Stripe, PayPal, or Braintree: Comparing the Top Mobile App Payments Solutions

When building a mobile app or web application that involves monetary transactions, choosing the right payment platform is crucial. The best apps for mobile payment offer flexible integrations, fair fees, and wide coverage. Let’s break down how Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree compare when it comes to mobile app payments, fee structures, integrations, and global reach.

Are Braintree and PayPal the Same?

Not quite. While Braintree is a division of PayPal, they serve different purposes.

• PayPal is best known for peer-to-peer transfers and online purchases. It’s widely used across platforms like eBay and Shopify.
• Braintree, on the other hand, is designed for developers and businesses who want seamless mobile and web payment processing.

So while they are related, they function independently and cater to different needs, especially for businesses building mobile payment apps for small businesses.

What Types of Payments Do Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree Accept?

Here’s a snapshot of what each platform supports for in-app and ecommerce payments.

Stripe: Accept and Optimize Payments

• Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB, Diners Club
• AliPay (ideal for entering the Chinese market)
• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• ACH direct debit
• Strong API support for mobile apps in iOS and Android

Braintree: Your Enterprise Payment Solution

• Credit cards (same as Stripe)
• PayPal and Venmo (owned by PayPal)
• Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Works well for marketplaces that want to offer apps for payment on mobile

PayPal: Smart and Secure

• Credit/debit cards and PayPal transfers
• Limited to U.S.-based or PayPal-supported countries for full features
• No support for AliPay or ACH
• Works well for basic ecommerce but can be limiting for global reach

How Do Fees and Refunds Compare Across These Platforms?

Understanding how each provider handles transaction fees, chargebacks, and refunds is essential, especially for mobile app developers and ecommerce business owners in Toronto or Vancouver, where competition is fierce.

Please note that if you’re primarily dealing in AMEX payments, PayPal is the most expensive option.

Mobile App Payments: What If You’re Building a Marketplace App?

If your mobile app or web platform involves multiple sellers, such as an online marketplace, you’ll want a payment processor that supports split payments.

Stripe uses Connect to split payments between vendors and platform owners. Braintree offers Marketplace, which also automatically manages merchant accounts. PayPal’s Adaptive Payments has limited availability and is not recommended unless you’re an approved partner.

For businesses in Edmonton or Halifax developing a marketplace, Stripe or Braintree is believed to be a better fit due to their developer support and flexibility.

Are These Platforms Developer-Friendly for Mobile Apps?

All three platforms offer robust API support for mobile development.

Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree are compatible with backend languages like Ruby, PHP, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails. They offer full support for Android and iOS SDKs, and are each ideal for creating a seamless in-app checkout experience.

Whether you’re a startup in Montreal or an agency in Mississauga, you can confidently build an app for mobile payment using any of these three platforms, though Stripe and Braintree tend to offer more flexibility.

Which Companies Use PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree?

Companies That Use PayPal

• eBay – Once a subsidiary of PayPal, eBay still supports it as a primary payment method.
• Shopify – Offers PayPal as a default payment option for all merchants.
• Wish – The budget-friendly ecommerce platform Wish.com supports PayPal for global users.
• Airbnb – Uses PayPal in select countries for traveler convenience.

Companies That Use Stripe

• Amazon – Leverages Stripe in various regions for its payment processing.
• Shopify – In addition to PayPal, Shopify uses Stripe to power its Shopify Payments solution.
• Lyft – Processes payments for riders and pays out to drivers via Stripe.
• Slack – Uses Stripe for subscription billing and account upgrades.
• Instacart – Relies on Stripe to handle high-volume grocery delivery payments.

Companies That Use Braintree

• Uber – Processes rider payments and driver payouts through Braintree.
• Airbnb – In addition to PayPal, uses Braintree for certain transactions and markets.
• Groupon – Handles global payments through Braintree’s scalable platform.
• Dropbox – Offers Braintree as a billing solution for premium users.

Cross-Border Payments and Currency Support

Cross-border and international payments for a mobile app is an important consideration for some organizations. In multicultural hubs like Toronto and Vancouver, where local businesses often serve international customers or operate across borders, support for multiple currencies and international payment methods isn’t just a feature, it’s a competitive necessity.

Whether you’re catering to tourists, immigrants, or global eCommerce buyers, your payment processor must handle cross-border complexity with ease. Here’s how PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree compare when it comes to international capabilities.

PayPal: Globally Recognized, But With Limitations

• Currency Support: Accepts payments in over 100 currencies and allows withdrawals in 56, making it highly adaptable for global transactions.
• Cross-Border Fees: Comes with some of the highest cross-border transaction fees (typically 4.4% + fixed fee), which can eat into margins for international sales.
• Compliance: Strong anti-fraud tools and full PCI compliance, but may flag and hold funds when dealing with less common currencies or countries.
• Local Methods: Limited support for region-specific payment methods outside of PayPal Wallet.

PayPal is your go-to for a small business or entrepreneur with international customers that require a simple mobile app payment method.

