Best Payment Processors · head-to-head

Authorize.net vs Braintree (a PayPal service)

A sourced, side-by-side comparison for payment processors. Authorize.net has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.

Authorize.net has the lower entry price — Authorize.net starts at $25/mo, Braintree (a PayPal service) at —/mo. Free tier: Authorize.net No, Braintree (a PayPal service) No. HIPAA: Authorize.net No, Braintree (a PayPal service) No.

As of 2026-06-13 · figures link to their source below

Side by side

Authorize.net

$25/mo entry
Entry price$25/mo (All-in-One)
Free tierNo
HIPAA (BAA)No
SOC 2
GDPR
Best forEstablished SMBs wanting a gateway-only solution with their own merchant account

Braintree (a PayPal service)

Quote-only
Entry price
Free tierNo
HIPAA (BAA)No
SOC 2
GDPR
Best forEnterprise merchants wanting PayPal/Venmo alongside cards in one integration

Sources — Authorize.net: authorize.net (verified 2026-06-13) · Braintree (a PayPal service): quote-only (verified 2026-06-13)

Key features

Authorize.net: Established payment gateway with 25+ years in market (Visa subsidiary); Advanced Fraud Detection Suite (AFDS) with customizable rules; Account Updater to automatically refresh stored card data; Recurring billing and subscription payment management; Supports Tap to Pay on mobile and eCheck/ACH payments

Braintree (a PayPal service): Payment orchestration with multi-acquirer routing; PayPal, Venmo, and card in a single SDK integration; Global payouts to 200+ markets in 50+ currencies; Fraud management tools; Mobile SDKs for iOS and Android

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