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E-Commerce · head to head

Braintree vs Checkout.com

Braintree logo

Braintree

E-Commerce

PayPal's payment gateway and processor for cards, PayPal, Venmo and digital wallets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Checkout.com logo

Checkout.com

E-Commerce

Your business deserves tailored pricing based on your needs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Braintree the merchant relationship sits with PayPal, whose risk operations can place reserves on or hold funds in accounts they flag, and appeals run through support queues, so a business with thin working capital carries real exposure to a decision it cannot negotiate.; Checkout.com no rate is published: the pricing page states fees are set per business profile and risk category, so no figure can be compared before contacting sales
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Braintree and Checkout.com actually diverge.

Attributes where Braintree and Checkout.com differ
AttributeBraintreeCheckout.com
Pricing modeltransactionquote

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Braintree

  • Card processing
  • PayPal and Venmo acceptance
  • Digital wallets
  • Hosted fields
  • Card vault
  • Recurring billing
  • Split payouts
  • Multi-market coverage

Only in Checkout.com

Nothing recorded that Braintree does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Braintree

  • A United States consumer brand that wants Venmo in the checkout rather than as an off-site redirectnot Checkout.com
  • A subscription business that needs a vault and recurring billing alongside wallet acceptancenot Checkout.com
  • A marketplace splitting each payment between the platform and multiple sellersnot Checkout.com
  • A merchant consolidating card and PayPal acceptance into a single integration and a single settlementnot Checkout.com

Checkout.com

  • Processing card payments across 150+ currenciesnot Braintree
  • Taking domestic payments in 45+ countriesnot Braintree
  • Interchange plus plus processing for a business that wants itemised card association and processor costsnot Braintree

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Braintree

  • The merchant relationship sits with PayPal, whose risk operations can place reserves on or hold funds in accounts they flag, and appeals run through support queues, so a business with thin working capital carries real exposure to a decision it cannot negotiate.
  • Cross-border transactions and currency conversion carry additional charges on top of the headline rate, so an international customer base costs materially more per order than the quoted percentage suggests.
  • Disputes carry a per chargeback fee in addition to the reversed transaction amount, so a category with a high dispute rate loses money at roughly twice the rate a naive model predicts.
  • Leaving means requesting a vault export to another PCI compliant processor and then re-tokenising every stored card and every active subscription, which is an engineering project with a customer-visible failure mode if any subscription fails to migrate.
  • It is a payments component rather than a commerce platform, so checkout, tax determination, invoicing and refund workflow still have to be built and maintained somewhere else, and merchants who assume otherwise underestimate the integration.

Checkout.com

  • No rate is published: the pricing page states fees are set per business profile and risk category, so no figure can be compared before contacting sales
  • Both a flat rate and interchange plus plus are offered without either being quoted, so a buyer cannot tell which model they will be given
  • Every route to a number runs through the sales team

Pricing, plan by plan

Braintree

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Braintree review.

Checkout.com

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Checkout.com review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Braintree if

  • You need card processing.
  • You also want paypal and venmo acceptance.
Braintree review

Choose Checkout.com if

Nothing in the data separates Checkout.com from Braintree on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Checkout.com review

Questions people ask

Is Braintree or Checkout.com better?
Neither clearly leads. Braintree starts at On request and Checkout.com at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Braintree or Checkout.com?
Braintree starts at On request and Checkout.com at On request.
Does Braintree or Checkout.com run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Braintree best used for?
Braintree is most often used for a united states consumer brand that wants venmo in the checkout rather than as an off-site redirect, a subscription business that needs a vault and recurring billing alongside wallet acceptance, a marketplace splitting each payment between the platform and multiple sellers, a merchant consolidating card and paypal acceptance into a single integration and a single settlement. Of those, a united states consumer brand that wants venmo in the checkout rather than as an off-site redirect and a subscription business that needs a vault and recurring billing alongside wallet acceptance are not what Checkout.com is typically brought in for.
What can Braintree do that Checkout.com cannot?
Braintree covers Card processing, PayPal and Venmo acceptance, Digital wallets, Hosted fields.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Braintree: How is it different from using PayPal directly?

Braintree gives you a full processing account and a native checkout with cards, PayPal and Venmo in one integration, rather than a redirect flow bolted onto a separate card processor.

Checkout.com: How is Checkout.com pricing structured?

Checkout.com offers flat-rate pricing based on your business profile and risk category. They also provide interchange++ pricing model showing transparent card association and processor fees. No setup fees, account maintenance fees, or surprise charges are applied.

Source
Braintree: Is Venmo the main reason to choose it?

For United States consumer brands, frequently yes. It is the practical route to native Venmo acceptance, and no competing processor offers an equivalent.

Checkout.com: Does Checkout.com offer pricing for nonprofits?

Yes, Checkout.com provides free payment processing for registered charities in countries where they operate. Contact their sales team to verify eligibility and activate the charity program.

Source
Braintree: What does it actually cost?

A percentage plus a fixed fee per transaction on standard accounts, with interchange-plus available at volume. Add cross-border and currency conversion charges, plus a fee per chargeback, before comparing.

Checkout.com: What support is included in Checkout.com pricing?

All plans include dedicated account management, risk and fraud management tools, and integration support at no additional cost.

Source
Braintree: How hard is it to switch away later?

Harder than most merchants expect. The vault export to another compliant processor is possible but every stored card and subscription has to be re-tokenised and tested.

Braintree: Can PayPal hold my money?

Reserves and holds are a documented part of PayPal's risk management. Ask about reserve policy for your category and volume before you migrate revenue onto it.

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Related pages

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