Assessment
Braintree lets merchants accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH, cards, PayPal and Venmo through a single integration, and PayPal fills both the merchant-account role and the gateway role. For standard merchants, the US fee page shows 2.89% + $0.29 on each card or wallet transaction, a further 1% for non-US-issued cards and for non-USD payments, along with a $15 chargeback fee, whereas established businesses may negotiate custom flat rates or interchange-plus.
The product is in the middle of a transition. Braintree's website now sends visitors on to PayPal, which calls it PayPal Enterprise Payments, and in April 2026 PayPal placed it in a new Payment Services and Crypto division. Braintree documentation lists 130+ currencies across 44 countries, and some methods have been retired, Visa Click to Pay among them. Mature tooling includes server SDKs for six languages, client SDKs for Android, iOS and JavaScript, and a free sandbox.
Scenarios
| Scenario | Suitability | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal and Venmo beside card payments | Well suited | A single integration handles all three. |
| Native app checkout | Well suited | Drop-in UI with client SDKs on Android and iOS. |
| Letting other processors use vaulted cards | Partly suited | The Forward API and Braintree Extend support orchestration, with setup routed through PayPal. |
| Acquiring locally in many countries | Not suited | Documentation lists 44 countries. |
Built for
Merchants whose buyers use PayPal or Venmo heavily and who want both cards and wallets via one published-rate integration.
Less suited to
Businesses requiring local acquiring across numerous markets, or buyers wanting a vendor whose product brand is stable.
Who should consider it
Likely to suit
- US merchants serving many PayPal and Venmo buyers
- Mobile-first firms seeking client SDKs that are tested
- Businesses seeking published rates and room for negotiation
Unlikely to suit
- Global merchants who need local acquiring across many markets
- Buyers wanting a stable, separate Braintree brand
- Teams expecting phone support around the clock
Rating by criterion
How the eight criteria that form the rating for Braintree are each scored out of 100.
Sector criteria
Local methods, ACH, cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay and Google Pay, alongside more than 130 currencies across 44 countries, per Braintree's documentation.
It uses PayPal's processing, and the public status page for production covers PayPal in full, Braintree included only within that.
A free sandbox, Hosted Fields, Drop-in UI, client SDKs covering Android, iOS and JavaScript, and server SDKs spanning six languages.
Paid chargeback protection, dispute management via the API, 3D Secure 2 and premium fraud management tools.
Vendor criteria
A mature gateway offering vaulting and payment orchestration, though its brand is moving into PayPal Enterprise Payments, with some payment methods already retired.
A sales line, support articles and a help request form; customer success managers serve some merchants.
At 2.89% + $0.29, published US rates also show the non-USD surcharge, the non-US card surcharge and the $15 chargeback fee.
Readers can see the Payment Services Agreement, no monthly fee is shown, and custom rates stay open to established businesses.
Against its peers
How Braintree compares with other companies we rate in Payments & acquiring.
Fact file
| Standard US rate | 2.89% + 0.29 USD on each card or digital-wallet payment Source |
|---|---|
| Surcharges | +1% if currency is non-USD, +1% if the card comes from outside the US; $15 chargeback fee Source |
| Coverage | In 44 countries, more than 130 currencies Source |
| Brand | Presented now under PayPal Enterprise Payments Source |
| Security | Validated PCI DSS Level 1 service provider Source |
Source pages
- PayPal Braintree landing page: https://www.paypal.com/us/braintree (As of September 23, 2026)
- PayPal Braintree fees (US): https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees (As of September 23, 2026)
- Braintree getting started overview: https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/articles/get-started/overview/ (As of September 23, 2026)
- Braintree supported currencies: https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/articles/get-started/currencies (As of September 23, 2026)
- Braintree payment methods: https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/articles/get-started/payment-methods (As of September 23, 2026)
- Braintree developer documentation: https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/ (As of September 23, 2026)
- Braintree help and support: https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/help (As of September 23, 2026)
- PayPal production system status: https://www.paypal-status.com/product/production (As of September 23, 2026)
- PayPal strategic reorganization, April 2026: https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2026-04-29-PayPal-Announces-Strategic-Reorganization-to-Accelerate-Growth (As of September 23, 2026)
- Braintree on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braintree_(company) (As of September 23, 2026)
How this rating was made
This profile gives our own assessment of Braintree to companies selecting a Payments & acquiring provider. The Fintech Index receives nothing for featuring a firm, for sponsorship, or for advertising, and Braintree gave us no payment for the profile.
The rating equals the average of eight criteria, with every criterion running from 0 to 100. Four address buyer needs in this sector, and four address the company together with its commercial terms.
Ratings are our editorial judgment, made from public information: pricing and legal pages, product documentation, compliance disclosures, and filings. This profile had no lab tests, and no accounts were opened. Fact-checking took place on September 23, 2026.