Alternatives — Payments & Billing APIs
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Alternatives to Stripe
Common alternatives buyers consider, plus the simplest rule for when switching is worth it.
Sources linked — see verification below.
Freshness & verification
Alternatives to Stripe
Braintree
Decision brief →
Same tier / developer-first payments
Evaluated when PayPal/Venmo integration is a priority or when looking for slightly lower base rates (2.89% vs 2.9%).
Adyen
Decision brief →
Step-up / enterprise payments
Considered at high volume when Interchange++ pricing and enterprise-grade customization become cost-effective.
Square
Decision brief →
Step-down / simplicity-first
Compared when teams want simpler setup and omnichannel POS without deep API customization needs.
PayPal
Decision brief →
Step-sideways / brand-trust led
Evaluated when consumer brand trust and PayPal wallet base are primary checkout conversion drivers.
Head-to-head comparisons
Stripe vs Braintree →
Both are developer-focused payment platforms with similar base rates (2.89% vs 2.9%), but differ in ecosystem integration and feature depth
Stripe vs Adyen →
Both serve global enterprise merchants but differ in pricing transparency (flat-rate vs Interchange++) and target market (developer-first…
Stripe vs Square →
Most common comparison for small businesses and startups deciding between simple all-in-one (Square) vs developer-focused platform (Stripe)
Stripe vs PayPal →
Both offer similar base rates (2.9% + 30¢) but differ dramatically in brand trust, developer experience, and account management
Stripe vs AuthorizeNet →
Both process cards reliably but represent different eras: legacy gateway (1996) vs modern API-first platform (2011)
Stripe vs CheckoutCom →
Both target mid-market to enterprise with global reach, but differ in pricing philosophy and developer experience depth
Stripe vs Finix →
Both enable software platforms to offer embedded payments, but differ in ownership model and risk assumption
Next steps
Sources & verification
Pricing and behavioral information comes from public documentation and structured research. When information is incomplete or volatile, we prefer to say so rather than guess.