Comparison · Updated September 15, 2026
Adyen vs Braintree
Adyen
A-
Adyen is a global, enterprise-grade payments platform that unifies acquiring, processing, routing and risk management into a single stack for merchants with international and omnichannel needs.
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
A-
Braintree is a full-featured, globally-capable payment gateway solution (online + mobile) backed by PayPal, offering robust APIs, developer tooling, and enterprise-class features for merchants. Primarily deals in mobile and web payment systems.
VS
Overview
Adyen and Braintree are both enterprise-grade gateways with published pricing, no monthly fees and no early-termination fee, and both earn an A- on Payment Review. The difference is shape, not quality. Adyen is a single global platform that sells interchange++ pricing, in-person terminals, local acquiring and platform payouts to merchants large enough to justify a sales-led onboarding. Braintree is PayPal's online-first gateway: one flat published rate, native PayPal and Venmo in the same integration, an online application, and a merchant agreement you can leave on a day's notice. For an omnichannel or international enterprise, Adyen is the stronger fit. For an online or in-app business that wants PayPal and Venmo at checkout and a rate it can read before it applies, Braintree is.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Adyen's published US online rate is interchange + 0.60% + $0.13, which undercuts Braintree's 2.89% + $0.29 on most card mixes and by a wide margin on regulated debit.
- ✓Neither charges a monthly, setup or PCI fee, but Adyen applies a minimum invoice that depends on industry; Braintree has no minimum.
- ✓Braintree lets a merchant terminate on one day's notice; Adyen's merchant agreement runs indefinitely with two months' written notice to end it.
- ✓Adyen offers a full in-person terminal range and Tap to Pay unified with online; Braintree is online and in-app only, with its in-person SDK filed under legacy.
- ✓Braintree includes PayPal and Venmo (3.49% + $0.49) natively; on Adyen, PayPal requires a direct PayPal contract plus a management fee.
Adyen
Adyen is for mid-market and enterprise merchants that sell in several countries or through stores as well as online, want interchange++ transparency and local acquiring, and can work through a sales-led onboarding.
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
Braintree is for online and in-app businesses, including subscription and recurring-billing merchants, that want a flat published rate, PayPal and Venmo in one integration, and an agreement they can leave without notice or penalty.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
This is a split verdict because the two are built for different merchants. Adyen wins on price for most card mixes, on in-person acceptance and on global reach, and it is the right platform for an enterprise that needs stores, online and marketplaces on one stack. Braintree wins on ease of getting in and out, on PayPal and Venmo at checkout and on the absence of a minimum invoice — which is what an online-first mid-market business actually needs. Both carry the same A- grade and both have poor public review scores, so neither has a reputation edge to break the tie.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Pricing model and rates
| Feature | Adyen | Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Interchange++ (published markup) | Flat rate (published); interchange-plus for larger merchants |
| Adyen publishes its markup and passes interchange and scheme fees through at cost, so the effective rate moves with your card mix. Braintree's page says custom flat rates, interchange-plus and discounted rates are available for established businesses based on volume. | ||
| Online Visa/Mastercard rate (US) | Interchange + 0.60% + $0.13 Winner | 2.89% + $0.29 |
| Both are the published US rates for online card transactions. Adyen's total depends on interchange; on a typical US rewards credit card it lands below Braintree's flat rate, and on regulated debit the gap is large. A very premium card mix narrows it. | ||
| American Express (North America) | $0.13 + 3.3% + $0.10 | Standard card rate, or $0.15 pass-through on your own Amex agreement |
| Adyen lists Amex separately on its pricing page. Braintree prices "cards and third-party digital wallets" at one rate without listing brands, and offers a $0.15 per-transaction pass-through for merchants that hold their own American Express agreement, who then pay Amex directly. | ||
| International and non-USD surcharge | No separate surcharge; cross-border scheme fees pass through at cost | +1% card issued outside the US; +1% non-USD currency |
| Braintree's two surcharges stack, so a foreign card paying in a foreign currency costs 2 points more than a domestic one. Adyen's cross-border cost is whatever the schemes charge, which is not published as a single figure. | ||
| Monthly, setup and PCI fees | None, but a minimum invoice applies by industry | None Winner |
| Adyen's pricing page states there are no monthly, setup, integration or closure fees but that a minimum invoice applies depending on industry or business model; the amount is not published. | ||
Pricing model
Adyen
Interchange++ (published markup)
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
Flat rate (published); interchange-plus for larger merchants
Adyen publishes its markup and passes interchange and scheme fees through at cost, so the effective rate moves with your card mix. Braintree's page says custom flat rates, interchange-plus and discounted rates are available for established businesses based on volume.
