Avery WePrint vs OnlineLabels is really a question of how your business handles labels. Are you placing a finished custom print order and moving on with your life? Avery makes that easy. Are you constantly testing new scents, SKUs, flavors, sizes, barcodes or seasonal packaging? OnlineLabels is usually the more practical workbench.
Both companies are credible choices for small business labels. Neither is some sketchy “we print your labels in a basement next to a space heater” operation. But they feel different. Avery is the more polished consumer brand. OnlineLabels is the more label-nerd, operations-friendly supplier.
Quality (Materials and Print)
Avery WePrint has the more polished custom-printing feel. It offers sheet labels, roll labels and stickers, with many shapes, uses, finishes and materials. For product labels, Avery’s big strength is its material catalog: waterproof labels, film materials, metallics, holographic materials, clear labels, kraft options and white ink on select materials. That gives small brands a lot of shelf-ready options without needing to understand every label manufacturing term.
Avery also has a strong printed-label story for durability. Its waterproof label pages emphasize film finishes that resist water, weather, oil, fading and scuffing. That matters for candles, soaps, lotions, jars, beverage bottles and other products that get handled, chilled, wiped down or slightly abused by real life. Packaging does not live in a gentle world.
OnlineLabels is also strong on materials, but the presentation is more practical than premium. It offers custom labels on sheets, rolls and stickers, with options like white matte, white gloss, white weatherproof, clear gloss, clear matte, kraft, recycled white, blockout, BOPP film, freezer grade, removable paper and metallized materials. Roll labels include laminated topcoats, and OnlineLabels explains that laminate adds an extra durability layer over the printed label.
For quality, Avery has the edge if the label needs to feel more like a finished retail packaging piece right out of the box. OnlineLabels is still a very good choice, especially for practical product labeling, but its biggest strength is breadth and utility rather than “premium boutique packaging” vibes.
Winner: Avery WePrint for polished custom print quality. OnlineLabels for practical material breadth.
Price and Value
OnlineLabels is usually the better value platform for small businesses that need labels all the time. Its blank label side is especially strong: no minimums, a large selection of ready-to-ship configurations, free templates, Maestro Label Designer and a lowest-price guarantee on standard blank label products. That does not apply to custom-produced items, which is important, but it still makes OnlineLabels attractive for businesses that print some labels themselves.
Custom printed OnlineLabels orders are also small-business friendly. Custom sheet labels have no minimum order size, include expert art review and list a 2-3 business day turnaround after artwork approval. Custom roll labels include low minimum order sizes, design variation discounts for standard shapes and the same 2-3 business day production timing after approval.
Avery is not necessarily expensive, but it is more of a polished custom print platform than a raw label supply warehouse. Its custom labels page shows many sheet label options starting around $13, while roll labels are positioned more for larger $200+ projects. Avery also offers free shipping over $50, no setup fees, no plate fees and no extra charge for many custom shapes and sizes. That can save money on oddball label sizes where some printers start quietly adding “because we can” fees.
The value question comes down to how often your labels change. If you need a few hundred or a few thousand professional labels for a stable product, Avery can be very reasonable. If you are constantly changing product names, variants, batches, scents, ingredients or barcodes, OnlineLabels gives you more ways to keep costs under control.
Winner: OnlineLabels for day-to-day value and flexibility. Avery WePrint for no-hassle custom printed orders.
Design, Templates, and Customization
Avery’s design tools are one of its biggest advantages. Avery Design & Print is built for normal humans, not just designers who say things like “bleed” at parties. You can start with free templates, upload artwork, edit images, add straight or curved text, use mail merge, generate barcodes and QR codes and save projects to your account for later reordering.
For small businesses, that is a real advantage. A candle maker can build one label style, duplicate it for different scents and reorder without rebuilding the whole thing from scratch. Avery also lets you review digital proofs before ordering, and roll label orders have a separate proof process.
OnlineLabels has Maestro Label Designer, which is one of the stronger label-specific tools in this category. It also offers blank templates and thousands of pre-designed templates. The big advantage is that OnlineLabels is built around label configurations. If you are trying to match a specific sheet layout, roll format or printable material, its template system is very useful.
Avery feels easier for a first-time user. OnlineLabels feels more powerful for someone who is turning labels into a repeatable business workflow.
Winner: Avery WePrint for beginner-friendly design. OnlineLabels for template depth and label workflow.
Customer Service
Avery has strong formal support. It offers phone support, chat and email, with U.S.-based customer care. Its support page says escalations that require follow-up receive a response within one business day. Avery also promotes a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which is reassuring for a small business placing a meaningful label order.
That said, public reviews are mixed. Some recent reviewers praise Avery for small-business reorders, quality checks, predictable shipping and helpful account support. Others complain about slow communication, alignment issues, order mistakes or labels not performing as expected. That does not mean Avery is bad. It means it is a large operation, and large operations sometimes have large-operation problems.
OnlineLabels also has good support infrastructure. It lists phone, live chat, email and support tickets, and its help pages show specific customer service hours. The company also has a “No Hassle” return policy for standard items, allowing returns within 60 days for a full refund. Custom items are handled separately, so do not assume every custom print order is returnable just because the blank label return policy is generous.
Public reviews for OnlineLabels are also mixed but generally lean positive. Trustpilot currently shows OnlineLabels at 3.9 with a “Great” label from 80 reviews. Positive reviews often mention easy designing, good label quality, quick shipping and helpful support. Negative reviews tend to focus on delivery problems, material complaints or frustration when expectations were not met.
