Stripe vs Square vs PayPal vs Braintree: Payment Processor Fee Calculator (2026)
Enter your monthly volume, average ticket, and online/in-person mix to rank Stripe, Square, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net, and Helcim by what they would actually cost you — using published standard rates as of 2026-06.
Cheapest for your mix: Helcim — saves $2,620/yr vs the most expensive option (Authorize.net)
Interchange-plus pricing; figures are Helcim’s published average effective rates for small-business volume — your blend varies with card mix. Volume discounts kick in automatically.
| # | Processor | Est. monthly cost | Effective rate | Annual cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HelcimCheapest | $520.02 | 2.60% | $6,240 | Higher-volume businesses wanting interchange-plus |
| 2 | Square | $645.28 | 3.23% | $7,743 | In-person retail, food & service |
| 3 | Stripe | $646.56 | 3.23% | $7,759 | Online-first businesses & developers |
| 4 | PayPal | $660.94 | 3.30% | $7,931 | Marketplaces & buyer-trust checkout |
| 5 | Braintree | $735.78 | 3.68% | $8,829 | Subscription businesses on standard pricing |
| 6 | Authorize.net | $738.33 | 3.69% | $8,860 | Businesses that want a gateway + their own merchant account |
Hardware & guides
Going in-person or hybrid? These are the readers, registers, and primers we recommend.
Based on published standard rates as of 2026-06. Enterprise, negotiated, and interchange-plus custom rates differ. Estimates are for comparison only and exclude chargebacks, refunds, international/currency fees, and add-on products.
Helcim figures are published average effective rates — actual interchange-plus costs vary with your card mix. See each provider's pricing page for current terms, or read our Stripe vs Braintree recurring-billing breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which payment processor is cheapest for a small business?
- It depends on your sales mix. For mostly in-person sales, Helcim (interchange-plus, avg ~1.93% + 8¢) and Square (2.6% + 10¢) usually win. For mostly online sales, Braintree (2.59% + 49¢) beats Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) on larger tickets, while Stripe wins on small tickets because of its lower fixed fee. Enter your real volume and average ticket above — the ranking changes with both.
- Is Braintree or Authorize.net better for recurring billing?
- Both include recurring billing at no extra feature cost, but the economics differ: Braintree has no monthly fee and charges a flat 2.59% + 49¢ per recurring charge, while Authorize.net charges $25/month plus 2.9% + 30¢. For low subscription volume Braintree is almost always cheaper; at higher volume with smaller tickets, Authorize.net’s lower fixed fee (30¢ vs 49¢) can overcome its monthly fee. Toggle "I bill subscriptions" above to compare both with your numbers. Note Authorize.net is a gateway — you may also pay separate merchant-account fees.
- Do Stripe, Square, or PayPal charge extra for subscriptions?
- Yes, in different ways. Stripe Billing adds 0.5% on recurring volume on its starter tier. Square bills card-on-file (recurring) charges at 3.5% + 15¢ instead of its standard online rate. PayPal Subscriptions run at the 3.49% + 49¢ PayPal-branded rate. Braintree and Helcim include recurring billing with no surcharge.
- How accurate are these estimates?
- The calculator uses each provider's published standard (pay-as-you-go) rates as of 2026-06. Real costs vary with your card mix (especially on interchange-plus pricing like Helcim), refunds, chargebacks, international cards, and any negotiated rates. Treat the output as a comparison of list prices, not a quote — and ask each provider the 10 questions in our email guide before signing.