Payment processor head-to-head
Stripe vs Braintree
Stripe and Braintree are both developer gateways with full APIs. The difference is the wallets: Braintree, owned by PayPal since 2013, brings PayPal and Venmo into the same integration, while Stripe brings the widest set of other payment methods. Their US card rates are nearly identical.
Updated October 2026. Figures from each company's published US pricing; where a figure is not published, we say so.
Stripe
$3.20
2.9% + 30¢
Braintree
$3.18
2.89% + 29¢
Anytime Capital
$3.05
2.75% + 30¢
Braintree costs less at every sale size.
Quick answer
Is Stripe or Braintree cheaper?
Braintree, slightly: 2.89% + 29¢ for cards and wallets against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, or $3.18 against $3.20 on a $100 sale. Foreign cards widen the gap, with Braintree adding 1% and Stripe 1.5%. ACH is 0.75% capped at $5 on Braintree and 0.8% capped at $5 on Stripe (published US rates, October 2026).
US card or wallet payment: what a $100 sale costs
Percentage plus fixed fee, as a share of a $100 sale, at each published US rate
- Anytime Capital
- Stripe
- Braintree
Published US rates as of October 2026. Anytime Capital: 2.75% + 30¢, or 2.5% + 30¢ for the first 90 days with the launch offer. Excludes international, currency-conversion, dispute and payout fees, and any monthly plan.
Published fees
Stripe vs Braintree fees, line by line
| Fee | Stripe | Braintree | Anytime Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card rate | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.89% + 29¢ for cards and digital wallets | 2.75% + 30¢ (2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days with the launch offer) |
| In person | 2.7% + 5¢ on Stripe Terminal; Tap to Pay adds 10¢ per authorization | No in-person product on Braintree's fee page | Customers scan and tap to pay on their own phone; no terminal to buy or rent |
| ACH bank payments | 0.8%, capped at $5 | 0.75%, capped at $5; same-day ACH 1.5% + 10¢ | ACH bank debit on payment links and invoices; current rate on the pricing page |
| International cards | +1.5% on international cards | +1% on foreign-issued cards | May carry an extra fee, shown in your dashboard before you accept the payment |
| Currency conversion | +1% when currency conversion is needed | +1% to charge in a currency other than USD | May carry an extra fee, shown in your dashboard before you accept the payment |
| Instant payout | 1.5% of the payout, 50¢ minimum (US) | Not published | Instant, 24/7, to your Anytime Capital business account |
| Disputes | $15 per dispute, plus a counter fee to contest one (refunded if you win) | $15 per chargeback | Shown in your dashboard; pre-dispute alerts can refund small payments automatically |
| Monthly fee | $0 on standard pricing | $0; custom and interchange-plus pricing for established businesses | $0: no monthly, setup or PCI fees |
US pricing as of October 2026. “Not published” means no official figure was found, not that the fee is zero.
Sale by sale
What each one costs, at every sale size
01US card or wallet payment
| Sale | Stripe2.9% + 30¢ | Braintree2.89% + 29¢ | Anytime Capital2.75% + 30¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.59 | $0.58 | $0.58 |
| $25 | $1.03 | $1.01 | $0.99 |
| $50 | $1.75 | $1.74 | $1.68 |
| $100 | $3.20 | $3.18 | $3.05 |
| $250 | $7.55 | $7.52 | $7.18 |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $29.19 | $27.80 |
Braintree costs less at every sale size.
02Foreign-issued card
| Sale | Stripe2.9% + 30¢, +1.5% international | Braintree2.89% + 29¢, +1% foreign card |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.74 | $0.68 |
| $25 | $1.40 | $1.26 |
| $50 | $2.50 | $2.24 |
| $100 | $4.70 | $4.18 |
| $250 | $11.30 | $10.02 |
| $1,000 | $44.30 | $39.19 |
Braintree costs less at every sale size.
Before currency conversion, which adds 1% on each: on Stripe when conversion is needed, on Braintree to charge in a currency other than USD.
03ACH bank payment
| Sale | Stripe0.8%, capped at $5 | Braintree0.75%, capped at $5 |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $0.80 | $0.75 |
| $500 | $4.00 | $3.75 |
| $1,000 | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| $2,500 | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| $5,000 | $5.00 | $5.00 |
Which costs less depends on the amount; the table shows each.
Stripe's ACH Direct Debit. Braintree's same-day ACH is 1.5% + 10¢.
The short version
Which to choose
Choose Stripe if
- You want the widest payment-method coverage, with local methods and presentment currencies through one integration.
- You need Connect for a marketplace or platform, or Billing for complicated subscriptions.
- You take payments in person too: Stripe has Terminal readers and Tap to Pay on phones, and Braintree has no in-person product.
Choose Braintree if
- You want cards, PayPal and Venmo through one gateway and one contract.