Stripe: Developer-Friendly With Global Reach

• Currency Support: Accepts over 135 currencies automatically. It converts the currency at real-time exchange rates, with a transparent 1% cross-border fee.
• Smart Routing: Automatically presents the best currency and payment method based on a user’s IP or browser locale, improving UX.
• International Compliance: Fully PCI DSS compliant, and includes tools to meet global tax and regulatory requirements (like Strong Customer Authentication in the EU).
• Local Payment Methods: Supports region-specific methods such as Alipay (China), Bancontact (Belgium), iDEAL (Netherlands), and more.

Stripe is the better choice for a lot of startups, SaaS platforms, and eCommerce businesses scaling internationally with a focus on technology.

Braintree: Flexibility With a Custom Edge

• Currency Support: Supports 130+ currencies and merchant accounts in over 45 countries, with flexible settlement options.
• Cross-Border Efficiency: Offers more nuanced fee structures than PayPal, especially for volume users or negotiated enterprise contracts.
• Local Payment Methods: Extensive support including Apple Pay, Google Pay, SEPA Direct Debit, Venmo (U.S.), UnionPay (China), and more.
• Developer Tools: Offers more customization and white-labeling than PayPal, with robust APIs for businesses wanting control over user flow and localization.

Braintree is for established companies with international operations and development resources seeking to customize integrations.

Which Mobile App Payment Platform Is Best for Your Business?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but, as a developer who’s designed and implemented mobile app payments, here’s our best recommendation based on the data and analysis provided.

1. Simple Setup for Small Businesses

For a small business owner looking for a simple, easy-to-integrate payment solution, PayPal is often the best starting point. It’s user-friendly, widely recognized, and provides a straightforward way to accept debit, credit, and PayPal wallet payments, making it a popular choice among small retailers, independent service providers, and mobile payment apps for small businesses.

2. Full-Featured Mobile App Payments

If you’re building a sophisticated mobile application and require advanced features like in-app purchases, recurring billing, or support for both Android and iOS, Stripe is your go-to solution. Stripe stands out for offering robust APIs and tools that are ideal for developers. It’s one of the most versatile platforms for mobile app payments and has become a top choice for businesses in tech-driven hubs like Vancouver and Toronto.

3. Marketplace Transactions and PayPal Sync

For companies running online marketplaces, where multiple vendors sell products or services and revenue needs to be split, Braintree is often the preferred platform. Braintree allows seamless PayPal integration and supports features like split payments, making it an excellent option for marketplace-style apps or ecommerce platforms based in growing digital economies like Edmonton or Halifax.

4. Global Expansion and Chinese Market

If you’re planning to expand globally, especially into markets like China, Stripe again comes out ahead. With support for AliPay, Stripe enables businesses to cater to Chinese consumers, giving you a competitive edge in international ecommerce. This makes Stripe especially valuable for businesses in multicultural cities like Mississauga and Montreal, where cross-border transactions are common.

5. Cost-Sensitive AMEX Processing

Lastly, if your business deals heavily in American Express (AMEX) transactions and you’re sensitive to processing costs, both Stripe and Braintree offer lower AMEX fees compared to PayPal. These platforms are more cost-effective for businesses that frequently process high-value transactions or cater to premium customers, whether you’re a boutique retailer in Winnipeg or a SaaS provider in Halifax.

Simply Your Mobile App Payment Gateway Integration With Lets Nurture

Integrating a payment gateway into your mobile app isn’t just about enabling transactions. It’s about delivering a secure, seamless, and frictionless user experience that builds trust and drives conversions.

Lets Nurture has helped integrate mobile app payment gateways for retail e-commerce, subscription-based services, and peer-to-peer marketplaces, among other types of small businesses and organizations.

Our team has hands-on experience with leading payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree, as well as region-specific options like AliPay for the Chinese market and Interac for Canadian users. We don’t just plug in APIs. We optimize them for your user flow, enhance security with tokenization and fraud detection, and ensure full compliance with PCI-DSS and local regulations.

From one-time purchases to recurring billing and multi-vendor payouts, we can configure your app’s payment system to handle it all.

Beyond technical integration, we also provide strategic guidance. Not sure which payment platform is best for your app? We’ll evaluate your needs – including transaction volume, user location, and budget constraints – and recommend the most scalable and cost-effective solution.

With Lets Nurture as your partner, you’ll get more than just developers. You’ll get a team that understands the entire payment ecosystem and how to make it work for your business growth.

Ready to Build a Mobile App Payments Solution That Works for You?

Whether you’re launching a new ecommerce platform or want to build a mobile app for your growing business, seamless mobile payment integration is key to user trust, conversion rates, and long-term success.

With so many options available, between Stripe, PayPal, and Braintree, selecting the right mobile payment solution for small businesses requires a strategic approach that balances user experience, security, and scalability.

At Let’s Nurture, we specialize in developing custom mobile apps with built-in payment functionality tailored to your unique business goals. From choosing the right APIs to handling compliance and backend integration, our team supports you at every step of the development process.

Get in touch with us today to discover how we can help you create a secure, user-friendly payment experience that drives results!