PayPal Braintree
Full-stack payment platform by PayPal — accept cards, PayPal, Venmo, and ACH with a single integration. No monthly fees, pay only per transaction.
Use Cases
Free Tier
$0/mo — 2.89%+29¢ per card transaction, PayPal/Venmo included, ACH at 0.75%
How to Maximize the Free Tier
Braintree's free tier has no monthly fee, setup cost, or minimum volume. To maximize it: integrate PayPal and Venmo alongside card payments (PayPal transactions use your existing PayPal rates), use ACH for large B2B invoices at just 0.75% (capped at $5), and enable the Drop-in UI for quick PCI-compliant integration. Fraud tools like 3D Secure are included free. For nonprofits, the charity rate drops to 2.19%+29¢. Avoid pass-through AmEx unless you have a direct AmEx merchant account (adds 15¢). The sandbox environment is unlimited — prototype as much as you need before going live.
Getting Started
Create a PayPal Business account → sign up for Braintree at braintreepayments.com → get sandbox API keys from the Control Panel → integrate using the Drop-in UI or custom integration → test with sandbox cards → switch to production keys when ready → start accepting live payments.
Pros
- Unified PayPal ecosystem: One integration covers cards, PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay — no need for separate payment processor and wallet integrations
- Developer experience: Excellent SDKs (Node, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP), Drop-in UI for instant PCI compliance, and comprehensive sandbox
- Fraud protection included: 3D Secure, device data fingerprinting, and basic fraud tools come free — advanced tools available as paid add-ons
Cons
- PayPal-owned complexity: Braintree is being folded into PayPal's Commerce Platform — documentation and support can be confusing during the transition
- Account stability: PayPal/Braintree is known for sudden account freezes or holds on funds, especially for new or high-risk merchants
- Higher base rate: At 2.89%+29¢, the standard rate is slightly higher than Stripe's 2.9%+30¢ — and custom pricing requires volume negotiation