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PayPal REST API

by PayPal Free tier

PayPal's REST API enables global payment acceptance via PayPal balance, credit/debit cards, Venmo, and BNPL options. Create one-time payment orders, recurring subscriptions, invoice buyers, and process payouts to sellers or contractors worldwide.

orderssubscriptionspayoutsvenmoinvoicing

Quick Reference

Base URL https://api-m.paypal.com/v2 Auth type OAuth 2.0 Auth header Authorization: Bearer <access_token> Rate limit 30 requests/s per token Pricing Pay per use Free quota None Documentation https://developer.paypal.com/docs/api/overview Endpoint status Server online — HTTP 406 — server is online but path returned an error (may require auth)274ms (checked Mar 29, 2026) Builder score B 66% builder-friendly
Pricing
75
Latency
45
Depth
74

Authentication

Use OAuth 2.0 client credentials. Exchange client_id + secret for an access_token, then pass it as a Bearer token.

Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

Pricing

Model pay-as-you-go Starting price Pay per use Free quota None Unit cost $3.4900 per 10,000 transaction value (3.49% + $0.49)
PlanPrice/moIncluded
Standard Free No monthly fee, pay per transaction

Standard: 3.49% + $0.49 (PayPal checkout). Cards: 2.99% + $0.49. Venmo: 3.49% + $0.49. No monthly fee, sandbox environment is free.

Key Endpoints

MethodPathDescription
POST /checkout/orders Create a payment order
GET /checkout/orders/{id} Get order details
POST /checkout/orders/{id}/capture Capture an approved order
POST /billing/subscriptions Create a subscription
POST /payments/payouts Send mass payouts
POST /invoicing/invoices Create an invoice

Sample Request

# Step 1: Get access token
curl https://api-m.paypal.com/v1/oauth2/token \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -u "$CLIENT_ID:$CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials"

# Step 2: Create order
curl https://api-m.paypal.com/v2/checkout/orders \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"intent":"CAPTURE","purchase_units":[{"amount":{"currency_code":"USD","value":"100.00"}}]}'

Sample Response

{
  "id": "5O190127TN364715T",
  "status": "CREATED",
  "links": [{
    "href": "https://www.paypal.com/checkoutnow?token=5O190127TN364715T",
    "rel": "approve",
    "method": "GET"
  }]
}

Data sourced from API Map. Always verify pricing and rate limits against the official PayPal documentation.