Online Check Writer is more than just an application that prints checks. It is an all-in-one cloud-based platform that combines payment and acceptance with online banking, invoicing, payroll management and other functions. Read on for the full exclusive from the online check writer.
WHAT IS ONLINE CHECK WRITER?
Online Check Writer is a cloud-based payment management platform. It offers check printing, credit/debit/ACH/wire payments (domestic and international), bill pay, invoicing, payroll management, online banking, physical and digital debit cards, and integrations with services like QuickBooks and Gusto.
Online Check Writer offers a pay-as-you-go plan with no monthly fee along with three paid subscription tiers. As such, it’s a scalable solution that fits a wide variety of business situations, from the small business needing a simple check printing service to enterprise-level businesses seeking a full financial management & banking package.
HOW DOES ONLINE CHECK WRITER WORK?
Unlike some check printing programs, Online Check Writer is completely cloud-based. When you create an online check writer login, you can print and send up to five checks using the pay as you Go plan at no cost. Once you’ve printed five free checks, you can continue to use the software while topping them up as needed. You can also access cloud banking, invoicing, and many other features.
If you want to pay for everything from online check writers, such as premium check and invoice templates, dedicated support, active payments at no extra cost, ACH processing, white labels, free monthly credits, and more, you will need a paid monthly subscription plan.
THE BENEFITS OF USING ONLINE CHECK WRITER
The appeal of online check writers is their versatility and ability to scale as the business grows. Given the enthusiastic reception the software has received on popular review sites such as Trustpilot, this is a service model that benefits the vast majority of customers.
Online Check Writer can do the following things for your business:
- Print checks from your own printer
- Gives you access to a free business checking account from Zil with no minimum balance requirements
- Make payments from your free checking account with physical and virtual debit cards
- Print payroll checks for all your employees at once
- Send checks and invoices digitally via email or SMS
- Create bills with payee details and send them instantly on demand
- Fund your ACH Wallet with a credit card, ACH transfer, wire transfer, or check
- Integrate with various accounting and payroll platforms
ONLINE CHECK WRITER PRICING
Considering that Online Check Writer can give you Check printing and many other business features that competing Check printing services don’t (some of which are $60 downloadable programs) for as little as $30, you have to respect OCW’s platform from a pricing standpoint. The service can get quite expensive as the subscription level goes up, but small businesses don’t need this level of service.
PAY AS YOU GO
- $0/month, $30 for your initial check recharge after you print your five free checks
- Check printing fee: 1%, maximum $1
- Check mailing fee: Starts at $1.25
- Check emailing fee: 1%, maximum $5
- ACH fee: 1%, maximum $5
- Positive Pay: $99.99
- Business checking account from Zil
- Unlimited users
- ACH/direct deposit/domestic & international wire transfers (paying & receiving)
- RTP (real-time payments)
- Instant check printing
- Billing & invoicing
- eChecks & email checks
- One-click check mailing from UPS/FedEx
- Cloud banking & customizable physical/virtual debit cards
- Integrations with Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, & more
BUSINESS
- $49.99/month
- Check printing fee: 0.69%, maximum $1
- Check mailing fee: Starts at $1.25
- Check emailing fee: 0.69%, maximum $5
- ACH fee: 0.69%, maximum $5
- Positive Pay: $99.99
- 50 free credits per month (these credits cover transaction fees)
- Everything from the Pay As You Go plan
PREMIUM
- $499.99/month
- Check printing fee: 0.19%, maximum $1
- Check mailing fee: Starts at $1.25
- Check emailing fee: 0.19%, maximum $5
- ACH fee: 0.19%, maximum $5
- Positive Pay: Included in plan
- 500 free credits per month
- Everything from the Business & Pay As You Go plans
- Bank data
- Manual ACH
- Premium check & invoice templates
- Dedicated support
ENTERPRISE
- Custom pricing — starts at $999.99/month
- Check printing fee: 0.09%, maximum $1
- Check mailing fee: Starts at $1.25
- Check emailing fee: 0.09%, maximum $5
- ACH fee: 0.09%, maximum $5
- Positive Pay: Included in plan
- 1000 free credits per month
- Everything from the other plans
- Faster ACH processing
- White labeling
- Your own email server
- Customizable email templates
- SSO (SAML) and SCIM (Okta)
- Custom data retention policies
- Dedicated server
ONLINE CHECK WRITER FEATURES
There are many check printing services, but few offer full business/payment capabilities. From online banking to debit cards to payroll management to invoices, online check writers do everything.
