CheckWriter vs SimpleChex

CheckWriter is a browser-based application for accepting check payments by phone, fax, or online and printing check drafts for deposit. The maker says printed drafts can be deposited at any U.S. bank and credited to the ledger balance the same day at full face value. Properly authorized recurring billing can follow daily, weekly, bi-weekly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual cycles, and routing numbers are automatically verified. Listed tools include customer and transaction records, customizable fields, notes, printable invoices and reports, batch printing, and CSV export. It can import data from shopping carts, order forms, and text or CSV systems. A modifiable generic web form can be used with a secure server, shopping cart, or other payment form. The maker describes CheckWriter Cloud as PCI/DSS compliant, says it follows KYC and AML procedures and complies with Federal Reserve Regulation CC, EPC-6, and Check21, and advertises no transaction fees or discount rates for Cloud. The Cloud Single User Limited plan costs $8 a month. The Occasional Use plan costs $25 a year and lists four checks per month; its billing details also list a $29 one-time setup fee and $25 every six months.

SimpleChex is a web-based service for creating business checks as PDFs with MICR-encoded routing and account numbers. Users can print checks on plain white paper or blank check stock, including Costco NL-VT-compatible stock, or email a PDF for the recipient to print and deposit like a check. The product uses the E-13B MICR font used by bank scanners. Users can save payees and addresses, and add an image or typed signature to checks. SimpleChex logs checks, batches, and emails, and past checks can be reprinted as PDFs. Firm accounts allow unlimited team members, with access scoped to selected businesses or bank accounts. For QuickBooks payroll, users can upload a payroll PDF for a MICR line to be added to each page. The service does not hold, transmit, or process funds; checks clear through the user's existing bank relationship. The free plan is free and allows one business, unlimited bank accounts, 10 checks per month, and one user. Solo costs $5 a month; Firm costs $19 a month and includes up to 10 businesses, with each additional business at $2/mo.