Braintree vs Checkout.com
The sharpest difference is what you can read before you talk to anyone. Braintree puts US rates for cards, ACH and Venmo on a fee page, while Checkout.com states only that pricing is tailored to your business profile and risk category. Braintree now trades as PayPal Enterprise Payments and depends on PayPal's approval. Checkout.com is headquartered in London and its UK entity is regulated by the FCA as an electronic money institution.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Braintree ifyou sell mainly in the United States and want to put card, ACH and Venmo rates into a spreadsheet today. You also accept that PayPal decides whether you are approved.
Choose Checkout.com ifyou process enough volume to negotiate and want to test flat-rate against interchange++ on your own card mix. You also want an acquirer with a London headquarters and processing in 150+ currencies.
Braintree and Checkout.com side by side
| Braintree | Checkout.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Our payment processing software rank | #9 of 13 | #8 of 13 |
| Established in | United States | United Kingdom |
| List price, 6 November 2026 | Fee page, US only: cards 2.89% + 0.29 USD, ACH 0.75% capped at 5.00 USD, Venmo 3.49% + 0.49 USD, custom plans for established businesses | Quoted per business as flat-rate or interchange++; no setup or account maintenance fees; free for registered charities where it operates |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | US merchants who want cards, ACH, PayPal and Venmo behind one gateway. | Mid-size and enterprise merchants who want direct acquiring and negotiated rates. |
| Not for | Merchants outside the US wanting published local rates. | Small sellers wanting listed prices and instant sign-up. |
Both are reviewed in full in our payment processing software ranking: Braintree and Checkout.com.
Where they differ
Braintree 1 · Checkout.com 4 · open 1- 01
Rates you can paste into a spreadsheet
Braintree's US fee page lists 2.89% + 0.29 USD for cards and third-party wallets, 0.75% for ACH with a cap of 5.00 USD, and 3.49% + 0.49 USD for Venmo, which is US only. Checkout.com says its pricing is customised and shows no rate for any payment type. A buyer who wants a first estimate before a sales call can only get one from Braintree.
Edge: Braintree
- 02
Surcharges and what stays unwritten
Braintree states an additional 1% for non-USD payments or cards issued outside the United States, and a chargeback fee of 15.00 USD. Checkout.com writes that it charges no setup fees and no account maintenance fees, which is useful, but the pages we read name no chargeback fee and no cross-border surcharge. The Braintree page is easier to audit, the Checkout.com page is shorter to read.
Depends on the buyer
- 03
Two flat-rate or interchange paths
Checkout.com names three structures on its pricing page: fully flat-rate, interchange++, and free processing for registered charities in the countries where it operates. Braintree says custom flat rates and interchange plus exist, but only for established businesses, and gives no figures for them. For a merchant who already knows interchange pricing is the goal, Checkout.com spells out the options more plainly.
Edge: Checkout.com
- 04
No trial, no free plan, one charity exception
Neither vendor names a free trial or free plan in the pages we read. The only free offer is Checkout.com's zero-cost processing for registered charities, which applies only in countries where it operates. Braintree's fee page lists per-transaction rates with no free tier, and the pages we read show no sandbox or trial terms. A charity gets a concrete offer from Checkout.com; everyone else gets nothing free from either.
Edge: Checkout.com
- 05
Currency reach and market focus
Checkout.com states processing in 150+ currencies globally and domestic coverage in 45+ countries. Braintree's published page is written around US dollars, and its note on Venmo says that method is US only. The pages we read do not show a Braintree currency count or a list of domestic markets. For a business selling across many currencies, the stated coverage favours Checkout.com.
Edge: Checkout.com
- 06
The company that signs the contract
Braintree's site now reads PayPal Enterprise Payments and says use is subject to approval by PayPal, which gives its location as 2211 N 1st St, San Jose, CA. Checkout.com lists London as headquarters, and its UK contracting entity is Checkout Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 08037323 and regulated by the FCA as an electronic money institution. The pages we read show no Braintree regulatory statement.
Edge: Checkout.com
When neither fits
If you need a published rate outside the United States, or a sign-up with no sales step and no approval by a larger group, neither fits well. Mollie and Stripe are the two other tools in our payment processing list to look at.
Braintree or Checkout.com: questions
3 answersWill Checkout.com tell me a per-transaction rate before I contact sales?
No. Its pricing page says pricing is tailored to your needs and shows no amount for any structure. It names fully flat-rate and interchange++ options, so you can ask for both in writing.
What does the extra 1% on Braintree's fee page apply to?
The fee page lists an additional 1% for non-USD payments or cards issued outside the United States. It sits on top of the 2.89% + 0.29 USD card rate. The same page lists a 15.00 USD chargeback fee.
Who do I have to satisfy to open a Braintree account?
The site reads PayPal Enterprise Payments and says use is subject to eligibility and approval by PayPal. PayPal gives its address as 2211 N 1st St, San Jose, CA. The pages we read do not show the approval criteria.
Sources
Checked 6 November 2026- Braintree fees (US): the three US rate lines, the extra 1%, the 15.00 USD chargeback fee and the Venmo US-only note.
- Braintree home: the PayPal Enterprise Payments wording and the approval-by-PayPal condition.
- PayPal on Braintree: the San Jose, CA location given by PayPal.
- Checkout.com pricing: the three named structures, no setup or maintenance fees, charity offer and 150+ currencies.
- Checkout.com contact: London as listed headquarters.
- Checkout.com legal: Checkout Ltd as an FCA-regulated electronic money institution.
- Checkout.com country terms: company number 08037323 and the registered office in London.