Stripe vs Braintree
Stripe and Braintree (owned by PayPal) are both developer-focused payment gateways with comprehensive SDKs and global payment method support. Stripe has a larger developer community, more modern API design, and a broader financial services ecosystem. Braintree's main advantage is native PayPal and Venmo acceptance plus competitive rates for high-volume merchants.
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Financial infrastructure for the internet vs A PayPal service for accepting and processing payments.
| Feature | Stripe | Braintree |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction | 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction |
| Pricing | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction | 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction |
| Best for | Developer-first payments with broadest ecosystem | Merchants needing native PayPal/Venmo or PayPal volume |
| PayPal support | Via Stripe's PayPal integration | Native PayPal and Venmo acceptance |
| Subscription billing | Stripe Billing (full-featured) | Braintree subscriptions (basic) |
| Developer experience | Industry-leading API and documentation | Good API, less community content |
| Global reach | 135+ currencies, 30+ countries direct | 130+ countries via PayPal ecosystem |
The third option most teams miss
Picking between Stripe and Braintree isn't the only choice.
Appaca handles multi-PSP routing between Stripe and Braintree, automatically directing transactions to the gateway with the highest approval rate or lowest fees based on card type and region. Maximize revenue recovery without managing two separate billing implementations.
- No code, no deployment, no devops
- Built-in database, dashboards, team access
- Refine with chat as your needs change
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing surprises
Common questions
Braintree's standard rate is marginally lower at 2.59% + $0.49 vs Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. For average transaction sizes, the difference is minimal. High-volume merchants can negotiate custom rates with both.
Yes, Stripe has a PayPal integration that allows PayPal as an additional payment method. However, native Braintree (owned by PayPal) has deeper PayPal features including PayPal Credit and Venmo.
Stripe Billing is significantly more feature-rich for subscription management, with support for complex pricing models, trials, promotions, and revenue recognition. Braintree subscriptions are more basic.