Payments and billing · Comparison

Braintree vs Paddle

2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.

Side by side

Braintree vs Paddle: value, access facts, plan limits and bottom lines
Metric	Braintree	Paddle
What you're paying for	Worth the priceCards, PayPal and Venmo through one gateway, with the lowest card fees in our scenario: $368 on $10,000 a month, subscriptions included.	Compliance includedPaddle becomes the seller of record: it files and remits sales tax and VAT and answers buyer billing questions, all inside 5% + 50¢.
Overall score	7.5Best	6.9
Free option	–Not measured	–Not measured
Card to start	–Not measured	–Not measured
Getting access	Approval wait	Approval wait
Starter priceCheapest paid plan	2.89% + 29¢/card transaction	5% + 50¢/transaction
Pricing model	Usage-based	Usage-based
Pricing page	Public prices	Public prices
Model	Payment processor; you are the seller	Merchant of record
Base fee	2.89% + 29¢ per US card	5% + 50¢ per transaction
$10,000/mo scenario	$368 (3.7%), computed	$600 (6.0%), computed
Sales tax and VAT filing	Yours; no tax product offered	Paddle files and remits
Dispute fee	$15, not refunded if won	$20, not refunded if won
Payouts	Every weekday (US accounts)	Monthly, $100 minimum
Charge currencies	130+, one merchant account per currency	33
Team access	Custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, 2FA required	Five roles, 2FA
Card export if you leave	Documented, free, to a PCI-compliant gateway	Not documented; data portability stated
Security reports	PCI DSS Level 1 service provider; no SOC 2 stated	PCI DSS attestation, SOC 2 Type II
Bottom line	From its public pages, Braintree has the lowest fees in our scenario and strong access controls and exit terms. It leaves tax entirely to you and takes an application before you go live.	From its public pages, Paddle is the most complete merchant of record here for a SaaS business: tax filing, buyer support and security reports in one 5% + 50¢ fee. Plan around monthly payouts and the $20 chargeback fee.

Evidence: Braintree: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Paddle: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.

When to pick each

In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.

From our Braintree review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Braintree when
You can handle sales tax yourself and want lower fees, payouts every weekday, SAML SSO and a documented card export.
Pick Paddle when
You want a merchant of record to file sales tax and VAT and answer buyer billing questions inside one fee.

Entry price

Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.

Braintree
Cards and digital wallets
2.89% + 29¢/transaction
US standard rate; custom flat or interchange-plus pricing for established businesses
- +1% for cards issued outside the US
- +1% when presented in a currency other than USD
- $15 per chargeback
- Recurring Billing, no separate fee listed
Paddle
Pay-as-you-go
5% + 50¢/transaction
No monthly or migration fees
- Paddle as merchant of record
- Sales tax and VAT collection and filing
- Fraud protection and chargeback handling
- Buyer billing support

Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Braintree 2026-10-15, Paddle 2026-10-15.

Which one fits

If you need to start today without a sales call: NoneNone of these is self-serve: Braintree (Approval wait) and Paddle (Approval wait).
Highest overall score: Braintree7.5/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.

Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score

Full reviews

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