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Software · head to head

Braintree vs Shopify

B

Braintree

Software

End-to-end checkout experiences for businesses, from PayPal

From
On request
Rated
-
Shopify logo

Shopify

Software

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Braintree vendor overview page names no transaction fee percentage or fixed charge, requiring a separate signup flow to see pricing; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Braintree and Shopify actually diverge.

Attributes where Braintree and Shopify differ
AttributeBraintreeShopify
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
FoundedUnknown2006

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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

Nothing recorded that Shopify does not also cover.

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

What people use each for

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

Braintree

No use cases recorded yet. See the Braintree review.

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Braintree
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Braintree

Where each one falls short

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

Braintree

  • Vendor overview page names no transaction fee percentage or fixed charge, requiring a separate signup flow to see pricing
  • Now marketed and hosted directly under the PayPal brand at paypal.com rather than a standalone braintreepayments.com site, which now redirects

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

Pricing, plan by plan

Braintree

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Braintree review.

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

Which should you pick?

Choose Braintree if

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

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.

Questions people ask

Is Braintree or Shopify better?
Neither clearly leads. Braintree starts at On request and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Braintree or Shopify?
Braintree starts at On request and Shopify at $29/month.
Does Braintree or Shopify run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What can Braintree do that Shopify cannot?
Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.
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