--- title: "PayPal / Braintree vs Square: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "PayPal / Braintree vs Square compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which payment gateway tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/paypal-braintree-vs-square retrieved: 2026-11-06 --- ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/paypal.svg) vs ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=squareup.com&sz=128) # PayPal / Braintree vs Square: Which is Better in 2026? Payment Gateway Choosing between [PayPal / Braintree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/paypal-braintree) and [Square](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/square)? Both are popular payment gateway tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack. PayPal / Braintree is for: Businesses that want PayPal checkout alongside cards in one integration from PayPal. Square is for: Shops, restaurants and service businesses taking card payments in person and online, with POS hardware. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose PayPal / Braintree if you want PayPal checkout next to cards. Choose Square if you take most payments in person. ## PayPal / Braintree vs Square: Side by Side | | PayPal / Braintree | Square | | ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Payment Gateway | Payment Gateway | | What it is | Payment gateway from PayPal | Payments and point of sale | | Merchant of record | No | No | | Online card fee | Not confirmed on the vendor page | 3.3% + 30¢ on Free; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium | | Monthly fee | Not confirmed on the vendor page | $0, $49 or $149 per location | | Built for | Businesses that want PayPal checkout | In-person and online sellers | | Pricing | Usage-based | From $49/mo | | Starting price | Pay-as-you-go | From $49/mo | | Free tier | — | — | | Best for | Payment Gateway: PayPal checkout, cards, PayPal-owned | Payment Gateway: in-person, POS, small business | ## Pros & Cons ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/paypal.svg) [PayPal / Braintree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/paypal-braintree) * ✓PayPal checkout alongside cards in one integration * ✓Run by PayPal * ✓Enterprise plan with custom pricing * ✗You handle sales tax yourself (not a merchant of record) * ✗Custom rates require talking to sales ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=squareup.com&sz=128) [Square](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/square) * ✓Great for in-person + online * ✓No monthly base fee * ✓Hardware ecosystem * ✓Easy setup * ✗Free plan online rate is 3.3% + 30¢ * ✗Less developer-centric ## Key Features Compared ### PayPal / Braintree * ✓Braintree is now sold as PayPal Braintree; braintreepayments.com/braintree-pricing redirects to PayPal’s fee page * ✓Cards and PayPal through one integration * ✓PayPal’s fee page blocks our fetch, so this entry carries no prices ### Square * ✓Square Free: $0 a month; 2.6% + 15¢ in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online and invoices * ✓Square Plus: $49 a month per location; 2.5% + 15¢ in person, 2.9% + 30¢ online * ✓Square Premium: $149 a month per location; 2.4% + 15¢ in person, 2.9% + 30¢ online * ✓Manually entered or card-on-file payments: 3.5% + 15¢ ### Choose PayPal / Braintree if… * ✓You want PayPal checkout next to cards. * ✓You already use PayPal and want one vendor for cards too. [PayPal / Braintree review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/paypal-braintree) ### Choose Square if… * ✓You take most payments in person. * ✓You want POS hardware and online payments on one account. * ✓You want to start without a monthly fee. [Square review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/square) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is PayPal / Braintree better than Square?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose PayPal / Braintree if you want PayPal checkout next to cards. Choose Square if you take most payments in person. What is the difference between PayPal / Braintree and Square?⌄ What it is. PayPal / Braintree: Payment gateway from PayPal. Square: Payments and point of sale. Online card fee. PayPal / Braintree: Not confirmed on the vendor page. Square: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. Monthly fee. PayPal / Braintree: Not confirmed on the vendor page. Square: $0, $49 or $149 per location. Built for. PayPal / Braintree: Businesses that want PayPal checkout. Square: In-person and online sellers. PayPal / Braintree vs Square: which is cheaper?⌄ PayPal / Braintree pricing: Usage-based. Square pricing: From $49/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. When should I skip both PayPal / Braintree and Square?⌄ Skip PayPal / Braintree if you want published, self-serve card pricing. Stripe lists 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards. Skip Square if you sell mostly online through an API. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ with no plan fee. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[PayPal Braintree feespaypal.com ](https://www.paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees) 2. 2.[Square pricing (US)squareup.com ](https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing) See more options in our guide to the [best payment gateway tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/payments). ## Still not sure which to pick? 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