Winner: Tie, with a slight Avery edge for brand reassurance and a slight OnlineLabels edge for label-specialist support.
Ordering Experience & Tools
Avery has the smoother ordering experience for custom printed labels. The flow is simple: choose your label type, shape, size, material, finish and quantity, then design online or upload artwork. It feels like it was built for small business owners who need to get the order done between answering customer emails and packing boxes.
Avery also does a good job of separating sheet labels, roll labels and stickers. Sheet labels are better for hand application and smaller projects. Roll labels are better for bigger projects, dispensers and machine application. Stickers are better for branding, giveaways and promotional use.
OnlineLabels is a little more utilitarian, but that is not always a bad thing. Its strength is that you can use it in multiple ways. You can buy blank labels and print them yourself. You can download templates. You can use Maestro Label Designer. You can order custom printed labels on sheets, rolls or stickers. You can request samples. You can build a system around it.
The downside is that OnlineLabels can feel more like a catalog than a guided custom-print experience. If you already know what you need, that is great. If you are brand new to label buying, Avery may feel less intimidating.
Winner: Avery WePrint for ease. OnlineLabels for operational flexibility.
Turnaround Time and Shipping
Avery’s custom printing page says custom printed products ship in 2-4 business days, with delivery timing depending on the product and shipping method. Avery also says many custom printing orders arrive within 2-7 business days. Roll labels and pouches require proof approval before production, which can add time. Avery offers free shipping over $50, which is nice if your order qualifies.
Avery’s roll label calculator also shows standard and rush production options. One example configuration showed standard production at 4 business days and rush at 2 business days. Avery also states that roll labels can ship within two business days after proof approval, depending on the selected production option and order details.
OnlineLabels is very competitive on speed. Custom labels list a standard 2-3 business day turnaround after artwork approval. Custom sheet labels and custom roll labels both show that same 2-3 business day timing. For blank labels, OnlineLabels says more than 96% of in-stock orders placed before 5 p.m. ET ship the same day.
That makes OnlineLabels especially strong when you are ordering blank labels for in-house printing. If your label printer is sitting there hungry and your inventory shelf is starting to look sad, same-day shipping on blank stock can matter more than a glossy custom-print page.
Winner: OnlineLabels for blank label speed. Tie for custom printed labels, depending on proofing and shipping method.
Use Cases / Best For
Avery WePrint is best for small businesses that want professional custom labels without turning label buying into a second job. It is especially good for candles, jars, bottles, soap, beauty products, food packaging, beverage labels, waterproof labels and labels where the finished look matters.
Use Avery if you want to upload artwork, review a proof, order the exact quantity and get professionally printed labels without fuss. It is also a strong choice when you need custom shapes, waterproof films, metallics, holographic options, clear labels or white ink on select materials.
OnlineLabels is best for businesses that need a label system. If you print labels in-house, run frequent small batches, test new products, change ingredients often or maintain lots of SKUs, OnlineLabels is hard to beat. It is also excellent for businesses that want both blank label stock and custom printed labels from one supplier.
Use OnlineLabels if your label process changes often. It is especially useful for Etsy sellers, soap makers, candle brands, food businesses, inventory teams, shipping-heavy businesses and anyone who wants templates, material options and reordering flexibility.
Avery is the better “print this for me” choice. OnlineLabels is the better “help me run labels as part of my business” choice.
Pros and Cons
Avery WePrint Pros
Good custom print quality for small business product labels
Strong waterproof, film, metallic, clear, kraft and specialty material options
Easy design tool with templates, barcode tools and saved projects
No extra setup, plate or die fees on many custom shapes and sizes
Free shipping over $50
Strong brand recognition and familiar workflow
Good fit for polished retail-style labels
Avery WePrint Cons
Not always the cheapest option
Roll labels can start at a higher project level than some small sellers expect
Large-company support can be mixed
Some custom print orders cannot be changed after a short cancellation window
Less ideal if you constantly print tiny batches or change label details every week
OnlineLabels Pros
Excellent for blank labels and in-house printing
No minimums on custom sheet labels
Strong template library and Maestro Label Designer
Very broad label configuration selection
Fast 2-3 business day custom production after approval
Same-day shipping on most in-stock blank label orders before the cutoff
Good fit for frequent SKU changes, seasonal labels and small-batch testing
OnlineLabels Cons
Custom printed labels feel more practical than premium-boutique
The ordering experience can feel more catalog-like than guided
Lowest-price guarantee applies to standard blank products, not custom-produced items
Material selection can require more decision-making
Public reviews include some delivery and material complaints
Final Verdict / Conclusion
OnlineLabels is the better overall choice for most small businesses because it gives you more flexibility. You can buy blank labels, print in-house, use free templates, order custom printed sheets, order roll labels and keep changing products without rebuilding your whole label process. For businesses with lots of SKUs, small batches or constant updates, that flexibility is a big deal.
Avery WePrint is better when you want a more polished custom printed label with less decision fatigue. The design tool is friendly, the material catalog is strong and the brand is familiar. If you are ordering labels for candles, jars, bottles, soaps or beauty products and you want them to look professional without babysitting the process, Avery is a very safe pick.
So the practical answer is simple: choose Avery WePrint if you want the smoother custom-print experience. Choose OnlineLabels if you want the better small-business label system.
For the exact query Avery WePrint vs OnlineLabels, our pick is OnlineLabels for most small businesses. But for a finished, professional label order where presentation matters more than operational flexibility, Avery WePrint can absolutely be the better choice.