LinkDesk and MikroTik User Manager: Different Roles

MikroTik User Manager and LinkDesk should be compared by their roles in a deployment. User Manager is MikroTik’s RouterOS RADIUS server implementation. LinkDesk is an independent billing application with local MikroTik workflows and a separately supplied FreeRADIUS integration path.

Authentication and billing are related but separate

An authentication service decides whether credentials are accepted and may supply access attributes. A billing workflow connects an account to purchases, payments and paid service dates. A product that authenticates users does not automatically implement your intended M-Pesa workflow, and a payment ledger does not itself serve the RADIUS protocol.

Understand the supplied LinkDesk integration

For the documented RADIUS path, FreeRADIUS provides protocol authentication and LinkDesk provides entitlement policy through a private REST bridge. The supplied deployment requires both on an appropriate always-on Linux host. This documentation does not establish a drop-in LinkDesk bridge for MikroTik User Manager.

Compare your actual requirements

List Hotspot or PPPoE access, merchant verification, renewals, expiry, staff roles, backups and support investigation. Check how each proposed deployment implements them. Review hardware and RouterOS package requirements in MikroTik’s current documentation. Do not infer licence limits or payment support from the product name alone.

Pilot a change of authentication authority

If you already use User Manager, preserve its configuration and customer records before considering another path. Define which service controls the pilot accounts. Demonstrate renewals and expiry without conflicting active authorities. Avoid advertising a universal migration or performance advantage without testing the specific network.

MikroTik documentation: User Manager.

Questions before buying

Can I point LinkDesk at User Manager instead of FreeRADIUS?

That substitution is not established by the supplied LinkDesk integration documentation.

Is LinkDesk an official MikroTik product?

No. WayaDesk and LinkDesk are independent brands and are not endorsed by MikroTik.

Software price and delivery

Current one-off licences are KSh 4,900 for 2 managed routers, KSh 9,900 for 5 and KSh 17,900 for 10, on one installation. The amount displayed at M-Pesa checkout applies to your purchase. Verified payment reveals the product key and prepared installer on your private order page. Hardware, hosting, messaging and separately quoted assistance are external costs.