Payments and billing · Comparison

Braintree vs Stripe

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 Stripe: value, access facts, plan limits and bottom lines
Metric	Braintree	Stripe
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.	Saves engineering timeCard payments, subscriptions and tax calculation as separate per-transaction lines, with the lowest total of the three in our scenario: $500 on $10,000.
Overall score	7.5	8.1Best
Free option	–Not measured	–Not measured
Card to start	–Not measured	–Not measured
Getting access	Approval wait	Self-serve
Starter priceCheapest paid plan	2.89% + 29¢/card transaction	2.9% + 30¢/US card charge
Pricing model	Usage-based	Usage-based
Pricing page	Public prices	Public prices
Model	Payment processor; you are the seller	Payment processor; you are the seller
Base fee	2.89% + 29¢ per US card	2.9% + 30¢ per US card
$10,000/mo scenario	$368 (3.7%), computed	$500 (5.0%), computed
Sales tax and VAT filing	Yours; no tax product offered	Yours; Tax Complete from $90/mo, or Managed Payments +3.5%
Dispute fee	$15, not refunded if won	$15, plus $15 to counter (refunded if won)
Payouts	Every weekday (US accounts)	Daily, weekly or monthly; standard schedule free
Charge currencies	130+, one merchant account per currency	135+
Team access	Custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, 2FA required	Granular roles, SAML SSO, audit log
Card export if you leave	Documented, free, to a PCI-compliant gateway	Documented, to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor
Security reports	PCI DSS Level 1 service provider; no SOC 2 stated	PCI Service Provider Level 1, SOC 1 and 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, Stripe has the lowest fees in our scenario and the strongest controls and exit path here. Tax registration and filing stay with you unless you pay for Tax Complete or Managed Payments.

Evidence: Braintree: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Stripe: 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 want the lowest card fees, subscriptions without a billing fee, and PayPal and Venmo in the same integration.
Pick Stripe when
You want tax calculation or filing from the same vendor, charges in 135+ currencies, or an audit log.

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
Stripe
Payments
2.9% + 30¢/US card charge
Standard pricing; no setup, monthly or closure fees
- +1.5% for international cards
- +1% if currency conversion is required
- $15 per dispute
- Standard-schedule payouts free

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

Which one fits

If you need to start today without a sales call: StripeSelf-serve sign-up; the only one here you can use right after signing up.
Highest overall score: Stripe8.1/10 (Excellent). 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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