The dashboard of the software (shown above) is easy to navigate, powerful and easy to use without requiring any special knowledge. Users who are satisfied with their products tend to agree.
CHECKS
With OCW’s check printing software, you can print checks instantly from any printer. All you’ll need is some blank check stock paper.
- Send checks in the mail for $1.25 apiece with the USPS’s check mailing service
- Send checks via email as a one-time printable .pdf with a tracking facility
- Digitize your paper checks & make your payments via email or text
DEPOSIT SLIPS
Online Check Writer lets you create & print deposit slips from any of the 22,000+ banks OCW integrates with.
- The software generates your deposit slip templates automatically when you add your bank account
- Every deposit you make is automatically reconciled
PAYMENT PROCESSING
Online Check Writer lets you send and receive the following payment types (besides checks):
- Credit/debit card payments
- ACH/RTP
- Direct deposit
- Wire transfers, domestic & international
PAYROLL MANAGEMENT
With online Check Writer’s Payroll feature, you can print paychecks for all employees at once. You can also send your employee checks via email or text message.
BILL PAY
OCW makes it easy for you to pay your bills any way you wish.
- Create a bill with the payee’s details and send it immediately
- Pay bills by print check, check, or ACH/ direct deposit
- All transactions are recorded in an accurate bank reconciliation
INVOICING
Check Author’s Invoice Solutions online, allowing you to do the following:
- Create and send invoices online via email or text
- Pay by check, credit/debit card, ACH, RTP, PayPal or BitPay
- If your customer has an OCW account, the bill will go directly to the bill payment page
- Create invoice tax list
BANKING
OCW’s partnership with Zil Bank means that when you sign up with OCW, you get a free Zil business checking account. Some notable features:
- There is no minimum balance requirement or minimum opening deposit
- Get 100 free stock checks when you deposit $1000 for the first time
- Quick payment by direct deposit
- Buy physical and digital debit cards that let you choose your spending limit, lock your card if it’s stolen, and get multiple cards for one account with no fees
ONLINE CHECK WRITER INTEGRATIONS
Online Check Writer integrates with the following services:
- QuickBooks Online, Desktop, & Payroll
- Gusto
- Zoho Books & Payroll
- Zapier
- Xero
- BitPay
- Bill.com
ONLINE CHECK WRITER REVIEWS: DO USERS LIKE IT?
The short answer to this question is yes. From SiteJabber to G2 to TrustPilot, OCW’s average user score is consistently higher than 4 out of 5. OCW users have had many positive comments about the product, although there has been occasional criticism.
NEGATIVE ONLINE CHECK WRITER REVIEWS
- Deposits take too long
- Reports of customer service problems
- Some text on the onlinecheckwriter.com website isn’t clear
POSITIVE ONLINE CHECK WRITER REVIEWS
- Very user-friendly
- Can be tried for free
- Great customer support
- Makes payroll easy
- Good check templates
IS ONLINE CHECK WRITER RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
Pros
- Offers wide variety of payment & banking services
- Lower subscription tiers are inexpensive
- Transaction fees decrease with higher-tier subscriptions
- Integrates with Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, and more
- Create and send five checks for free
Cons
- Gets expensive with higher subscription tiers
- Inconsistent customer support
Not many software platforms offer such a wide variety of services under one umbrella, so it’s hard to find a similar provider. However, given that it offers pay-as-you-go check printing for monthly plan subscribers along with expanded capabilities (and lower transaction fees), Online Check Writer will benefit from a wide variety of business sizes and types.
The package as a whole may be excessive for small businesses looking for a simple check printing solution, but given that the price of the pay-as-you-go option is competitive with more specialized check printing software platforms, these businesses may find it a good choice.
CHOOSE ONLINE CHECK WRITER IF…
- You want a check writing service you can try for free
- You’re a high-volume business seeking discounted payment processing
- You want free online banking and free debit cards to go along with check printing
- You want business software that is easy to use for non-techies
If you prefer a simpler check printing solution and aren’t interested in opening an online bank account, check out our list of the best check printing software platforms for other options. But if checking authors online appeals to you, try it for free – you have nothing to lose!
