What is the difference between Square and Braintree?

Square is best for Small businesses wanting POS and online payments, while Braintree is best for Businesses that need PayPal, Venmo, and credit card processing in one integration. Square starts at 2.6% + $0.10 and Braintree starts at 2.59% + $0.49.

Is Square or Braintree cheaper?

Square starts at 2.6% + $0.10 with a free tier. Braintree starts at 2.59% + $0.49.

Is there a free alternative to Braintree?

Yes, Square offers a free tier (No monthly fees).

Square vs Braintree

Square is payment processing with point-of-sale hardware, online payments, and business tools, while Braintree is payPal's payment gateway for online and mobile payments with support for multiple payment methods. Square is built for small businesses wanting pos and online payments, whereas Braintree targets businesses that need paypal, venmo, and credit card processing in one integration.

At a glance

	Square	Braintree
Best for	Small businesses wanting POS and online payments	Businesses that need PayPal, Venmo, and credit card processing in one integration
Starting price	2.6% + $0.10	2.59% + $0.49
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Drop-in UI	—	✓
Fraud protection	—	✓
Hardware	✓	—
Invoicing	✓	—
Online Payments	✓	—
POS	✓	—
PayPal integration	—	✓
Payment processing	—	✓
Venmo	—	✓

Square

Strengths

Includes POS as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
Includes Online Payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
No monthly fees — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 17+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in payment processing
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Square → Full review

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

The bottom line

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

Feature gaps: Square offers Hardware, Invoicing and Online Payments that Braintree lacks. Braintree brings Drop-in UI, Fraud protection and PayPal integration that Square does not have.

Where each tool shines: Square's biggest strengths are: includes pos as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows. includes online payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows. Braintree's biggest strengths are: paypal, venmo, and card payments in one integration. drop-in ui makes implementation fast.

Watch out for: With Square, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Braintree, the main complaint is that owned by paypal — some businesses prefer independent providers.

Choose Square if...

You need a tool built for small businesses wanting pos and online payments
You specifically need Hardware and Invoicing
You care about includes online payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
The free tier works for you: no monthly fees

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