Online Visa/Mastercard rate (US)
Adyen
Interchange + 0.60% + $0.13
Winner
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
2.89% + $0.29
Both are the published US rates for online card transactions. Adyen's total depends on interchange; on a typical US rewards credit card it lands below Braintree's flat rate, and on regulated debit the gap is large. A very premium card mix narrows it.
American Express (North America)
Adyen
$0.13 + 3.3% + $0.10
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
Standard card rate, or $0.15 pass-through on your own Amex agreement
Adyen lists Amex separately on its pricing page. Braintree prices "cards and third-party digital wallets" at one rate without listing brands, and offers a $0.15 per-transaction pass-through for merchants that hold their own American Express agreement, who then pay Amex directly.
International and non-USD surcharge
Adyen
No separate surcharge; cross-border scheme fees pass through at cost
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
+1% card issued outside the US; +1% non-USD currency
Braintree's two surcharges stack, so a foreign card paying in a foreign currency costs 2 points more than a domestic one. Adyen's cross-border cost is whatever the schemes charge, which is not published as a single figure.
Monthly, setup and PCI fees
Adyen
None, but a minimum invoice applies by industry
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
None
Winner
Adyen's pricing page states there are no monthly, setup, integration or closure fees but that a minimum invoice applies depending on industry or business model; the amount is not published.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Enterprise retailer with stores and an online channel
Recommended
Adyen
Adyen unifies terminals, Tap to Pay and online on one platform with interchange++ pricing; Braintree has no current in-person product.
Online subscription or SaaS business
Recommended
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
Braintree's vault and recurring-billing tooling, flat published rate and native PayPal and Venmo suit an online-only checkout, and the one-day termination notice keeps the relationship low-risk.
Marketplace or platform paying out to sellers
Recommended
Adyen
Adyen for Platforms handles onboarding, split settlement and payouts natively; the Braintree review lists specialised marketplace features among the things it is not recommended for.
US merchant with a debit-heavy card mix
Recommended
Adyen
Interchange++ passes regulated debit interchange through at cost, so Adyen's effective rate on those transactions falls far below Braintree's flat 2.89% + $0.29.
Small business that needs to be live this week
Recommended
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments)
Braintree takes an online application with no minimum invoice. Adyen's onboarding is sales-led and its review says very small merchants are a poor fit.
Adyen: Best for 3 use cases
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments): Best for 2 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
Usually, for cards. Adyen's published US online rate is interchange plus 0.60% plus $0.13, which lands below Braintree's flat 2.89% plus $0.29 on most card mixes and well below it on regulated debit. Adyen applies a minimum monthly invoice that Braintree does not, though, so a low-volume merchant can end up paying more at Adyen despite the lower rate.
Braintree is PayPal's enterprise gateway, and PayPal transactions processed through it are billed under the terms of your PayPal account. Cards and third-party wallets are billed by Braintree at 2.89% plus $0.29. You can process cards without offering PayPal, but the native PayPal and Venmo integration is one of the main reasons to choose it.
Adyen has no self-serve signup; onboarding goes through its sales team, and its pricing page notes a minimum invoice that depends on industry or business model. Payment Review's Adyen review lists very small merchants as a poor fit. Braintree accepts an online application.
Adyen. It sells countertop, mobile and unattended terminals plus Tap to Pay, all reporting into the same platform as online sales. Braintree's in-person documentation is filed under a legacy heading, and PayPal sells its in-store products separately.
Braintree's Payment Services Agreement lets a merchant terminate on one day's advance notice with no early-termination fee. Adyen's merchant terms run for an indefinite period and require at least two months' written notice, also with no early-termination fee. Any negotiated commitments in an Adyen contract survive termination.
Adyen settles daily on business days with a default delay of two business days after the sales day, and offers contractual payout models that shorten it. Braintree disburses every weekday, with Visa and Mastercard funds arriving one to three business days after submission for settlement and American Express taking two to eight.
Related Comparisons
Explore more payment processor matchups