Braintree vs PayPal:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, PayPal had more branded searches than Braintree among payment gateway platforms worldwide. PayPal was estimated to have 20.6M branded searches compared to Braintree’s 37.9K, and held an 85.5% Share of Search versus Braintree’s 0.16%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
Follow Braintree vs PayPal and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Which is more popular in search, Braintree or PayPal?
Compare the payment gateway platforms operators run on. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for PayPal, Braintree. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | PayPal | Stripe | Adyen | Square | Worldpay | Braintree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 88% | 10.7% | 0.61% | 0.4% | 0.26% | 0.03% |
| Nov 2025 | 88.2% | 10.6% | 0.51% | 0.38% | 0.26% | 0.03% |
| Dec 2025 | 89.8% | 9% | 0.62% | 0.34% | 0.22% | 0.02% |
| Jan 2026 | 88% | 10.7% | 0.61% | 0.42% | 0.26% | 0.03% |
| Feb 2026 | 85.6% | 12.7% | 0.87% | 0.55% | 0.25% | 0.03% |
| Mar 2026 | 83.2% | 15.1% | 0.71% | 0.67% | 0.3% | 0.03% |
| Apr 2026 | 85.5% | 12.7% | 0.72% | 0.72% | 0.25% | 0.03% |
| May 2026 | 85.4% | 12.7% | 0.72% | 0.85% | 0.25% | 0.03% |
| Jun 2026 | 85.1% | 12.8% | 0.87% | 0.88% | 0.31% | 0.03% |
| Jul 2026 | 85.6% | 12.8% | 0.6% | 0.76% | 0.25% | 0.03% |
| Aug 2026 | 85.5% | 12.7% | 0.73% | 0.63% | 0.25% | 0.16% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Braintree and PayPal comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- PayPal was ahead of Braintree in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Braintree’s estimated Share of Search among payment gateway platforms worldwide moved from 0.03% to 0.16%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 7.2K to 37.9K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, PayPal’s estimated Share of Search among payment gateway platforms worldwide moved from 88% to 85.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 25.1M to 20.6M.
How did search popularity change for payment gateway platforms worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Braintree’s and PayPal’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Braintree
13 branded search terms
- braintree checkout
- braintree fees
- braintree gateway
- braintree merchant account
- braintree payment
- braintree payment gateway
- braintree payment processing
- braintree payments
- braintree paypal
- braintree pricing
- braintreegateway
- checkout braintree
- paypal braintree
PayPal
24 branded search terms
- paypal
- paypal business
- paypal business account
- paypal business account charges
- paypal business account cost
- paypal business account fees
- paypal business account price
- paypal business app
- paypal business charges
- paypal business cost
- paypal business fees
- paypal checkout
- paypal commercial account
- paypal company account
- paypal corporate account
- paypal express checkout
- paypal for business
- paypal for company
- paypal merchant
- paypal merchant account
- paypal merchant services
- paypal payment processing
- paypal payments
- paypal to business account
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.