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

Braintree vs Stripe

Payment Processing pricing comparison · 2026

Braintree pricing ranges from $0.0259–$0.029/month, while Stripe ranges from $0–$0/month. These products use different pricing models ( vs Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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 Braintree pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Stripe pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Payment Processing
Side-by-side · live
Braintree
Braintree pricing is based on a transaction fee model with no monthly or setup fees.
verified 27d ago
$325 $18K
View pricing →
Stripe
Stripe charges 2.
verified 18d ago
$325 $18K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Braintree saves $17K vs Stripe · 25 seats
Cheapest $325
Spread 98%
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.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$325/yr
Vendr · n=26
Median annual
$18K/yr
Vendr · n=0 · limited data avg 10% negotiated
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 2 sourced facts
1 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 16 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 4 contract · Vendr median
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High 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
1 documented
  • Currency Conversion Fees for Non-US Accounts
    5-6% of transaction volume
    1 source
5 documented
  • Per-Chargeback Dispute Fee
    $15/dispute
    1 source
  • International Currency Exchange Fee
    2%
    2 sources
  • High-Risk Order Manual Review Fee
    $5-$15
    1 source
  • Paywalled Essential Features
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Account Holds and Fund Freezes for High-Risk Merchants
    $4,000-$7,000
    2 sources
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
Small to mid-sized businesses
Watch out
Expensive compared to competitors
No public ratings yet
Best for
Businesses of all sizes with standard payment volumes
Watch out
Transaction fees are expensive, especially for startups, small-ticket transactions, and international payments
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Braintree pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Stripe 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

Braintree

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

Stripe

$0–$0
/month
2 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Braintree uses pricing while Stripe uses Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute) pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Braintree

$0.0259–$0.029 / month
See full Braintree pricing →
vs
Usage-based (pay per token/image/minute)

Stripe

Usage-based — see pricing page
See full Stripe pricing →

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 /month Free /transaction
Custom Custom Custom

Cost at Scale

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

Braintree

1 scenario
$17,570
Medium-Volume E-Commerce Store (20K Transactions/Month)
per month in transaction fees

Stripe

4 scenarios
$175/month (100 transactions × $1.75 average fee per transaction at 2.9% rate plus $0.30 each)
Small Business: 100 Transactions at $50 Average
$2,000/month (2% negotiated rate on $100,000 monthly volume, plus $0.30 fixed fee)
High-Volume Merchant: $100K/Month at Negotiated 2% Rate
$40,000/month (2% negotiated rate on $2,000,000 monthly volume, plus $0.30 fixed fee)
Enterprise Merchant: $2M/Month at Negotiated 2% Rate
See all 4 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Braintree

Median annual cost
$325
Based on
26 deals

Stripe

Median annual cost
$17,760
Average negotiated discount
10%

Continue researching

Braintree

Stripe

Our 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.

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