- Your volume is high enough to negotiate custom or interchange-plus pricing.
- Many of your customers pay with foreign cards, where Braintree's 1% surcharge is below Stripe's 1.5%.
Card fees: a few cents apart, until you sell abroad
For US cards and digital wallets, Braintree charges 2.89% + 29¢ and Stripe 2.9% + 30¢, a gap of a few cents on typical sales. Cards issued abroad cost 1% more on Braintree and 1.5% more on Stripe, so a $100 foreign-card sale costs $4.18 on Braintree and $4.70 on Stripe before any currency conversion.
Braintree also lists custom and interchange-plus pricing for established businesses, which matters once card volume is large enough to negotiate.
Wallets and payment methods
Braintree's case is PayPal and Venmo. Alongside cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and ACH, it puts both wallets into one integration with full vaulting and recurring-billing APIs. Stripe offers cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Affirm, ACH Direct Debit, a long list of local payment methods and stablecoin payments in the US.
Stripe also covers in-person sales, with Terminal readers at 2.7% + 5¢ and Tap to Pay on phones. Braintree is an online gateway with no in-person product.
Fraud, disputes and payouts
Both charge $15 per chargeback; Stripe also charges a counter fee to contest one, refunded if you win. Stripe includes Radar machine-learning screening, with Radar for Fraud Teams at 2¢ per screened transaction. Braintree sells Chargeback Protection from 0.4% of each transaction and Effortless Chargeback Protection from 0.6%.
Stripe pays out on a 2-day standard schedule for many lower-risk US businesses, with Instant Payouts at 1.5% (50¢ minimum). Braintree does not publish payout timing on its fee page; it is set with your merchant account.
At a glance
The two side by side
| Stripe | Braintree | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Developer-first online payments platform with the broadest API | PayPal's gateway for cards, PayPal and Venmo in one integration |
| Background | Founded 2010; headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin. | Founded 2007 in Chicago; acquired by PayPal in 2013. |
| Payout speed | A 2-day standard schedule for many lower-risk US businesses (up to 14 days for higher-risk ones), after a 7-day wait for a new account's first payout. Instant Payouts usually land within 30 minutes, up to 10 a day. | Not published on Braintree's fee page; settlement timing is set with your merchant account |
| Payment methods | Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Affirm, ACH Direct Debit, a long list of local payment methods, and stablecoin payments in the US | Cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay and ACH |
| Fraud tools | Radar machine-learning screening included; Radar for Fraud Teams adds custom rules and manual review for 2¢ per screened transaction on standard pricing; 3D Secure supported | Chargeback Protection from 0.4% of each transaction and Effortless Chargeback Protection from 0.6% |
| Point of sale | Stripe Terminal card readers and Tap to Pay on phones | None; Braintree is an online gateway |
| Support | Free 24/7 email, chat and phone support; Premium Support with a dedicated manager, priced on request | Not published with pricing |
The third option
Where Anytime Capital fits
If neither PayPal's wallets nor a full developer platform is the deciding factor, Anytime Capital Payments is worth pricing: 2.75% + 30¢ per US card or wallet payment (2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days), a REST API, signed webhooks and an MCP endpoint so AI agents can create payment links and invoices, and risk rules with 3D Secure above an amount you choose.
Settled sales sweep instantly into an Anytime Capital business account, nights and weekends included. Stripe's platform and Braintree's PayPal wallets cover cases we do not. Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank.
Launch offer
Try Anytime Capital Payments: 2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days
Then 2.75% + 30¢ per card or wallet payment, with no monthly, setup or PCI fees. Links, invoices and in-person payments from day one, payouts to your bank (instant where eligible), and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
- 2.75% + 30¢ online, 2.5% + 30¢ for 90 days
- No monthly, setup or PCI fees
- Payouts to your bank, instant where eligible
- Live US business team
Questions
Stripe vs Braintree: FAQ
Other head-to-heads
Where to go next
Important Disclosures
- Information about Stripe and Braintree is drawn from their own published US pricing and pages (stripe.com/pricing, stripe.com/terminal, stripe.com/radar/fraud-teams, stripe.com/support-plans, docs.stripe.com/payouts and Stripe's Sessions 2026 announcements; paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees and Braintree's past policy updates) as of October 2026. Prices and features change; where a figure was not published, this page says so rather than giving a number. Check current pricing before you decide.
- Anytime Capital, Stripe and Braintree are independent companies. This page is not endorsed by, affiliated with or sponsored by Stripe or Braintree. Third-party names, logos and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify the companies compared.
- This comparison is for information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice.
- Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank. Payment processing, banking and payout services are provided by Anytime Capital's licensed partners. Rates shown are for US card payments; international cards, currency conversion and disputes may carry additional fees shown in your dashboard before you accept a payment.