back, so you always know who paid.
To keep users inside your app, open the subscribe page as an overlay with Paylead's embed script:
<script src="https://paylead.app/embed.js" async></script>
<button data-paylead-subscribe="YOUR_PLAN" data-paylead-ref="USER_123">Upgrade to Pro</button>
After paying, users return to a page you choose, with ?subscription=…&ref=USER_123&status=active added.
The one API call
Create an API key in Settings → Developers → API keys, then check access when the user signs in:
curl "https://paylead.app/api/v1/access?ref=USER_123" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_…"
The answer includes "has_access": true or false. That's all your app needs.
If you'd rather not poll, add a webhook and Paylead will call your server when someone subscribes, renews or leaves, with a signed request you can verify.
The developer quick start walks through it with Node.js and Laravel examples.
Renewals with mobile money
Mobile money can't be charged automatically each month; the user has to approve each payment. So Paylead handles renewals for you:
- reminders by SMS and email 3 days before, on the day, and on the last day of a 3-day grace period,
- a page where the user renews in one tap or cancels,
- and
has_accessstaystrueduring the grace period, so nobody is locked out for being a day late.
What you can build this way
- A Pro plan for a web app or SaaS.
- Paid API access for other developers.
- A premium tier on a content site or community.
- One-off purchases in your app, using payment links created from your backend.
What it costs
There's no setup fee. Each payment costs 4% + GH₵ 1, with payment processing included: on a GH₵ 50 plan you keep GH₵ 47. The API and webhooks are on the Pro plan; embeds work on every plan. Withdrawals are a flat GH₵ 5. See pricing.
When to get your own gateway
Paylead is the fastest way to start charging. As you grow, you might want your own gateway for very high volumes or features Paylead doesn't have yet, such as automatic card charging. Many developers start on Paylead, prove people will pay, and decide later. If you're selling more than $5,000 a month, talk to us about a lower fee.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a registered business?
You need a Paylead account and a payout account for withdrawals. You don't apply to a payment gateway.
Can users pay by card?
Yes, by card and by MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash and AirtelTigo Money.
Is there a test mode?
Not yet. Test with a small real payment to yourself.
Which languages can I use?
Any. The API is plain HTTPS and JSON. The docs have curl, Node.js, PHP and Python examples.
