Lob Alternative for Check Printing, Mailing, and API Automation
Looking for a Lob alternative that gives your business more control over check payments? OnlineCheckWriter.com lets you print checks in-house, mail checks through USPS or FedEx, or automate check creation and mailing through API V3. Connect supported accounting and payroll platforms, manage payees and bank accounts, track mailed checks, and request custom pricing based on your business needs.
It's not that Lob is bad. It's that it only does one thing.
Lob is a solid mail API if all you need is "send a check through code." People start looking elsewhere once they need more than that.
An app, not just an API
Your AP or accounting team can create and approve checks without anyone writing code.
More than one mail class
USPS First Class, tracked mail, Priority, Express, and FedEx Overnight, not one default option.
Positive Pay
Fraud protection tied to the bank account the check draws from, not bolted on separately.
Print it yourself
Load blank check stock into your own printer when you don't want to mail at all.
Pricing you can read
Real per-transaction prices on a public page, not a number you get after a sales call.
What actually changes when you move off Lob
Five things worth checking before you commit, not just "is it cheaper."
Pricing
OnlineCheckWriter charges per transaction, with no monthly fee on the entry plan. Larger volumes qualify for a custom-priced Enterprise tier instead of a flat public rate. Check the live pricing page for current numbers before you budget.
Payment methods
Checks are the core of the platform, and the same account can extend to ACH, wire, and card payments as your business grows. You are not locked into a single payment method as your needs change.
Who holds your data
Larger accounts can set custom data retention policies. The exact terms live in your service agreement, so read that before you commit to a plan.
Support when something breaks
Support includes phone, live chat, and email, plus a dedicated account manager on higher-volume plans. Reach out directly if you need specifics for your use case.
Mapping your current integration
Checks, addresses, and bank accounts all have a direct equivalent in the API. The workflow section below walks through exactly how those map, so you can scope the work before you write a line of code.
Create, print, and manage checks
Create business, vendor, or payroll checks and print them using a compatible printer and blank check stock. Add your business information, logo, memo, signature, payee details, and other required fields. Choose a supported check layout and print checks when your team needs them.
Create and customize
Build a check from a bank account and payee, add a memo and invoice number, and choose a layout: check on top, middle, or bottom of the page, three-per-page, or wallet size. Add a logo and signature image.
Print on demand
Print on blank check stock without pre-printed stationery. Use MICR toner so the routing and account numbers read correctly at the bank. A regular printer can produce a line that fails automated processing.
Manage and track
Void and reissue a check, mark it posted or cleared, or pull its full history. If a mailed check goes missing, void it and issue a new one instead of waiting on the original.
Accounting sync
Connects to QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, so checks reconcile against your books without manual re-entry. Lob doesn't offer this: it generates and mails check documents, nothing more.
USPS and FedEx, priced by the piece
Create the check online and let the platform handle the physical mailing process. The check is printed, placed in an envelope, and sent to the payee through an available USPS or FedEx mailing option. Your team does not need to print checks, prepare envelopes, apply postage, or visit a mailbox. Available mailing methods and delivery times depend on the selected carrier and service.
| Mail option | Price |
|---|---|
| USPS First Class | $1.25 |
| First Class with tracking | $8.10 |
| Priority Mail (USPS) | $17.54 |
| Express Mail | $37.79 |
| FedEx Overnight | $24.99 |
| First Class, Canada | $2.99 |
| FedEx Overnight, Canada | $24.99 |
| First Class International | $4.99 |
| FedEx International | $59.99 |
| Document attachment | $1.00 |
| Mail Check in One Click (default USPS/FedEx) | $1.25 |
"Mail Check in One Click" covers the common case: create the check, pick USPS or FedEx, send. Need tracked or overnight delivery instead? Pick that class directly. Enterprise accounts get custom volume pricing on every mail option instead of the flat rate above.
api/v3/mailchecks/{id}/tracking or the web app. You can also get webhook notifications on status changes instead of polling for updates.Everything above, callable from your own code
Use API V3 to add check creation, printing, mailing, and delivery tracking to your application or internal payment workflow. Your developers can build a check process that works inside your existing product instead of asking users to move between separate systems.
Bank accounts & payees
Create, retrieve, update, and delete both. Bank accounts batch-create up to 20 per request.
Checks
Create individually or in a batch, then print and get back a signed PDF.
Mail & email
Send via USPS or FedEx with shipping type and notification options, or email a check directly.
Custom addresses
Set a non-default sender or recipient address for a specific mail piece.
Fee lookups
Check mailing options and calculate fees before you send anything.
Delivery tracking
Poll status or get webhook notifications when it changes.
How the workflow fits together
Sign up for a test account and grab a sandbox key.
Authorization: Bearer <key> on every call.
Create or retrieve the account the check draws from.
Create or retrieve who gets paid.
Bank account ID, payee ID, amount, memo.
Only if mailing to/from a non-default address.
Using the check ID from step 5.
