Head to head
Braintree vs Stripe
As a payments API, Stripe rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 97.5 to 77.9, a 19.6-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Braintree | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 77.9 | 97.5 |
Specifications
| Braintree | Stripe | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | PayPal/Venmo-native card gateway | Developer-first payments platform |
| Free tier | Free sandbox account; live rates not always published | Unlimited test-mode sandbox (no CC); pay-per-transaction live |
| Pricing | Per transaction (2.59% + $0.49) | Per transaction (2.9% + $0.30) |
| Official SDKs | 9 languages | 12 languages |
Is Braintree better than Stripe?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Stripe rates higher (97.5 vs 77.9). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.