Braintree vs Stripe
Payment Processing pricing comparison · 2026
Braintree pricing ranges from $0.0259–$0.029/month, while Stripe ranges from $0–$0/month. Stripe is typically 100% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
Braintree (owned by PayPal) and Stripe are often compared by developers building payment-enabled applications. Both offer similar transaction fees (2.9% + $0.30 for cards) and strong APIs. Braintree's key differentiator is PayPal acceptance at no extra transaction fee and a $0 monthly fee—plus PayPal's massive consumer trust. Stripe differentiates with a broader product ecosystem (Stripe Billing, Radar, Atlas, Connect) and faster feature velocity.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | Braintree | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Free / | Free /transaction |
| Custom | Custom | Custom |
Cost at Scale
Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.
Braintree
1 scenarioStripe
4 scenariosOur Verdict
Choose Stripe if you need the most feature-rich payment platform, plan to use Stripe's broader ecosystem (billing, fraud, connect marketplaces), or are building globally and need 135+ currencies. Stripe's documentation and developer experience are consistently rated best-in-class.
Choose Braintree if PayPal acceptance is important to your customers (PayPal transactions are free on Braintree vs. a fee on Stripe), you want Venmo acceptance in the US, or you prefer PayPal's enterprise relationship and support model.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Does Braintree charge for PayPal transactions?
Braintree does not charge its standard processing fee for PayPal transactions processed through its vault—only the PayPal seller fee applies. On Stripe, PayPal is an add-on with the same 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee. This can make Braintree significantly cheaper if your customers heavily use PayPal.
02 Which is better for subscriptions: Stripe or Braintree?
Stripe Billing is far more mature with advanced subscription logic, proration, trials, metered billing, and dunning. Braintree offers basic recurring billing but lacks the depth of Stripe's subscription management. For SaaS or subscription businesses, Stripe is the stronger choice.
03 Is Braintree still being actively developed?
Braintree continues to operate and is integrated into PayPal's commerce platform. However, PayPal has focused more development on its newer Commerce Platform and Pay Later products. Stripe has a faster release cadence and broader feature set in 2026.