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A genuinely close comparison with a clean crossover point at a $61.29 average transaction.
A genuinely close comparison with a clean crossover point: Braintree has the lower percentage and the higher fixed fee, so which one wins depends entirely on your average transaction.
Published standard rates for domestic cards. Neither figure is a negotiated rate, and both providers may quote you something different.
The answer flips at a $61.29 average transaction. Below that Stripe is cheaper, because the fixed fee dominates; above it Braintree is, because the percentage does.
Cheaper of the two, by average transaction
Paydude is shown for reference, not as the answer to the question in the title. Excludes international, premium-card and dispute fees, which differ between all three.
| Stripe | Braintree | |
|---|---|---|
| Card rate | 2.9% | 2.59% |
| Fixed fee | 30¢ | 49¢ |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 |
| Pricing model | Flat rate | Flat rate |
Braintree's 2.59% is lower than Stripe's 2.9%, but its 49¢ fixed fee is well above Stripe's 30¢. Below a $61.29 ticket the fixed fee dominates and Stripe is cheaper; above it the percentage dominates and Braintree wins.
Your average transaction, and nothing else. Work it out from a statement — total volume divided by transaction count — then compare against $61.29.
The calculator above also shows Paydude, which publishes 2.6% + 25¢ improving with volume. It is there as a third data point rather than as the answer to a question about Stripe and Braintree — for every provider side by side see the full processor fee table.
GOOD QUESTIONS
It depends on your ticket size. Braintree's 2.59% beats Stripe's 2.9%, but its 49¢ fixed fee is higher than Stripe's 30¢. The crossover is $61.29: below that Stripe is cheaper, above it Braintree is.
At a $61.29 average transaction the two cost exactly the same. Below it Stripe wins because the fixed fee dominates; above it Braintree wins because the percentage does.
Braintree is PayPal's developer-facing platform and Stripe is an independent one. Feature sets overlap heavily; the meaningful differences are the rate structure above and Braintree's native PayPal wallet integration.
Both are publicly published standard rates for domestic card payments as of September 2026. Neither is a negotiated or promotional rate, and either provider may quote you something different from its list price.