Provider profile · 2026 edition
PayPal Braintree review 2026: scores, fees and alternatives.
PayPal's payment platform for card, wallet and PayPal payments, now also called PayPal Enterprise Payments.
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PayPal's payment platform for card, wallet and PayPal payments, now also called PayPal Enterprise Payments.
PayPal Braintree scores 3.0 out of 5 (61 out of 100) in the Buckingham Intelligence Payment Processing and Acquiring Index 2026 and ranks 7 of 10. It is strongest for online merchants wanting card and PayPal acceptance with published UK rates, with 5 out of 5 for published pricing. Not published or not stated on the pages read: merchant reach, payout speed and integration.
Scores from the Payment Processing and Acquiring Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For small and mid-sized merchants | 61 | 7 of 10 |
| For enterprise and cross-border merchants | 61 | 8 of 10 |
| For platforms and regulated firms | 62 | 8 of 10 |
The score out of 5 is the overall score out of 100 divided by 20. Leader goes to the top three overall, Best for to the first in each segment, and Top rated for to a score of 5 out of 5 on a criterion. Awards cannot be bought.
Where it scores best, and where to check closely, as shown in each ranking.
Online merchants wanting card and PayPal acceptance with published UK rates.
What PayPal Braintree publishes on its own pages, read on 26 October 2026.
PayPal's payment platform for card, wallet and PayPal payments, now also called PayPal Enterprise Payments. It publishes a full UK fee table, a sandbox and PCI DSS Level 1. It does not publish payout times, a payment method count or the countries where a business can open an account.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | UK fee table (last updated 29 June 2026): cards and digital wallets "1.9% + 0.20 GBP"; American Express "2.4% + 0.20 GBP"; card issued outside the UK "Additional 1% fee"; scheme currency settlement "Additional 1.5% fee"; chargebacks 20.00 GBP; Chargeback Protection 0.59%. |
| Payment methods | "payouts to 200+ markets in 50+ currencies"; cards, digital wallets and PayPal. No payment method count. |
| Merchant reach | "200+ markets around the globe" for payments; UK fee table applies to the UK, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. Countries where a business can open an account not listed. |
| Payout speed | Not published on the pages read. |
| Integration | Developer docs; "Try our platform in the Sandbox before applying"; ready-built payment interfaces; online sign-up subject to approval. |
| Regulatory standing | "PayPal UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an electronic money institution (firm reference number 994790)". "PayPal Braintree is a validated Level 1 PCI DSS compliant service provider." |
| Date read | 26 October 2026 |
A fact that is not published is scored as not offered or, for a fee, as if it were high. It is never estimated.
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: braintreepayments.com, braintreepayments.com/gb/braintree-pricing.
Each score with the evidence behind it.
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Payment Processing and Acquiring Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
The other providers in the same ranking, ordered by score.
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 4.2 | 1 of 10 | Online businesses wanting full published pricing and self-serve sign-up in many countries |
| Adyen | 3.9 | 2 of 10 | Large merchants wanting local acquiring and many payment methods from one licensed bank |
| Mollie | 3.6 | 3 of 10 | UK and European small businesses wanting simple published rates and daily payouts |
| Razorpay | 3.6 | 4 of 10 | Businesses selling to customers in India through UPI, cards and netbanking |
| Airwallex | 3.5 | 5 of 10 | Businesses wanting card acceptance with settlement into a multi-currency account |
| Nuvei | 3.4 | 6 of 10 | Merchants in gaming, travel and high-volume sectors needing many local methods |
| Checkout.com | 2.8 | 8 of 10 | Large online merchants needing local acquiring across many regions |
| SumUp | 2.6 | 9 of 10 | Small UK retailers and sole traders taking card payments in person |
| Worldpay | 1.6 | 10 of 10 | UK merchants wanting an established acquirer with next-day settlement |
Side by side on every criterion, fact and award.
Head-to-head comparisons cover pairs within the top five of each ranking. PayPal Braintree is compared with its alternatives in the table above.
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