Square vs Braintree Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
Square Free
- POS app for any payment
- Online site
- Item library
- Invoicing
- Booking
- Checking and savings accounts
Square Plus
Popular- POS features for every industry
- Lower processing fees
- Loyalty rewards program
- Email and text message marketing
- Staff management
Square Premium
- 24/7 priority support
- Advanced reporting
- Lowest processing fees
- More text message marketing
- No gift card load fees
Square Pro
Standard
- Cards and third-party digital wallet transactions: For standard merchants — 2.89% + 0.29 USD
- Pass-through American Express transaction — 0.15 USD
- Presented in any non-USD currency — Additional 1%
- Customer card issued outside of the United States — Additional 1%
- Chargeback — 15.00 USD
- PayPal transactions — PayPal Merchant Fees
- Venmo transactions — 3.49% + 0.49 USD
- ACH direct debit: Per transaction fee when processed via standard ACH network processing schedule (max 5.00 USD) — 0.75%
- ACH direct debit: Per transaction fee when processed via same day ACH network processing window — 1.5% + 0.10 USD
- ACH direct debit: Returned by banking network — 5.00 USD
- ACH direct debit: Disputed by your customer as unauthorized — 5.00 USD
Charity
- Cards and third-party digital wallet transactions: For verified charitable 501(c)(3) organizations — 2.19% + 0.29 USD
- Pass-through American Express transaction — 0.15 USD
- Presented in any non-USD currency — Additional 1%
- Customer card issued outside of the United States — Additional 1%
- Chargeback — 15.00 USD
- PayPal transactions — PayPal Merchant Fees
- Venmo transactions — 3.49% + 0.49 USD
- ACH direct debit: Per transaction fee when processed via standard ACH network processing schedule (max 5.00 USD) — 0.75%
- ACH direct debit: Per transaction fee when processed via same day ACH network processing window — 1.5% + 0.10 USD
- ACH direct debit: Returned by banking network — 5.00 USD
- ACH direct debit: Disputed by your customer as unauthorized — 5.00 USD
Square vs Braintree FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Square has a free plan. Braintree doesn't — you'll need to pay from day one.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Square uses flat-rate pricing, while Braintree goes with usage-based. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Square: Square sits in the accessible middle — not as cheap as Stripe for pure online processing, not as enterprise-heavy as Adyen or Worldpay. They're clearly targeting SMBs and brick-and-mortar businesses who want an all-in-one POS ecosystem without a complex contract. Braintree: Braintree targets mid-market to enterprise merchants who've outgrown Stripe's standard rates and want negotiated pricing without moving to a full acquiring bank relationship. They're not the cheapest, but the custom rate structure means high-volume businesses can potentially undercut what they'd pay on Stripe's published rates.
Keep tabs on both.
We'll monitor pricing changes for Square and Braintree and let you know when something moves.