Square vs Braintree Pricing (2026)
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Team size
25 seats

Square vs Braintree

Payment Processing pricing comparison · 2026

Square pricing ranges from $0–$149/month, while Braintree ranges from $0.0259–$0.029/month. Braintree is typically 100% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Square pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Braintree pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Payment Processing
Side-by-side · live
Square
Square pricing starts at $0/month on the Free plan, which includes one card reader and bas
verified 10w ago
$325 $53K
View pricing →
Braintree
Braintree pricing is based on a transaction fee model with no monthly or setup fees.
verified 5w ago
$325 $53K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Braintree median is $52K less than Square · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $325
Spread 99%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Usage-based
Custom rates
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
Usage-based
Custom rates
see vendor pricing for volume tiers
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$53K/yr
Vendr · n=3 · limited data
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$325/yr
Vendr · n=26
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 8 sourced facts
7 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 4 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
4 documented
  • Additional Device Fees for POS Terminals
    $50/device/month
    1 source
  • Per-Device POS Fee
    $50/device/month
    1 source
  • Payment Processing Transaction Fees
    2.6% + $0.10 per card-present transaction on Free plan
    4 sources
  • IT Setup and Management Costs
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
3 documented
  • Currency Conversion Fees for Non-US Accounts
    5-6% of transaction volume
    1 source
  • Per-Transaction Processing Fees on the "Free" Standard Plan
    2.59% + $0.49 per transaction
    1 source
  • Cost Disadvantage vs. Stripe for Low Average Order Values
    ~16% higher fees than Stripe at $15 AOV
    1 source
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
No public ratings yet
Best for
New and small businesses
Watch out
Customer service delays and slow fund disbursement reported in online forums
No public ratings yet
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses
Watch out
Higher transaction fees than Stripe for low average order value businesses
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Square pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Braintree pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Payment Processing

Square

$0–$149
/month
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Payment Processing

Braintree

$0.0259–$0.029
/month
2 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Square and Braintree both operate in the payment processing category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Square Braintree
Free Free /month Free /month
Plus $49 /month Custom
Premium $149 /month —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Square

6 scenarios
$1,428/year
Small Restaurant with 2 Registers
minimum ($119/month for base plus one additional device)
$52,800/year
Enterprise Deployment (Median)
$0/month
Solo Vendor or Food Truck (Free Plan)
+ 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction
See all 6 scenarios →

Braintree

2 scenarios
$17,570
Medium-Volume E-Commerce Store (20K Transactions/Month)
per month in transaction fees
$17,570/month (~$210,840/year)
High-Volume Small-Ticket Processing (20K transactions/month at $15 AOV)

Market Intelligence

Square

Median annual cost
$52,800
Based on
3 deals

Braintree

Median annual cost
$325
Based on
26 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Square 4 hidden costs

medium
Additional Device Fees for POS Terminals $50/device/month
high
Per-Device POS Fee $50/device/month
high
Payment Processing Transaction Fees 2.6% + $0.10 per card-present transaction on Free plan
medium
IT Setup and Management Costs 5-15% of license costs
See all Square hidden costs →

Braintree 3 hidden costs

high
Currency Conversion Fees for Non-US Accounts 5-6% of transaction volume
high
Per-Transaction Processing Fees on the "Free" Standard Plan 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction
medium
Cost Disadvantage vs. Stripe for Low Average Order Values ~16% higher fees than Stripe at $15 AOV
See all Braintree hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Square Braintree
Auto-renewal — —
Cancellation — —
Minimum commitment Month-to-month (no annual billing option available) —

Continue researching

Square

Braintree

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