Payments and billing · Comparison
Braintree vs FastSpring vs Stripe
3 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
| Metric | Braintree | FastSpring | 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. | Compliance includedFastSpring becomes the seller of record: it collects and remits sales tax and VAT, runs subscriptions and handles fraud and chargebacks for one quoted rate. | 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 | 5.3 | 8.1Best |
| Free option | –Not measured | Free trial | –Not measured |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Approval wait | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | 2.89% + 29¢/card transaction | Quote/transaction | 2.9% + 30¢/US card charge |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Custom quote | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Prices hidden | Public prices |
| Model | Payment processor; you are the seller | Merchant of record | Payment processor; you are the seller |
| Base fee | 2.89% + 29¢ per US card | Quoted revenue share; no published rate | 2.9% + 30¢ per US card |
| $10,000/mo scenario | $368 (3.7%), computed | Not computable; priced by sales | $500 (5.0%), computed |
| Sales tax and VAT filing | Yours; no tax product offered | FastSpring collects and remits | Yours; Tax Complete from $90/mo, or Managed Payments +3.5% |
| Dispute fee | $15, not refunded if won | $20 per chargeback or prevention alert | $15, plus $15 to counter (refunded if won) |
| Payouts | Every weekday (US accounts) | Twice a month by default; weekly or monthly; $100 minimum | Daily, weekly or monthly; standard schedule free |
| Charge currencies | 130+, one merchant account per currency | 36 | 135+ |
| Team access | Custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, 2FA required | Ten predefined roles, 2FA, Okta (OIDC) or Google SSO | Granular roles, SAML SSO, audit log |
| Card export if you leave | Documented, free, to a PCI-compliant gateway | Not documented; data returned in a standard form | Documented, to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor |
| Security reports | PCI DSS Level 1 service provider; no SOC 2 stated | PCI DSS, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3 | 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, FastSpring is a full merchant of record with strong B2B tools and security reports, but its rate is quoted by sales, so its cost cannot be compared here before a call. | 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; FastSpring: 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.
From our FastSpring review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick FastSpring when
- You want a merchant of record to collect and remit sales tax and VAT inside one rate.
- Pick Stripe when
- You want published per-transaction pricing, daily payouts, SAML SSO and a documented card export.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- BraintreeCards and digital wallets2.89% + 29¢/transactionUS 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
- FastSpringRevenue shareContact salesFlat rate set by transaction type and volume; no minimum volume; fees withheld from payouts
- FastSpring as merchant of record
- Sales tax and VAT collected and remitted
- Subscriptions, checkout, B2B invoicing and quotes
- Fraud prevention and chargeback handling
- StripePayments2.9% + 30¢/US card chargeStandard 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, FastSpring 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 highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (8.1/10).
- 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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