Test fully, then ask support to activate production.
curl --location '/checks' \--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \--header 'Authorization: Bearer ••••••• ' \--header 'Accept: application/json' \--data '{ "checks" : [ { "bankAccountId" :"yd6LeMYmdQeE8Dx", "payeeId" :"Xw2lx48MdGMzWyD", "serialNumber" :"1001", "issueDate" :"2026-07-31", "amount" :100, "memo" :"Test check using API", "accountNumber" :"458756", "invoiceNumber" :"2545", "noSign" :0, "noAmount" :0, "noDate" :0, "noPayee" :0 } ]}' bankAccountIdpoints to the stored bank account record;accountNumberis a separate field on the same request. Confirm it matches before going live.amountis whole dollars and cents:100means $100.00.noSign/noAmount/noDate/noPayeecontrol whether those fields print, for specimen checks or hand-completed stock. Leave them at0for a normal check.
OnlineCheckWriter vs. Lob
| Category | OnlineCheckWriter | Lob |
|---|---|---|
| Core product | Check app + payments platform + API | Print-and-mail API (checks, postcards, letters) |
| Print in-house | Yes, on blank check stock | Not offered. Lob prints and mails on their end |
| Mail classes for checks | First Class, tracked, Priority, Express, FedEx Overnight, international | USPS First Class only |
| Positive Pay | Available, $199.99/account | Not offered |
| Accounting sync | QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite | Not offered |
| Pricing | Per-transaction rates listed on the pricing page, plus a custom Enterprise tier for higher volume | Contact Lob directly for current rates |
| Sandbox environment | Yes, separate key and base URL | Yes, test/live key modes |
| Support channels | Phone, live chat, email; account manager on higher plans | Not published |
OnlineCheckWriter isn't affiliated with Lob.com. Figures above come from each company's own pricing and documentation pages.
Pay as you go, or a custom Enterprise rate
- Check printing$1.00
- Email check$1.00
- Mail check, one click$1.25
- Positive Pay, per account$199.99
- Bank accounts / users3 / 3
- Mail check, one clickCustom
- Document mailingCustom
- Bank accounts / usersCustom
- Data retention policyCustom
- Account managerDedicated
This account also covers ACH, wire, and card payments if you need them, priced separately from the check items above. Rates shown are current published figures. Check the live pricing page before budgeting against them, since per-transaction pricing can change.
Moving a check workflow off Lob
This is a manual, step-by-step move. There's no one-click import from Lob, so plan for it rather than expecting to flip a switch.
Inventory your current Lob calls: checks, bank accounts, addresses, templates.
Create a sandbox account and grab your API key.
Recreate your bank accounts through the API or the app.
Recreate your payee list, mapping Lob's recipient data over.
Set up custom addresses if your Lob checks used a non-default sender or recipient.
Map your check fields: amount, memo, serial number, custom elements.
Pick mail classes deliberately: there are more options here than on Lob's checks product.
Test the full loop in sandbox: create, print, mail, track.
Run both systems in parallel briefly to confirm delivery and reconciliation.
Activate production and cut over.
Decommission Lob once a full billing cycle confirms things are stable.
Positive Pay and who gets to send money
Fraud protection that's tied to the bank account sending the check, not a separate tool you have to reconcile against. Set it up once per account, then review the exceptions it flags.
Positive Pay
$199.99 per account on Pay As You Go. It matches checks presented for payment against what you actually issued and flags anything that doesn't match as an exception. You still have to review and decide on exceptions before your bank's daily cutoff for it to work.
User roles & approvals
Set who can create, approve, or send a payment, so authority isn't sitting with one person by default.
Questions people ask before switching
Is OnlineCheckWriter affiliated with Lob?
No. It's an independent platform, not associated with or endorsed by Lob.com. This page compares the two using each company's own published information.
Can I mail through both USPS and FedEx?
Yes. First Class, tracked First Class, Priority, and Express through USPS, plus FedEx Overnight and FedEx International, all from the same account.
Is there a check mailing API like Lob's?
Yes. A mailchecks endpoint creates a mailed check, checks mailing options, calculates fees, and tracks delivery, alongside endpoints for bank accounts, payees, and checks themselves.
How do I test before going live?
Create a sandbox account and use the sandbox base URL, https://sandbox.onlinecheckwriter.com/api/v3. Production access needs to be activated by support before it'll accept live requests.
What does check printing actually cost?
On Pay As You Go, printing a check yourself is $1.00, and mailing one in a single click through USPS or FedEx is $1.25. Enterprise gets custom volume pricing instead. Check the live pricing page for current rates before you budget against these.
Can I mail checks without printing anything myself?
Yes. That's the point for most people coming from Lob. Create the check, hit "Mail Check in One Click," and OnlineCheckWriter prints and mails it through USPS or FedEx. You never have to touch paper.
Ready to see it for yourself?
Create an account and print a check, or go straight to the API sandbox and run the same workflow you'd build in production, no commitment either way.