# Braintree as a Stripe alternative

Title: Braintree: Stripe alternative

Description: Braintree: 2.89% + $0.29. Dispute $15 chargeback. Payment service provider. Checked November 9, 2026 on the provider page. The provider page is the source.

Braintree is a payment service provider. On November 9, 2026 the rate line is 2.89% + $0.29. The dispute line is $15 chargeback. Confirm the billed row before you leave Stripe. The provider's own page is the figure a contract will follow.

## What is Braintree?

Braintree is PayPal's developer platform. The US standard card rate is slightly under Stripe's list price. PayPal wallet and Venmo transactions on Braintree are priced separately.

## Who should choose Braintree?

Braintree fits: Developers who want a PayPal-owned processor with a published US card rate close to Stripe's. A listing here is not an approval, and a published rate is not a quote.

## Who should look elsewhere?

What Braintree replaces: Card processing for a business PayPal will approve. Custom and interchange-plus quotes exist for larger accounts. Look elsewhere when you need something outside that.

Underwriting: Application and approval. PayPal says use is subject to eligibility.

## How does Braintree charge?

Braintree has 6 fee lines in this dataset, each read on November 9, 2026. Headline rate: 2.89% + $0.29.

| Fee | Amount | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cards and third-party wallets, standard US merchants | 2.89% + $0.29 | [Source](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com) |
| Card issued outside the US | +1% | [Source](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com) |
| Non-USD presentment | +1% | [Source](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com) |
| Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49. US only. | [Source](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com) |
| Chargeback | $15 | [Source](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com) |
| ACH direct debit | 0.75%, capped at $5. Same-day ACH is 1.5% + $0.10. | [Source](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com) |

## What does Braintree cost at $10,000, $100,000, and $1 million a month?

The arithmetic below uses a $50 average ticket and successful charges only. It is not a quote for international cards or disputes.

| Monthly volume | Stripe US cards | Braintree, US cards and wallets |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $10,000.00 | $350.00 (200 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $10,000.00) | $347.00 (200 × $0.29 + 2.89% of $10,000.00) |
| $100,000.00 | $3,500.00 (2000 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $100,000.00) | $3,470.00 (2000 × $0.29 + 2.89% of $100,000.00) |
| $1,000,000.00 | $35,000.00 (20000 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $1,000,000.00) | $34,700.00 (20000 × $0.29 + 2.89% of $1,000,000.00) |

Standard merchant rate. Non-US cards add 1%. Venmo is 3.49% + $0.49 and is not this row.

## Where does Braintree operate?

Coverage: The published schedule below is for US accounts. That is where Braintree operates, not a list of industries it accepts.

Do not treat a processor logo as an industry approval. If the business is on Stripe's prohibited list, switching the logo does not make the card payment lawful. The [restricted-business guide](/guides/stripe-restricted-businesses) is the map of Stripe's own words.

## How does Braintree differ from Stripe?

Stripe is a payment service provider at 2.9% + $0.30 for US domestic cards, read November 9, 2026, and it can review an account after you have started processing. Braintree is a payment service provider with the rate line 2.89% + $0.29 and the dispute line $15 chargeback.

Braintree and Stripe can both process cards, and the bill still depends on which published row matches the payment type you actually take.

## How do you switch from Stripe to Braintree?

Stripe's data export page, read November 10, 2026, says Stripe transfers saved cards only to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor and does not export subscriptions or payment history. The [switching guide](/guides/switching-from-stripe) covers what moves, what needs Stripe's approval, and how to keep subscriptions billing. Read it before you cancel the Stripe account.

1. Export Stripe customers, prices, and dispute history while the dashboard still allows it.
2. Ask Braintree, in writing, whether it can receive a card transfer from Stripe. The switching guide names the providers whose own pages describe one.
3. Recreate plans and the next billing date. Run five real customers in a test mode, including one annual plan and one past-due plan.
4. Map webhooks and payout reconciliation before the cutover. Do not bill the same period on both systems.
5. If Stripe has already closed the account, plan for customers to enter cards again.

## What usually goes wrong?

The dispute fee is the small line. The disputed amount and the card-network ratio are the ones that close accounts.

The other failure is comparing a different product, such as a merchant-of-record percent or a gateway monthly fee, to Stripe's card rate as if they were the same line.

## Which providers are similar?

These listings share Braintree's type. The order is alphabetical, not a rank.

- [Checkout.com](/alternatives/checkout-com): Custom.
- [Frame](/alternatives/frame-payments): From 2.0% + $0.39.
- [Helcim](/alternatives/helcim): Interchange + 0.50% + $0.25 online, at the base tier.
- [Mollie](/alternatives/mollie): Per method and country. See Mollie.

Also read [Stripe's fee breakdown](/guides/stripe-fees-explained) and the [pricing dataset](/data/pricing).

## Questions

### What does Braintree publish as its card rate?

Braintree's rate line in this directory is 2.89% + $0.29, read on November 9, 2026. Use that line only for the product it describes.

### What is Braintree's dispute fee?

Braintree's dispute line is $15 chargeback. Stripe's published fee to receive a dispute is $15 on the same date, November 9, 2026.

### Is Braintree the merchant of record?

Braintree is a payment service provider, not a merchant of record in this directory. You remain the merchant unless a contract you sign says otherwise.

### Where does Braintree operate?

The published schedule below is for US accounts. That is the coverage note stored with the November 9, 2026 reading. It is not a list of merchant category codes Braintree has approved.

### Should you leave Stripe for Braintree?

Only when this is the fit: Developers who want a PayPal-owned processor with a published US card rate close to Stripe's. If the Stripe account is healthy and Stripe's other products are part of why you chose it, staying is often the smaller move. Braintree does not become a yes just because it is on this page.

### How much is Braintree at $10,000 a month?

At $10,000 a month and a $50 ticket, Braintree, US cards and wallets is $347.00 using the published rate read on November 9, 2026. Stripe on the same assumptions is $350.00. Standard merchant rate. Non-US cards add 1%. Venmo is 3.49% + $0.49 and is not this row.

## Sources

Last verified November 9, 2026.

- Braintree pricing: https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com
- Braintree website: https://www.braintreepayments.com/?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com
- Stripe pricing: https://stripe.com/pricing?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com
- Stripe: payment data export: https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/data-migrations/pan-export?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com

## Related

- [Stripe pricing profile](/alternatives/stripe.md)
- [Stripe vs Braintree](/compare/stripe-vs-braintree.md)
- [How Stripe's US fees add up](/guides/stripe-fees-explained.md)
- [How to switch from Stripe](/guides/switching-from-stripe.md)
- [Lowest-fee Stripe alternatives](/best/lowest-fees.md)
- [Pricing dataset for November 9, 2026](/data/pricing.md)
- [All provider profiles](/alternatives.md)
- [Checkout.com profile](/alternatives/checkout-com.md)
