What is the difference between Braintree and Adyen?

Braintree is best for Businesses that need PayPal, Venmo, and credit card processing in one integration, while Adyen is best for Enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally. Braintree starts at 2.59% + $0.49 and Adyen starts at Custom pricing.

Is Braintree or Adyen cheaper?

Braintree starts at 2.59% + $0.49. Adyen starts at Custom pricing.

Braintree vs Adyen

Braintree is payPal's payment gateway for online and mobile payments with support for multiple payment methods, while Adyen is enterprise payment platform processing for global businesses with unified commerce. Braintree is built for businesses that need paypal, venmo, and credit card processing in one integration, whereas Adyen targets enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally.

At a glance

	Braintree	Adyen
Best for	Businesses that need PayPal, Venmo, and credit card processing in one integration	Enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally
Starting price	2.59% + $0.49	Custom pricing
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
Drop-in UI	✓	—
Fraud prevention	—	✓
Fraud protection	✓	—
Global payments	—	✓
In-store payments	—	✓
PayPal integration	✓	—
Payment processing	✓	✓
Unified commerce	—	✓
Venmo	✓	—

Braintree

Strengths

PayPal, Venmo, and card payments in one integration
Drop-in UI makes implementation fast
Strong fraud protection powered by PayPal's data
No monthly fees — pay only per transaction

Weaknesses

Owned by PayPal — some businesses prefer independent providers
Developer experience not as polished as Stripe
Account holds and freezes can be frustrating
Documentation can be confusing to navigate

Try Braintree → Full review

Adyen

Strengths

Single platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments
Supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries
Enterprise-grade fraud prevention with machine learning
Direct acquiring in major markets eliminates third-party processors

Weaknesses

Not suitable for small businesses — enterprise focus
Complex setup requiring significant developer resources
Non-transparent pricing — must contact sales
Minimum processing volumes may apply

Try Adyen → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Braintree and Adyen are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Braintree offers Drop-in UI, Fraud protection and PayPal integration that Adyen lacks. Adyen brings Fraud prevention, Global payments and In-store payments that Braintree does not have. Both share Payment processing.

Where each tool shines: Braintree's biggest strengths are: paypal, venmo, and card payments in one integration. drop-in ui makes implementation fast. Adyen's biggest strengths are: single platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments. supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries.

Watch out for: With Braintree, users commonly note that owned by paypal — some businesses prefer independent providers. With Adyen, the main complaint is that not suitable for small businesses — enterprise focus.

Choose Braintree if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses that need paypal, venmo, and credit card processing in one integration
You specifically need Drop-in UI and Fraud protection
You care about drop-in ui makes implementation fast

Choose Adyen if...

You need a tool built for enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally
You specifically need Fraud prevention and Global payments
You care about supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries