Square vs Braintree Pricing (2026)
Compare / Square vs Braintree
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Team size
25 seats

Square vs Braintree

Payment Processing pricing comparison · 2026

Square pricing ranges from $0–$149/month, while Braintree ranges from $0.0259–$0.029/month. Braintree is typically 100% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Square pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Braintree pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Payment Processing
Side-by-side · live
Square
Square pricing starts at $0/month on the Free plan, which includes one card reader and bas
verified 8w ago
$325 $53K
View pricing →
Braintree
Braintree pricing is based on a transaction fee model with no monthly or setup fees.
verified 19d ago
$325 $53K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Braintree median is $52K less than Square · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $325
Spread 99%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Usage-based
Custom rates
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
Usage-based
Custom rates
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$53K/yr
Vendr · n=3 · limited data
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$325/yr
Vendr · n=26
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 5 sourced facts
4 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 3 sourced facts
2 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
3 documented
  • Additional Device Fees for POS Terminals
    $50/device/month
    1 source
  • Per-Device POS Fee
    $50/device/month
    1 source
  • Higher Transaction Fees vs. Traditional Merchant Accounts
    2.6% + $0.10 per card-present transaction
    2 sources
2 documented
  • Currency Conversion Fees for Non-US Accounts
    5-6% of transaction volume
    1 source
  • Per-Transaction Processing Fees on the "Free" Standard Plan
    2.59% + $0.49 per transaction
    1 source
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
No public ratings yet
Best for
New and small businesses
Watch out
Higher transaction fees compared to interchange-plus merchant accounts for established businesses
No public ratings yet
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses
Watch out
More expensive than Stripe for low-to-mid average order value transaction profiles
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Square pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Braintree pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Payment Processing

Square

$0–$149
/month
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Payment Processing

Braintree

$0.0259–$0.029
/month
2 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Square and Braintree both operate in the payment processing category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Square Braintree
Free Free /month Free /month
Plus $49 /month Custom
Premium $149 /month —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Square

4 scenarios
$1,428/year
Small Restaurant with 2 Registers
minimum ($119/month for base plus one additional device)
$52,800/year
Enterprise Deployment (Median)
$0/month
Solo Vendor or Food Truck (Free Plan)
+ 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction
See all 4 scenarios →

Braintree

2 scenarios
$17,570
Medium-Volume E-Commerce Store (20K Transactions/Month)
per month in transaction fees
$17,570/month (~$210,840/year)
High-Volume Small-Ticket Processing (20K transactions/month at $15 AOV)

Market Intelligence

Square

Median annual cost
$52,800
Based on
3 deals

Braintree

Median annual cost
$325
Based on
26 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Square 3 hidden costs

medium
Additional Device Fees for POS Terminals $50/device/month
high
Per-Device POS Fee $50/device/month
high
Higher Transaction Fees vs. Traditional Merchant Accounts 2.6% + $0.10 per card-present transaction
See all Square hidden costs →

Braintree 2 hidden costs

high
Currency Conversion Fees for Non-US Accounts 5-6% of transaction volume
high
Per-Transaction Processing Fees on the "Free" Standard Plan 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction
See all Braintree hidden costs →

Continue researching

Square

Braintree

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