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Synapto vs Braintree, line by line
Braintree earned its place inside the PayPal world. This page is about what it costs to live there, and what the alternative looks like.
Before the table: how to read any comparison page.
Every provider's marketing page, including ours, shows the numbers that flatter it. The only comparison that matters is your own statement priced two ways. That's what we offer at the bottom of this page.
How Braintree and Synapto compare
| Synapto | Braintree | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Agreed to your volume, reviewed on your statement | 1.9% + 20p standard UK card; discounts above £50,000 a month |
| Effective rate at scale | Reviewed against your statement, line by line | Plus 1% on non-UK cards, 1.5% to 3% on multi-currency, £20 per chargeback |
| UK Direct Debit | Native | Not listed on its UK pricing |
| Support | An account manager you can phone | Varies by account size |
| Settlement | GBP, UK rails | Multi-currency, with conversion fees |
Braintree pricing checked against their public pricing page on 17 October 2026. Tell us if it's changed.
Pick Braintree if PayPal is the point
If PayPal acceptance is central to your checkout, Braintree's native PayPal integration is hard to beat. The same applies if you need multi-currency settlement across many markets: Synapto settles in GBP on UK rails. And if you want a large global developer ecosystem, Braintree's scale is a genuine advantage.
We are built for UK businesses who want the effective rate looked at properly, Direct Debit from the same partner as their cards, and a named person rather than an escalation path. That is a different job, and we would rather you knew which one you are buying.
Worked example: card fees at three monthly volumes
This is an example, not a quote. It uses published rates only: Braintree's 1.9% + 20p for standard UK cards, from its UK fees page as checked on 17 October 2026, and our standard rate of 1% + 10p on consumer cards, with no monthly fee.
The assumptions, in plain words: every payment is on a UK consumer card, the average payment is £40, and no other charges apply, so no non-UK cards, currency conversion or chargebacks. Business and premium cards are 2.5% + 10p with us, so a month with more of them would cost more than shown.
On a narrow screen, scroll within the table to read every column.
| Monthly card volume | Payments a month | Braintree at 1.9% + 20p | Synapto at 1% + 10p | Difference a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £10,000 | 250 | £240 | £125 | £115 |
| £50,000 | 1,250 | £1,200 | £625 | £575 |
| £150,000 | 3,750 | £3,600 | £1,875 | £1,725 |
On these assumptions the effective rate is 2.4% with Braintree and 1.25% with us. Braintree lists discounts above £50,000 a month, so at £150,000 its figure is the published rate before any discount you negotiate: ask what discount applies at your volume and put that number in the comparison instead. Non-UK cards (plus 1%), multi-currency (1.5% to 3%) and chargebacks (£20 each) would add to the Braintree side if your business has them.
What switching from Braintree involves
Price a Braintree month
Bring a recent Braintree statement. We price the same month with Synapto, including the non-UK card, currency conversion and chargeback lines from the table above.
Ask for a vault export
Ask Braintree for an export of stored card data to a PCI DSS compliant provider. We set up the receiving side and confirm what arrived. PayPal wallet payments belong to PayPal and are not part of that transfer.
Settle the PayPal question first
If PayPal is a large share of your checkout, decide how it will be offered before your developer starts. We confirm which of your current payment methods we cover on the first call.
Replace the Braintree SDK
Your developer replaces the Braintree calls with our SDK, on their own schedule, with our payments engineer answering payments questions and your account manager running the changeover.
Asked before switching from Braintree
Braintree's native PayPal integration is one of its strengths, as the section above says. Before you move, decide how PayPal will sit in your checkout. We confirm which methods we cover on the first call rather than assume.
Usually, through an export to another PCI DSS compliant provider, which you request from Braintree. Check what the export covers and how long it takes. We handle the receiving side and tell you which cards arrived.
Not always. The 1.9% + 20p rate is for standard UK cards, with discounts above £50,000 a month. Non-UK cards add 1%, multi-currency adds 1.5% to 3%, and each chargeback is £20, all from Braintree's UK fees page checked on 17 October 2026. Your statement shows which of those apply to you.
Check your Braintree agreement for its term and notice requirements, and whether a negotiated discount carries conditions. We read it with you and suggest a date that avoids paying twice.
Price your last Braintree statement with Synapto
One call, one day, a straight answer either way.