NorthStar CIS vs SkyBill Utility Billing
NorthStar CIS
northstarutilities.com
SkyBill Utility Billing
skybill.euSide by side
| Figure | NorthStar CIS | SkyBill Utility Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | €155/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Utility Billing Software | 7.2 (#17) | 8.8 (#1) |
| Billing | The software can be customized to bill multiple utilities on one statement, including complex, deregulated, or alternate energy billing. | It calculates periodic bills using meter readings or flat rates and supports configurable tariffs for services, customers, properties, quantities and time periods. |
| Deployment | The vendor says CIS can be hosted on the customer’s server or on NorthStar Cloud; the cloud service is fully hosted and managed. | SkyBill is offered as cloud SaaS, with an on-premises version available on request. |
| Founded | 1976 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Riga, Latvia |
| Integrations | NorthStar describes REST API integrations with meter data management, outage management, kiosks, payment portals, and electronic bill presentment and payment providers. | Listed integrations include Dynamics 365 API, Outlook, Power BI, Power Automate, Stripe, PayPal and other local gateways. |
| Support | Standard support hours are 8:00 am to 8:00 pm ET Monday through Friday, excluding designated statutory holidays. | SkyBill says it offers everyday production support through an online ticketing system and provides client training. |
Plans
SkyBill Utility Billing
- Basic€155 a month
- PRO subscriptionPrice not published
In their own words
NorthStar CIS
NorthStar CIS has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
SkyBill Utility Billing
SkyBill Utility Billing is utility management, billing and customer information software for utility providers, property managers and municipalities. It calculates periodic bills from meter readings or flat rates, with configurable tariffs for services, customers, properties, quantities and time periods. External meter-reading gateways can send data automatically, and the system checks for incomplete entries and unusual usage differences. Customers can use the portal to review bills, consumption and payment histories, enter meter readings, contact their provider and optionally pay online. Listed payment gateways include Stripe, PayPal, Payzee and First Data; others are available on request. Integrations include ERP, bank gateways, SMS messaging, debt collection and client portals. SkyBill is offered as cloud SaaS, with on-premises deployment available on request. The company says its SaaS environment is in a European Tier III data center and that it provides backups and cybersecurity measures. Its free trial is limited to one user, 100 meter points or agreements and five external web solution users; access may end after 30 days without system use. The billing product does not itself provide SMS delivery.