Knowledge Centre
Business software for African SMEs, explained plainly
What Navigate does and what it does not, how it fits your industry and country, and fair guides for choosing business software, whichever you choose.
🧭 About Navigate
What Navigate is, who it is for and why it was built for African businesses.
What is Navigate?Navigate is a browser-based ERP for African businesses: sales, stock, purchasing, accounting, operations, people and payroll on one set of books.Who is Navigate for?Navigate fits African SMEs that trade in stock, take mobile money, file tax and run several branches. See where it fits and where it does not.How do Navigate pricing and onboarding work?Navigate plans start at KES 500 a month for the small-shop Kiosk and KES 3,000 for the ERP, with a free period, self-service sign-up, a demo and walkthroughs.
🧩 Product capabilities
What each part of Navigate does, how it works and what it does not do yet.
Sales and POS in NavigateHow Navigate handles quotations, orders, invoices, till sales, M-Pesa, eTIMS, van sales and field orders, and what it does not do yet.Inventory and procurement in NavigateHow Navigate tracks stock by warehouse, serial and batch, runs purchases from request to payment, and costs imports. What it covers and what it leaves out.Accounting and finance in NavigateNavigate has a double-entry ledger fed by daily documents, bank and M-Pesa accounts, VAT, statements, budgets and month-end close. See what it does not do.HR and payroll in NavigateNavigate keeps employee records, leave and attendance, runs payroll with Kenyan statutory deductions, and produces payslips and returns. Limits explained.Fleet and dispatch in NavigateNavigate plans delivery runs with proof of delivery on the driver's phone, and manages vehicles, fuel, maintenance and cost per km. Limits included.Manufacturing and production in NavigateNavigate covers bills of materials, production orders, planning, work centres, quality checks, disassembly and costing into the ledger. See where it stops.Reports and analytics in NavigateNavigate offers a reports home, drill-down analyses, a report builder and a daily WhatsApp and email report. It has no AI features today.
🏭 Industry solutions
How Navigate fits retailers, distributors, manufacturers, dealers, SACCOs and others.
Navigate for retail and wholesaleHow Navigate runs a shop or wholesale counter: POS, stock, price lists, credit customers and branches, and where it does not fit.Navigate for distributorsHow Navigate supports distributors: van sales, price lists, key suppliers, delivery runs and proof of delivery, with honest limits.Navigate for manufacturingHow Navigate supports small manufacturers: bills of materials, production orders, planning, quality checks and costing, plus its limits.Navigate for automotive and spare partsHow Navigate supports parts shops, dealers and workshops: OEM numbers, serial and chassis tracking, job cards, key suppliers and imports.Navigate for SACCOs and cooperativesHow Navigate runs a SACCO: members, shares and deposits, collections, loans with guarantors, withdrawals and PAR reports, with honest limits.Navigate for agriculture and agro-dealersWhat Navigate does for agro-dealers and farm businesses: batches, expiry dates and deliveries. It has no crop, livestock or harvest records.Navigate for professional servicesHow Navigate supports consulting and service firms: projects, timesheets, milestone invoices and profitability, with clear limits on billing.
🌍 By country
Payments, tax and currency in each market Navigate serves.
Navigate in KenyaWhat Navigate supports in Kenya: M-Pesa prompts, KRA eTIMS signing, card links and statutory payroll, and what still needs manual filing.Navigate in UgandaWhat Navigate supports in Uganda: UGX books and VAT records. It has no EFRIS link and no live mobile money link. Read this before you choose it.Navigate in TanzaniaWhat Navigate supports in Tanzania: TZS books, VAT records and Kiswahili screens. It has no TRA VFD or EFD link and no live mobile money link.Navigate in RwandaWhat Navigate supports in Rwanda: RWF books and VAT records. It has no RRA EBM link and no live mobile money link. Read this before you choose it.Navigate across AfricaNavigate can be set up in all 54 African countries. See what is the same everywhere and what differs, including the Kenya-only tax and M-Pesa links.
📚 Buying guides and comparisons
Plain answers for businesses choosing software, including when Navigate is not the right choice.
Best ERP software for SMEs in Kenya: how to chooseHow a Kenyan SME can compare ERP systems on eTIMS, M-Pesa, stock and support. Published by Navigate, which is one of the options.Top business management software for African SMEsA fair look at business software for African SMEs: local payments, tax, language and support. Published by Navigate, one of the options.Affordable ERP systems for small businesses in AfricaWhat ERP really costs a small African business, published prices we could verify, and when a cheaper tool is enough. Navigate publishes this.Best inventory management software in Kenya: what to look forWhat Kenyan businesses should test in stock software: serials, batches, branches, landed costs, eTIMS. Navigate publishes this and is an option.How to manage sales, stock and accounting in one systemHow one system links a sale, stock and the ledger, what to check before you move, and when connected separate tools are the better choice.ERP alternatives to SAP Business One for SMEsWhen SAP Business One is the right choice, and which alternatives an SME could compare. Navigate publishes this guide and is one of the options.Best POS and stock management software for distributorsWhat distributors should test in POS and stock software: credit sales, routes, vans, price lists and proof of delivery. Navigate is one option.How African SMEs can digitise their businessesA practical order for digitising an African SME: fix one painful process, clean your data, start small, and do not buy more than you need.Cloud ERP vs traditional ERP: what should an SME choose?Cloud or on-premise ERP for an SME: cost, internet, control, security and exit compared fairly, including when on-premise is the better choice.How to choose business automation software for a growing businessHow to pick automation software: find the repeated work, check approvals, integrations and audit trails, and avoid automating a broken process.Navigate vs spreadsheets: when to move, and when not toSpreadsheets are a good choice for many small firms. Here is when they stop working, when to move to Navigate, and when to stay put.Navigate vs traditional ERP: an honest comparisonHow Navigate differs from traditional partner-led ERP, including where established systems are stronger. Written by Navigate, so test our claims.
📘 Documentation
342 step-by-step guides, FAQs and troubleshooting articles for every module.