arlier today, while working on a WordPress-based website for a client, I hit a familiar wall. The client wanted to integrate an Afghan-based payment gateway — a request that’s become increasingly common, but still tricky to implement.
If you’ve ever tried to integrate a local payment gateway into a WordPress site, you probably know how limited the options are. Between plugin incompatibilities, lack of public documentation, and complex approval processes, it’s not the most developer-friendly experience.
But in the middle of that struggle, I stumbled upon something unexpected.
HesabPay actually has a plugin that works with WooCommerce.
And the surprising part? I’ve been using HesabPay personally for over three years and had never seen this before.
It’s one of those “how did I not know this existed?” moments.
Let me be clear — this is a big deal. HesabPay offering a WooCommerce-compatible plugin is a major step toward enabling online commerce in Afghanistan. It opens the door for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers to build e-commerce platforms using familiar tools like WordPress.
But as promising as it sounds, there’s a catch.
As I discussed with Haroon Azizi during a conversation tonight, you can’t actually use the plugin unless you get access to their API. And getting the API is where things get complicated.
The API is not publicly available. You have to request access, and from what I’ve heard — and experienced — the process isn’t exactly quick or simple.
If HesabPay’s mission is to support the digital transformation of Afghanistan, this is a critical area for improvement. Developers, especially those working with WordPress, need better access to tools that allow them to build functional, secure, and scalable websites for Afghan users and businesses.
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites globally. It’s accessible, flexible, and widely used — particularly by freelancers, startups, and small business owners who can’t afford fully custom-built platforms.
Restricting API access or making the process unnecessarily difficult limits progress. It slows down innovation and discourages people from building solutions that could drive digital adoption in the country.
HesabPay has already done the hard part — developing the infrastructure and launching a plugin. All that’s left is to make it easier for developers to integrate and deploy it.
During our discussion, Haroon brought up an idea that’s absolutely worth exploring — recurring payments.
Imagine a local business offering monthly services. Or an Afghan-based online platform running a membership model. Right now, users need to manually transfer funds each month. But with recurring payments, those transactions could be automated.
This would unlock a whole new layer of functionality for digital platforms in Afghanistan — from online education to software services to subscription-based e-commerce.
It’s a logical next step. And it’s a feature we hope HesabPay will prioritize in future updates.
To make HesabPay truly developer-friendly and impactful for the local tech ecosystem, here are a few suggestions:
Public or simplified access to the API — especially for platforms like WordPress and WooCommerce.
Support for recurring/subscription-based payments — to enable modern business models.
Clear documentation and developer guides — to make integration easier for everyone.
A testing/sandbox environment — so developers can build and troubleshoot without going live right away.
My Final Thoughts
HesabPay is already doing important work by enabling digital transactions in Afghanistan. But there’s still room to grow.
A more open and developer-friendly approach could accelerate the adoption of online payments across the country. And as people like me — and thousands of other freelancers and creators — continue to build digital platforms here, those tools are not just helpful. They’re essential.
If you’ve tried integrating local gateways into WordPress, or have ideas on how this process could improve, drop your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear from developers, business owners, and anyone else trying to build the future of tech in Afghanistan. Let’s talk about it.